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ROUNDING UP ON THE FIJI SUN: Veteran Fiji Journalist Dennis Rounds reminds another from the same era - Nemani Delaibaitiki - to get his facts right and to practice the art of TRUE JOURNALISM as it was in the past!

29/1/2015

15 Comments

 

"It is my firm belief that newspapers not only serve to inform the public but also act as a “Reference” for historical research. It, therefore, is incumbent on me to set the facts straight rather than let lie what, to me, is becoming slewed and agenda-driven reporting." Rounds to Fiji Sun
Fijileaks: 'Journalism is the first draft of history'

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PictureRefusing to throw in the towel in fight for truth;
ROUNDS: Journalist in the 1980s (left) and now (right)
28 February, 2015
The Editor
Fiji Sun
SUVA
Dear Sir/Madam,


Allow me to respond to your front page article “Aussies Snubbed? ” of 28 February 2015 and specifically to references to me on Page 3.


It is my firm belief that newspapers not only serve to inform the public but also act as a “Reference” for historical research.

It, therefore, is incumbent on me to set the facts straight rather than let lie what, to me, is becoming slewed and agenda-driven reporting.

Fact One: During my tenure with the Australian High Commission, I held the position of Public Affairs Officer with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). That, for those like the article’s author who may not be able to fathom the difference, is quite separate to the position of “Communications Specialist” which was how the author of the article described me.

Fact Two: Ms Merewalesi Nailatikau was not my successor. She was Senior Communications Manager for the then AusAID and continued in that capacity when the two Australian departments merged into a single entity. Let me assure the author concerned that Ms Nailatikau is an intelligent and professionally trained individual with the relevant accompanying tertiary qualifications. To insinuate that her personal life might influence her professional status is, if I may offer an opinion, both demeaning of a very intelligent young woman and degrading to professional women and women in general.

Fact Three: I did not “retire” as your author suggests. I opted to take a redundancy package for personal reasons one of which was to re-enter mainstream media reporting in an attempt to bring back some respect and credibility to the profession. In that regard that is the only “agenda” some might wish to accuse me of.

Fact Four:
Opinions I expressed (and continue to express) on social media have been both “negative’, and where relevant “positive”, of the Bainimarama Government. Those postings, while employed by the High Commission, were duly prefaced with constant reminders that I was commenting in my capacity as a citizen of Fiji and not as an employee of the Australian Government. Might I say that I am grateful to my former employer for being able to distinguish between my job description and duty statement and my right, as a Fiji citizen, to free speech. It is abundantly clear that some media personnel are obsessed with the childish notion that anyone who offers an opinion that may be critical of the Bainimarama Government is “anti-Bainimarama Government” and even “anti-Fiji”. I make no apologies for pointing out government shortcomings and I am of the opinion that professional journalists, by the very “nature” of their work, are expected to do likewise.

By way of further explanation, my postings on social media questioned the implications and functionality of the Media Industry Development Decree and the Television (Cross Carriage of Designated Events) Decree. Should your author be brave enough to distance himself from what I perceive to be an agenda-driven comfort zone he might admit that both Decrees are now being questioned with suggestions they may be amended or “fine-tuned” to better meet the “realities” of the media profession. And should he have a memory lapse, it’s worth mentioning that the whole of Fiji was, a couple of months back, made painfully aware of the shortcoming in the Media (Cross Carriage) Decree.  

Yours sincerely,
Dennis Rounds   


HALLELUJAH TO FIJI FIRST PARTY WIN IN THE SEPTEMBER ELECTION

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THANK GOD FIJIFIRST PARTY WON: Fiji Sun's Nemani Delaibatiki (circled) joins FFP supporters to celebrate the party's win in the election

SOFT CLAWS: MIDA chairman Raj to Fiji Sun: 'It must be equally noted that any interference by MIDA in this process would ordinarily be deemed as an assault on the independence of the media by Wadan Narsey amongst others. I wish to reiterate that as much as the media is free to publish, it equally has the right not to publish. Therefore, MIDA will not treat Narsey’s letter as an exception and compel the Fiji Sun into publishing it.'

