Two veteran Fijian journalists believe politicians need to learn where to draw the line when it comes to the media and publishing the work they do.
Islands Business magazine managing director Samisoni Pareti and The Fiji Times former deputy editor Ilaitia Turagabeci Prasad shared this in a recent webinar on the role of the media industry in Fiji post-1970.
“Politicians use the media for their agenda — they expect the media to praise the good work they do, they rely on us to promote them and their idea,” Prasad said.
“It’s totally up to media agencies on how much space and time they give them.
“It’s a collective decision by the newsroom on how much space we give them.”
Pareti said politicians should leave journalists alone to do their work and not dictate as to what they needed published.
He said politicians should realise the media was not there for them to push their agendas.
“It’s a very serious matter in some countries, in the Pacific where some politicians pay journalists to write their story and make sure it gets a good placement — either on the front page — these are unheard of and happens in some countries in the Pacific,” Pareti said.
“I am glad it has not happened here in Fiji but added to that, a very important subject related to this, there is a clear demarcation between Government or political news and the rest of the news.
“Sometimes, the line gets blurred and I fear the line is blurred now because some want to dictate what goes on the news pages because they are advertising with that particular medium.”
Pareti said it was also essential for journalists to do a lot of research and learn about the past to help them in their reporting.