Interim Prime Minister Commodore Frank Bainimarama has today stressed that media freedom is alive in Fiji.
In an exclusive interview with Fijivillage, Commodore Bainimarama said a number of misleading statements and reports have been made that he is forcing the media to tow the government line.
He said all he wants is fair and responsible reporting to ensure that the people are receiving factual information.
Commodore Bainimarama said the media should be responsible and leave the determination of the legality or otherwise to the courts and concentrate on reporting facts on a daily basis.
The Interim Prime Minister also questioned some media outlets on why they do not verify information received against the interim administration.
Some misleading reports highlighted during the meeting was an incident which never occurred involving a taxi driver who claimed in a TV interview, that he was picked up by soldiers and sodomised. But, it has been established that no such incident occurred and the reporter did not verify the information.
The other story highlighted was a claim of a death in military custody in Vanua Levu last year. This had never occurred and it was established that the reporter just picked up the fabricated information from a blog site.
Media Freedom Is Alive: Interim PM
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