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LoginCafé Pacific’s awards to spice up the new decade
National Union of Journalists of the Philippines members release doves, symbolising a want for peace. Photo: Bayanihan Post
Pacific Scoop:
News Desk
Café Pacific has issued its New Year honours, awarding the Newspaper of the Year handle to The Fiji Times. Café Pacific writes: “As a crusading newspaper under the helm of battling Netani Rika, it is hard to go past this Australian-owned publication – the strongest daily newspaper in Fiji in spite of its past political baggage and track record that goes right back to its colonial days in Levuka.”
It has also issued awards for the best media film, best independent newspaper, media monitoring agency, independent blog, and a freedom of speech award.
For more, see… Café Pacific: Café Pacific’s awards to spice up the new decade
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While I have a great deal of respect for David Robie and his Cafe Pacific, the same feeling does not extend to his award criteria in awarding the Fiji Times an award for fighting what they helped create in the first place- an unstable Fiji through their jaundiced, blinkered and racially-spiced reporting that has been cause of much racial strife in Fiji. I suppose while we study about development journalism, nobody at the Fiji Times know the meaning of this. As a First -world -owned paper in a third world country, somehow Fiji Times fails to understand this. How come it is deserving of such an award when they abdicated their responsibility in informing the people of what is happening in the country. Never mind how much they despise Frank, they (Netani Rika and the Fiji Times) need to be pragmatic and realise that Frank is in the driver’s seat, so what he says should have been at least told to Fiji people. Despite what you feel, HE IS THE CURRENT LEADER OF FIJI. They failed to report Bainimarama’s New Year message. Fiji Times is a shame to any media in a developing country. They are most undeserving of the award. Hence the credibility of the award becomes questionable to the media that gave a new meaning to the term “skirt journalism.”