PictureIMPRISONING RIGHT
to dissent
From: Ashwin Raj [mailto:ashwin.raj@usp.ac.fj]
Sent: Wednesday, 17 December 2014 4:12 p.m.
To: Peter Lomas; wadan.narsey@gmail.com; Fred Wesley
Cc: Soko Vakacegu
Subject: RE: Response to MIDA on Wadan Narsey complaint


Dear Mr. Lomas,

I acknowledge receipt of Fiji Sun’s response to Wadan Narsey’s official complaint to MIDA.

I note that following his complaint,  Narsey’s letter about transparency and appointments processes at USP  was subsequently published by The Fiji Times. This was a decision of The Fiji Times.

I wish to reiterate that as much as the media is free to publish, it equally has the right not to publish.

It must be equally noted that any interference by MIDA in this process would ordinarily be deemed as an assault on the independence of the media by Wadan Narsey amongst others.

Therefore, MIDA will not treat Narsey’s letter as an exception and compel the Fiji Sun into publishing it.

The matter is now closed.


Ashwin Raj
Chair, MIDA


Fijileaks Editor: After receiving a cc'd copy of the letter to Lomas, Narsey wrote to Raj but he refused to reply:

https://narseyonfiji.wordpress.com/2014/12/21/is-mida-an-oxymoron-letter-to-mida-chairman-and-media-editors-21-dec-2014/

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Fijileaks to RAJ: You must resign over Charlie Hebdo killings comment!
"The killing of Charlie Hebdo journalists result of unfettered Freedom of Speech" - Raj on Fiji TV, in contrast to solidarity shown by many in Fiji:

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15 Comments
mr sun
29/1/2015 02:00:25 am

Based on how they write I can see one is a Journalist and the other writes (if you can call it that) based on "coconut wireless"

Reply
Jealous
29/1/2015 02:02:31 am

It looks like Nemani and others from Fiji Sun pissed off for not getting invitation - for he says Fiji Times publisher was seen going to Aussie Day celebrations

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prom
29/1/2015 02:33:45 am

Trues up!! Sun sounds like one of those guys in school that were not invited to the prom so they just bitch about everyone and anyone seen going in....

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Helping Nemani,
29/1/2015 05:01:58 am

In that very small article of yours, Dennis Rounds has ‘factually’ corrected your ‘inaccuracies’ four times. Good on You - Rounds !

But what frustrates us more than that are the spectra of insinuations against Mere Nailatikau. Everyone who knows Mere and has had business dealings with her are only full of praise for her good-natured Personality and Professionalism. You are quick to point fingers at Mere’s relationship to Adi Ro Kepa but we fail to see the relevance.

You would be more honest (and professional) if you also pointed to your readers Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum’s BLATANT conflict of Interests with his junior blood brother, the CEO of FBC, Riaz Sayed-Khaiyum over the saga of the Sevens blackout; FijiTV and WR fracas. We are not even talking NEPOTISM here.

And where, Nemani, have you ever, even remotely mentioned Aunty Nur Bano’s relationship with Aiyaz? And in which article of yours have you written about the shameless NEPOPTISMs of Bainimarama’s entire clan employed helter-skelter all over cozy jobs that they DON’T deserve?

Nemani it seems you have lost your nose - your journalistic sense of smell for a good story. Let us give you a cracker of a Stink…Answer this question for your Readers – Who is JOHN PRASAD?

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Anit Singh
29/1/2015 12:35:16 pm

Vinaka Mr. Dennis Rounds -

Please help instill -some Pride, some Dignity and Self-Respect into our budding Journalists and help bring back Professionalism into Journalism. It is always a pleasure reading your views especially now on the Media decree and I agree entirely that there is no place for Like decrees (of disgrace) in a Free and Democratic Fiji – if we are ‘free and democratic’. Free Press is an integral and non-negotiable part of democracy.


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Liar
29/1/2015 02:50:21 pm

He is lying - there was no family emergency - he was running around getting legal help for he had been charged with annoyance

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Kavita
29/1/2015 03:56:05 pm

There are basic professional standards that every profession is expected to abide by. Journalism is no exception. Given the nature of the role being part and contributor to society development, it is utmost important for a journalist to be of very high ethical standards.

