The repeal of the Media Industry Development Act was not the end—it was the beginning of a longer journey to build a media environment that is not just free by law, but fearless in practice.
This has been highlighted by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Communications Manoa Kamikamica while closing the inaugural Women in Media Conference at GPH this evening.
Kamikamica says we must have serious conversations on hate speech, coordinated disinformation, and the deliberate exploitation of free speech.
He says the line between debate and danger is growing thinner and as a government, they are committed to striking a balance between protecting freedom while also protecting people.
He says as they explore an alternative framework, the responsibility of media professionals is to ensure self-discipline, peer review, and adherence to the highest standards of journalism.
Kamikamica stresses the Government’s position is to create an environment where these values can thrive—not impose them.
The Deputy Prime Minister says the future of media will not only be shaped by policy, technology, or platforms—it will be shaped by people who insist that truth still matters, that facts still exist, and that ethics still count.
He says as the Minister for Communications, he is deeply concerned with how digital tools can be misused in the weaponisation of free speech.
Kamikamica says our democracy depends on a media that can distinguish signal from noise, truth from falsehood, dissent from misinformation and that burden—unfair as it may feel—often falls on journalists.
He says the media world is still largely built by men, for men and yet, time and again, it is the women who rise above.
He says they do so while facing online abuse, threats, and constant demands to be resilient in the face of targeted harassment and with far fewer opportunities for leadership, even as they carry more of the moral weight but still, they tell the stories that matter.
The Deputy Prime Minister stresses that no journalist should have to choose between telling the truth and staying safe, no woman in the media should have to accept abuse as part of her job and no newsroom should be considered excellent if it does not reflect the diversity of the communities it serves.
He says Fiji is finalising the National Cybersecurity Strategy and the Telecommunications Act and Online Safety Act are under review to better tackle cyberbullying and harmful content.
Kamikamica says the government has signed the Second Protocol to the Budapest Convention and once ratified, it will streamline law enforcement’s access to electronic evidence from overseas providers.
He adds a new National Privacy and Personal Data Protection Policy is also in progress to safeguard Fijians’ personal information.
Meanwhile, Fijian Media Association General Secretary Stanley Simpson says the media will be fair and balanced as much as they can.
While thanking Kamikamica for believing in the principles, he says that's the main thing they ask of our leaders.
He says it's refreshing for leaders to understand the role of the media, and how at times, the relationship may be rocky but it's important that they continue to engage and keep moving forward.
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