Bula
The issue of media freedom dominates the front page of The Fiji Times for Tuesday, May 7.
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) placed Fiji at an index of 44 out of 180 countries in 2024 compared to 89 in 2023.
The 45 point jump was a direct result of the removal of 16 years of recurring attacks on press freedom by former Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama and his government.
Pressure exerted on the media by the civilian and military authorities, it noted, has let up since Sitiveni Rabuka’s election as Prime Minister in December 2022.
The new ranking is an indication of Fiji’s civic rights gaining strength over the past year.
In the second story on Page 1, efforts by Pacific countries to protect kava are a waste of time, said American kava bar pioneer Jeffrey Bowman.
Mr Bowman, who co-founded North America’s first kava bar in 2022, said efforts should instead be put on producing higher quality kava from the Pacific to supply what he believes will soon become a huge global kava industry that the Pacific is currently not prepared for.
There’s an interesting report in our Business section.
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