Roland Koroi
SUVA: The Permanent Secretary for Information, Sharon Smith-Johns, has brushed aside a report by Reporters without Borders (RSF) that ranks Fiji 149th out of 178 countries on media freedom - the most poorly ranked country in the Pacific.
Responding to the report, Smith-Johns maintains Fiji has improved in as far as media freedom is concerned and "that’s all that matters".
“Well, it doesn’t really surprise me. I know we have improved from last year so whatever the measurements, things are certainly improving. I don’t pay much attention to these rankings. I think we should be judged on the ground by what’s happening in Fiji. Also, how can we really compare one country to another? It begs the question, what is media freedom? Some of these Pacific island’s media are fully government owned.”
Smith-Johns says the Fiji government only wants the media to report "accurately and fairly".
The Public Emergency Regulations remain in force in Fiji and Ministry of Information officers continue to censor media reports. - Fiji Broadcasting Corporation/Pacific Media Watch
* Reporters Sans Frontières - Reporters Without Borders - 2010 World Press Freedom Index:
http://en.rsf.org/
Pacific Media Watch
