letter: is it news or not?

LETTER

to the editor, Matangi Tonga
22 Jun 2007, 10:11
Suva, Fiji:

Editor,

I am annoyed at your rebuttle to Ngalu Fusimalohi and Peter Lomas' letter without actually answering the question.

Ngalu simply points out whether or not his father's award merits news. You have gone to a lengthy explanation on what took place at the PINA Congress and the cross firing of the Board members. Peter Lomas with hindsight furnishes you with the missing pieces and how the Board came about making its decision. I can only assume that you did not agree with the decision to award to Tavake Fusimalohi the PINA Media Freedom Award. Tavake Fusimalohi is a pioneer broadcaster and was once labelled by Islands Business as the region's Radio King. His reputation speaks for itself. However, as Ngalu puts it, the media can agree to disagree on any issues, but the media is still obligated to report what is news. The only fact that prevents you from reporting what is news is if the news itself is false. I cannot agree that this news piece is false as it was widely covered here in Fiji by Fiji Times, Fiji Sun, Islands Business, Pacnews and Sky TV. In the region, this item was covered by Radio New Zealand, Radio Australia, Solomon Star, PNG Post Courier, Samoa Observer and Media Watch. As a Tongan I am proud to read and to listen to news of Tongan people's achievements, hence I too am skeptical at your decision not to cover this item in your news service. I hope the current political situation in Tonga is not affecting your better judgement as a journalist.

Piveni Piukala

piveni@hotmail.com

Editor's note:
We believe that the news of the controversial Honiara award was the fact that it was NOT awarded by the 2006-07 PINA Board. The presentation was out of order, as I explained in my note to Peter Lomas's letter.

It was because Tavake was an innocent bystander, as I repeat, caught in the crossfire between the PINA Board and the people who decided to give him an award, that we did not seek to embarrass him by publishing the news story that the award was NOT presented by the PINA Board who had carefully considered and made the awards decisions in April, appropriately, before the conference.

The fact that many of the board members were unable to attend the Honiara conference should not have made any difference to the decisions that had already been made. The people who decided not to respect those decisions should have considered the effect their actions would have on Tavake.

News is not a public relations exercise to flatter people, but we had let the public relations people from Honiara have their say in the region, unchallenged, until Ngalu insisted that we reveal the fact that his father's award was out of order.

The threats of physical violence and threats of punishment that we have received from people who are insisting that we publish the public relations version of the story, simply reflects the sad state of journalism in Tonga, where denunciation of individuals by certain media has become commonplace. These threats have become so blatant that they have been reported to the police. - Editor, Matangi Tonga Online.