FIJI: Minister for women reiterates call for responsible reporting

Adi Asenaca Caucau says Fiji journalists often quote out of context and should be more sensitive with stories about violence against women

Pacific Media Watch
Wednesday, January 26, 2005

Suva (Pacnews/IFEX/Pacific Media Watch) -- For the second time in less than a year, Fiji's Minister for Women, Social Welfare and Poverty Alleviation, Adi Asenaca Caucau, called on Pacific Island journalists to be responsible and positive in their reporting of issues in their respective countries and the region.

The minister particularly expressed her personal disappointment on being "quoted out of context" in the Fiji media too often since she began her work in government.

Opening a Pacific Regional Media Training Workshop on "Women's Issues, Women's Voices" at the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) Regional Media Centre in Suva last week, Adi Asenaca said she hoped that journalists would "do a lot more positive reporting than negative" when they do their work in the Pacific.

And she said she believed "establishing a good rapport" with news sources should be " a great way" for editors and journalists to understand the different cultures of understanding that have evolved in the region today.

"There seems to be a lot of love-hate relationships in Fiji today, between so many and the media, simply because there are so many negative reporting and a serious lack of understanding on journalists' part on working on reports or their stories," Adi Asenaca said.

"I am actually hoping for more from the Fiji media and the region, we need a whole lot more positive reporting," she said.

The Minister had made her first call to regional media people on the same topic at a SPC/PINA Regional Media Think Tank on Gender, Governance and Peace at the 9th Triennial Pacific Conference on Women and the 2nd Pacific Women Ministers Meeting in Nadi, Fiji in July/August 2004.

This was sponsored by the Pacific Regional Office for the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) and AusAID.

She had then called on journalists to conduct training and research on critical issues affecting women today, rather than concentrating on gossip and nit picking.

She even suggested that journalists, like some governments and government leaders, must be held accountable for some reports they produced, adding that information was a powerful tool for development if used responsibly.

At the Nabua workshop last week, Adi Asenaca, a former journalist in Nebraska, USA while on university studies in the 80s, governments' work "must be constantly reported" so that people are aware of what they do.

"I ask the media to concentrate on positive things rather than just doing the rounds on rape, incest, molestation on women," she said. "In Fiji we have such a young, vibrant and enthusiastic lot (of journalists) but are not well trained and often quote people out of context."

The Minister reiterated journalists must understand cultures and issues so that they could do a better job as negative reporting "is like a bad wound that can fester and spread a nasty smell".

Adi Asenaca then extended an invitation to "any journalist" who would like better reporting skills to visit her in her office.

At least 13 participants, including publishers, news directors, news editors, weekend editors, political editors, senior programme producers and co-ordinators, senior writers and senior journalists from the Pacific's major newspaper, radio and on-line networks attended the SPC/CPU regional media training workshop.

The Regional Media Training Workshop, was sponsored by the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC), Noumea and the Commonwealth Press Union (CPU), London.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

PACIFIC MEDIA WATCH is an independent, non-profit, non-government organisation dedicated to examining issues of ethics, accountability, censorship, media freedom and media ownership in the Pacific region. Items are provided solely for review purposes as a non-profit educational service. Copyright remains the property of the original producers as indicated.

Date Posted: 1/26/2005