Fiji Sun had diverted from true jouralism to embark on and protect its vested interests. Moreso the economic interests of the owners. The journalists therein compromised on their professional ethics to carry out agendas. Where does that leave the society?

The society is not so naive to accept the bullshit. A lot have stopped buying the Fiji Sun . A lot has stopped reading the Fiji Sun. The journalists are getting discredited ovations.

I am just wondering if Delaibatiki is the same journalist who left Fiji for NZ on high principles after the initial coups. At the time he displayed high moral grounds and could not work under restrictions imposed and appeared to be a champion of the society and true journalism. I am not sure if he is the one.

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splashViti
29/1/2015 06:21:28 pm

"I am just wondering if Delaibatiki is the same journalist who left Fiji for NZ on high principles after the initial coups. At the time he displayed high moral grounds and could not work under restrictions imposed and appeared to be a champion of the society and true journalism. I am not sure if he is the one."

Mr. Delaibatiki's 180 degree turnabout between Fiji first and latest coup is astounding, particularly having lived and worked in NZ for that many years.

Those of us who've never worked or resided in leading democracies that long would naturally expect so much more from him. To have worked it out. By now. And at his age. Oh Em Gee!

Well, perhaps he needs to dose that false pride with a dash of humility and retrace his steps. For he is on the wrong track, whichever way he wishes to argue it...

But the bigger tragedy is that he's not the only silly dingleberry still sitting smartly in that shaky bandwagon.

Hmm... a lesson for the rest of us looking down our flared nostrils at them.

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Welcome Home
29/1/2015 04:18:14 pm

Fiji Sun reporters were regularly given first-hand evidence of specific cases of organised crime unaddressed including witnessed acts of perjury. No investigative reporting was ever undertaken on the most pernicious and violent attacks. A failure of professional and ethical journalism under the mandatory requirement of a duty to protect. Five murders allegedly took place in this five year gap. Cat got your tongue or your pen?

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A Hobbit
29/1/2015 05:10:24 pm

Well, people who write bullshit are eating bullshit.

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rajend naidu
29/1/2015 05:18:19 pm

A casual perusal of the pages of the Fiji Sun will confirm it has allowed itself to become a Bainimarama government mouthpiece newspaper. It has abdicated its true role as a public watchdog which is to keep the political bastards honest. Instead it has not only been glossing over any wrongdoing on the part of the Bainimarama government but actively acting as its propaganda arm. That is a shameful thing for any independent media to do.
When mainstream media fail to do what it is meant to do - which is the Fiji Sun's glaring failure - then people seek out alternative media for information and public discourse.
It is not without reason that social media has been described as democracy in action.
I applaud every person who has had the courage of his and her conviction to speak their minds freely.

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Yep
29/1/2015 09:29:19 pm

When a journalist loses his integrity he can no longer practice the art of true journalism. That is Nemani Delaibatiki's predicament. He is a veteran journalist who has gone to seed by becoming a bedfellow of the Bainimarama-Khaiyum regime. He is now a practitioner of the art of sugar-coating everything that his political heroes are doing. Nemani is now into that kind of "journalism" - the kind that has no credibility.

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a mongoose
30/1/2015 12:11:49 am

#dontbeabystander

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rajend naidu
31/1/2015 12:10:03 pm

We read in Cas Mudde's article 'No, we are NOT all Charlie (and that's a problem' (opendemocracy.net) that "... many people are not Charlie because they are afraid. Many people never openly criticize anything or anyone, or at least not relatively powerful people. But even among professional critics, such as comedians and intellectuals, self-censorship is increasingly becoming the norm..."
We have seen this phenomenon play out so succinctly in post Bainimarama coup Fiji.

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Glass House
7/2/2015 01:13:24 pm

Lest you forget please note that Dennis Round's advice to journalists applies as much to Fijileaks as to any other media outlets in Fiji. As the saying goes people living in glass houses should not undress with their lights on.

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