Fiji Media Council Chair Agatha Ferei Furivai says the role of the press is very important and the responsibility is to ensure all reports by journalists are balanced.
While speaking during a panel discussion on the topic of Navigating Fiji’s Media Landscape: Reflections on a Year of Change for FMA World Press Freedom Day, Furivai also called on the people to speak out on issues that matter to them and not be silent when the journalists ask the citizens or communities on what they are going through.
Furivai says we should be able to raise our voices and make decisions that will be of benefit to the whole of the nation and not just to serve one particular religion or ethnicity.
Meanwhile, Women in Media representative and Fiji One journalist, Iva Danford says when she was pregnant with her third child, she recalls a conversation where a prominent figure clearly told her that she should stay home and look after her children.
She says she has been sworn at but this particular comment was hurtful.
Danford says she found strength in Women in Media. She says more than 50 percent of the media are women so Women in Media’s impact is undeniable through initiatives such as mentoring programs, empowering networking sessions, strategic retreats and participation in initiatives like money-minded sessions and prestigious symposiums and they are actively shaping the Fijian media landscape.
Fijian Media Association Executive and fijivillage News Director, Vijay Narayan says the FMA discussed the formation of the Women in Media network as it was needed and it has been a great success despite the challenges.
Narayan says the challenges will continue and when covering different events, journalists will continue to face maybe those types of individuals and that comes with the job, but we need to continue to shine the light on it and stress clearly that this is not right and is unacceptable.
He says they do not stand for discrimination and the Media Code of Ethics is clear that there should be no discrimination based on gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, or gender identity which is also linked to the Constitution of Fiji.
Narayan says they should always make sure that when they do their work they jealously guard the independence of the media, and make sure it's never compromised, even if it's been threatened by somebody.
