Fred Wesley, editor-in-chief of The Fiji Times
OPINION: SUVA (The Fiji Times / Pacific Media Watch): Saturday was a very special day for journalists who celebrated World Press Freedom Day.
It was about appreciating the work of journalists and acknowledging people in the news and those who read, listen to, view, and surf the internet in search of information.
Journalists are sometimes misunderstood in [Fiji].
Like everyone else, journalists have families. They have feelings, yearnings, bias, and appreciate many things.
They have loved ones who look up to them for advice, support and reassurance.
Some have families of their own, children to support, nurture and watch over into adulthood.
Journalists have dreams of their own.
Faced with many obstacles, passion for the job keeps many in this career.
Some have been ridiculed, snubbed, and publicly humiliated, sometimes even by state officials.
Thankless work
But there have also been many instances when journalists have been acknowledged and appreciated. It can sometimes be thankless work. But there are many instances when there is personal satisfaction because an article contributed positively to the development of a family effort, community, village, town, city or the country.
For every journalist on the frontline, there are just as many in the background, from the editors of various departments, subeditors in a newspaper, to the people behind the scenes working to get a radio or television program or web update ready for the masses. Then there are the people in administration, finance, transport, advertising and marketing, and newspaper sellers, who each play an important role in the mechanics of how information is eventually disseminated.
This year is a very important year for the media and for the people of Fiji.
This year is when we as a nation head to the polls to decide those who will lead us into the future.
Now more than ever, the role of the media is critical to ensure people are in a position to make well-informed decisions when we have our elections on September 17.
In a joint message for World Press Freedom Day, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation Director-General Irina Bokova said the day highlighted the importance of independent, free and pluralistic media to protect and promote freedom of opinion and expression.
"These rights are essential to democracy, transparency, accountability and the rule of law. They are vital for human dignity, social progress and inclusive development," they said.
"Journalism provides a platform for informed discussion across a wide range of development issues — from environmental challenges and scientific progress to gender equality, youth engagement and peacebuilding. Only when journalists are at liberty to monitor, investigate and criticise policies and actions can good governance exist."
Understandably though, with this comes a great sense of responsibility.
A Fiji Times editorial under the original title "Press freedom".
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 New Zealand Licence.
Pacific Media Watch
