Fiji Times Suspends Publication
Managing Director of the Fiji Times, Tony Yianni, suspended publication of his newspaper last night rather than publish a censored version of the news. An article on the paper’s website explains:
The Fiji Times Limited has suspended publication after the Fiji military ordered the paper not to publish any “propaganda” against the new political leadership.
Armed soldiers came to the Victoria Parade officers at 7.30pm last night, and asked for “assistance”. After a brief discussion outside, the soldiers entered the building for a discussion in the papers newsroom.
My Yianni then explains his decision:
“We were ordered to breach the Constitution and not publish any dissenting views that may be sent to us by free citizens, as well as the views of legally elected members of the Qarase government.
“If we do not have the freedom to publish with responsibility, then we do not publish.”
Reporters Without Borders reports that the newspaper Fiji Daily Post has also suspended publication and Fiji Television has cut its news service saying that, “Fiji Television’s news service will not resume until it can be independent and free of censorship.”
December 6th, 2006 at 1:25 pm
Good decision too! I would do the same. Freedom of speech in my publication or none at all.
December 11th, 2006 at 1:14 am
[…] Most people assume that the coup leader, Bainimarama, is a power-hungry dictator, and there is little opposition to that view in the media. Ignoring the constitution and shutting down inconvenient newspapers tends to support that view, but there is some dissent, for example Blognor Regis: Anyone coming upon the story for the first time right now is going to automatically assume that Bainimarama is the bad guy and the deposed PM is the good guy here. And that just isn’t the case. (Which just goes to show that there’s an awful lot of nuance to these sort of situations, Thailand earlier this year, Ukraine last year, and that anyone rushing to judgement with barely any background information can hardly know which is the “right” side to support. Sure there are good rules of thumb but they’re only guides.) [. . . ] Of course, in an ideal world, wouldn’t it have been better all around if Bainimarama has run for office during the elections last May? […]
July 21st, 2008 at 10:34 am
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