The Pacific Freedom Forum (PFF) has called on Fiji's ruling regime to open up the time window given to the country's media for consultations on the draft of the country's new Media Decree.

According to the PFF's report, Fiji's media has been given only a two and a half hour time window to have their say on their industry's future.
The PFF, states that this threatens the credibility of draft media decree 'consultations', saying that 'it's not too late for those behind the decree to allow more time for feedback',

"We had seen a sign of hope when the regime lifted its ban on allowing the Fiji Times and Fiji TV to participate," says PFF chair Susuve Laumaea of PNG.

"But a two and a half hour time frame shoots your own process in the foot. It blocks off any meaningful input and raises the question of whether Fiji media houses should even bother to turn up. If you cannot truly participate and belong to a meeting to discuss your future, who really benefits from you being there?"

"We strongly urge the leadership to open up the time window for feedback and salvage the process from ridicule."


According to the report, the 'draft media decree is planned to replace regime controls on freedom of speech , expression and the right to assembly in Fiji since the abrogation of the Constitution a year ago this month'.

Ongoing concerns have been raised about the freedom of media in Fiji since the military took control of the country in 2006 and, last year, put censors into newsrooms around the country to censor any news being released to the public.

Please follow the link below to the Pacific Freedom Forum website for the full article on the above story.