------------
Subject: [Pacific_media_
'unbalanced' Fiji interview
From: "Pacific Media Watch nius" <pacific_media_
Date: Fri, July 3, 2009 20:16
To: pacific_media_
------------
Title - 6342 NZ: Pacific radio defends ban over 'unbalanced' Fiji
interview
Date - 4 July 2009
Byline - None
Origin - Pacific Media Watch
Source - Pacific Media Centre, 3/07/09
Copyright - PMC/AUT
Status - Unabridged
* Pacific Media Watch Online - check the website for archive and
links:
www.pacmediawatch.
* Post a comment on this story at PMW Right of Reply:
www.pacificmediacen
http://www.pacificm
pmc@aut.ac.nz
PACIFIC RADIO DEFENDS BAN OVER 'UNBALANCED' FIJI INTERVIEW
http://pacificmedia
AUCKLAND (PMC Niusblog/Pacific Media Watch): A New Zealand-based
Pacific radio network has moved to defuse a controversy over a
Fijian-language interview critical of the Methodist Church and alleged
involvement of some leading clergy in past coups.
Pacific Media Network acting chief executive Tom Etuata told Pacific
Media Centre reporter Pippa Brown that the ban on experienced
broadcaster Bulou Amalaini Ligalevu-Legge had been lifted after she had
been suspended off air following last month's wide-ranging interview
with Citizens' Constitutional Forum executive director Rev Akuila
Yabaki.
Yabaki also spoke about the abrogation of the Fiji constitution,
censorship of the media and freedom of expression in the June 6
broadcast, but the programme's criticism of the Methodist Church in the
wake of the regimes cancellation of the annual conference drew three
written complaints to Radio 531pi/NiuFM.
The controversy was picked up by the independent media watchdog blog
Café Pacific.
http://cafepacific.
Etuata said the radio tried to achieve balance in its programmes.
"She was suspended only from one programme, not from work," he said.
"She is still being employed as an announcer while we investigate and
get an independent translation because we did get a number of
complaints.
"Our community radio aims to provide both views of the topic and
provide balance as a responsible broadcaster on air."
Bulou Amalaini said the off air suspension was "very unfair".
She denied claims by complainants that she was a supporter of regime
leader Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama, saying little information was
coming out of Fiji and she had been trying to provide more insight and
research into political developments.
'Too scared'
Formerly of Radio Fiji and with 25 years broadcasting experience, Bulou
Amalaini said: People are too scared to talk, but Rev Yabaki was not too
scared to be interviewed.
Rev Yabaki, who is an outspoken champion of human and constitutional
rights in Fiji, spoke about the Methodist Church after the banning of
the conference, saying Fijis largest and most influential religious
institution was in disarray.
"If you look at the history of the stand that the Methodist Church has
taken in the past 20 years, you will note that it supported the first
coup of 1987 and also George Speight's coup in the year 2000," he said.
"But it opposed the coup of 2006 because it believes that Fiji should
be governed by Fijians, who are their members, as if it were their
divine right.
"This was the case when Dr Timoci Bavadra and Mahendra Chaudhry's
Labour Party won the general elections of 1987 and 1999."
One complainant to 531pi/Niu FM said: "It would have been fair ... if
Ligalevu [had interviewed] a member of the church in New Zealand or an
official of the church in Fiji on matters concerning the church.
"But to do exactly the opposite does not only degrade the biggest
domination in Fiji but also angers the members of the church who are in
New Zealand."
Bulou Amalaini said she had been told by the station management that
"the interview was good but it was not balanced - that I should have
interviewed somebody from the Methodist Church as well".
She said she had asked the head of the Fiji Methodist congregration in
New Zealand, Rev Peni Tikoinaka, to speak on the programme but he had
declined because he said he was not "fully versed" over the issue.
Another Methodist clergyman was also asked but declined.
* Comment on this item www.pacificmediacen
http://www.pacificm
+++niuswire
PACIFIC MEDIA WATCH ONLINE
www.pacmediawatch.
PACIFIC MEDIA WATCH is a media and educational resource compiled by the
AUT Pacific Media Centre for the Pacific region.
(c)1996-2009 Creative Commons
http://creativecomm
Items are provided solely for review purposes as a non-profit
educational service. Copyright remains the property of the original
producers as indicated in the header. Recipients should seek
permission
from the copyright owner for any publishing. Copyright owners not
wishing their materials to be posted by PMW please contact us. The
views expressed in material listed by PMW are not necessarily the
views
of PMW or the Pacific Media Centre.
For further information on joining the Pacific Media Watch listserve,
Or unsubscribing, go to:
http://lists.
Email:
pmc@aut.ac.nz
Fax: (+649) 921 9987
SnailMail: Pacific Media Centre, School of Communication Studies, AUT
University, Private Bag 92006, Auckland 1142, Aotearoa/New Zealand
Website: www.pacmediawatch.
http://www.pacmedia
____________
Pacific_media_
Pacific_media_
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
This e-mail service is edited, managed and moderated by
George Lessard http://mediamentor.ca
Make a donation via PayPal:
http://members.tripod.com/media002/make-a-donation-via-paypal.html
Creative-Radio is an independent forum for people active in or interested in the use of radio in development, in particular promoting public health, improved education, protection of the environment, improved livelihoods, good governance and conflict mitigation. Since it started in 1996, Creative-Radio has been in the forefront of radio's resurgence as a tool for social change and peace-building, and it helps promote best practice in these areas.
Creative-Radio Moderator
mediamentor@_NO_SPAM_gmail.com
Remove _NO_SPAM_ for use
RSS feed:
http://rss.groups.yahoo.com/group/creative-radio/rss
Change your subscription
- to daily digest mode by sending a blank message to:
creative-radio-digest@yahoogroups.com
- to individual e-mails by sending a blank message to:
creative-radio-normal@yahoogroups.com
- delivery on hold by sending a blank message to
creative-radio-nomail@yahoogroups.com
Caveat Lector- Disclaimers, NOTES TO EDITORS
& (c) information may be found @
http://members.tripod.com/~media002/disclaimer.htm
This work is licensed under a
Creative Commons Developing Nations license.
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/devnations/2.0/
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
Because of the nature of email & the WWW,
please check ALL sources & subjects.
Members who post to this list retain their copyright but grant a non-exclusive license to others to forward any message posted here. They also grant the list owner permission to maintain an archive or approve the archiving of list messages.
Other use of e-mail to this list requires the permission of individual writers
Change settings via the Web (Yahoo! ID required)
Change settings via email: Switch delivery to Daily Digest | Switch format to Traditional
Visit Your Group | Yahoo! Groups Terms of Use | Unsubscribe
No comments:
Post a Comment