THE Fiji Times Pte Ltd relaunches its vernacular newspapers Shanti Dut and Nai Lalakai today.
Fiji Times Pte Ltd general manager designate Christine Lyons said as the company celebrates its 150th year of providing Fiji with independent news, it decided to relook and revamp its vernacular newspapers to suit the changing needs of its readers.
The company conducted a survey to interview its readers of what they would like to read or changed in the newspaper.
One of the key challenges for Fijians of Indian descent is their inability to read the Devanagari alphabet.
Our Shanti Dut will have news articles in both Devanagari and Roman alphabets.
Nasik Swami is the new Shanti Dut editor and has extensive newsroom management experience with the company. There have been changes to the content of the publication and its design as well.
The Nai Lalakai will still be edited by Unaisi Ratubalavu. Like the Shanti Dut, it has new designs and content.
Ms Lyons says the company is extremely proud and excited to relaunch the Nai Lalakai and Shanti Dut on its 150th year.
“Shanti Dut and Nai Lalakai for decades have been the main stay for generations of vernacular readers across Fiji,” she said.
“This relaunch is also about staying ahead of the rapidly evolving media landscape. The vernaculars keep us relevant as a credible news source for our vernacular audience.”
