THE Fiji Times does not have an “editorial stance” on any issue including politics, publisher Hank Arts said.
This is in response to parliamentary statements made by Attorney-General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum who said a directive was given (in the past) to stop all Government’s advertisements in this newspaper because of its editorial viewpoint.
Mr Arts said it was important to understand the role of the media as the fourth estate ensuring that people had access to information which was essential to the health of any democracy.
“That means that, like any independent newspaper, some of its content will show a government in a good light and some of it will not,” Mr Arts said.
“It means that some of its editorial comments will support the Government, and some of them will not. This is how an independent newspaper works.”
Mr Arts said the arbitrary decision in 2009 to stop all Government departments and companies from advertising with The Fiji Times was unfortunate as the newspaper had a wider circulation across the country.
“We are a Fijian company that also contributes to the Fijian economy by paying taxes and employing people but our competitiveness has been restricted because of a Government policy. We are made in Fiji and the longest surviving company in Fiji at 146 years old.
“It is not just about a level playing field but also allowing exclusive The Fiji Times readers an opportunity to access Government advertisements,” Mr Arts said.
Last week, Mr Sayed-Khaiyum said the Government did not advertise exclusively with The Fiji Sun.
