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>Open letter to the Fiji Sun editor (May 22): > >Media Responsibility > >Dear Sir, > >As both New Zealand and Fiji are heading for election, >one sooner than the other, a major challenge for >Publishers, CEOs and Editors of media is how to >counteract accusations of political bias and >favouritism for one party or the other. > >Of course columnists or political writers employed by >newspapers may have their own political leanings and >provincial or vanua loyalty and it is essential to see >through their writings to siphon off any bias. > >I sensed one such perceived bias in Maika Bolatiki‚s >column on Thursday, 19th May, 2005, titled "Road from >May 19, 2000". > >This good piece of writing ended off with: "With the >ghost of the 2000 haunting nation in the last five >years, the economy has been put on the path of growth >and is creating employment. Investment, so vital for >rebuilding, has started to increase and we must thank >the government of the day for that." > >However, a day after that the Reserve Bank of Fiji >announced a gloomy picture for Fiji, with slower >growth, a larger deficit, depressed exports and job >losses. > >Scandals after scandals, the economic downturn, >institutionalised racism, unbridled corruption, >uncontrolled spending and extremely poor governance >had brought Fiji to brinks of bankruptcy, yet your >columnist sneaked in his comments, thanking the >government of the day for everything they have done >completely opposite. > >I certainly hope that your paper, as well as other >media in Fiji, will be careful as we approach the >elections. The media bosses have to guard against such >unsubstantiated bias and such manufactured journalism >that appears to reveal a political skewing. > > However, I am confident, media in Fiji can still be >counted as relatively free, and credit for this goes >to the professionals who head such organisations, >including yours. > >Keep up your good work as we approach a challenging >period. > >Thakur Ranjit Singh > >Auckland, New Zealand

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