There are many views about what constitutes good news. Scenarios and events will inch out different opinions.
We have different emotional responses to different circumstances.
It’s just the way things are. Circumstances can influence, shape, or change opinions. We are drawn to events that tug at the heartstrings.
They can either frustrate us, or make us sad. They will tug at our emotional responses in different ways.
It makes us special as individuals. We each have our preferences, our likes, our dislikes and we value things differently.
As a newspaper The Fiji Times places great value on the dissemination of information that will help readers make informed decisions daily.
To that end, there has to be value attached to ensuring balance, fairness and accuracy. A great challenge lies in living up to the ideals of good journalism.
Emotions matter greatly, but in a scenario that must embrace differing views, we realise this should not dictate our actions.
Therein lies our commitment to have a platform that allows views and opinions from people regardless of their status in society, their religion, ethnicity or gender.
The Fiji Times has come under attack this week in Parliament. It’s nothing new though. We have been castigated. We have been accused of many things we are not.
The Fiji Times exists to publish all views and to ensure there is balanced coverage of the news and balanced political debate. We can help move Fiji forward if the information we all have is balanced and all views are taken into account. Our job is to put all the information in front of the people – not just the Government’s version.
There is also the element of democracy, and the important role the media plays in holding power to account. We accept that our role will not always win favour or friends. To many people, what matters at the end of the day is the quality of the information that is disseminated, and how reliable it is. Then there is accuracy and timeliness. We take great pride in disseminating information that is relevant, and appropriate. That is key to who we are as a news organisation.
We know the importance of information and how people react differently to news.
We know it is important for us to stay focused on the core business of disseminating information, and why being independent and being credible means a lot to many people. We value journalism and what it stands for.
We strive to disseminate information that is credible, factual and accurate. We continue to face challenges that can be very frustrating sometimes.
Yet, we learn new things every day, and we overcome these obstacles. We believe everyone in our beautiful nation deserves to be heard. We all have our own little stories to tell.
We may not be able to satisfy everyone, but we will do our best to portray a balance in our coverage and uphold the values of good journalism.
We will give credit where it is due, and we will raise important issues. Thank you for understanding us. Thank you for your support and for inspiring us. Please know that it matters to The Fiji Times.
