Media freedom has truly returned to Fiji after Reporters Without Borders (RSF) — an international non-profit and non-governmental organisation focused on safeguarding the right to freedom of information — placed Fiji at an index of 44 out of 180 countries in 2024 compared with 89 in 2023.
The 45 point jump is a direct result of the removal of 16 years of recurring attacks on press freedom by former prime minister Voreqe Bainimarama and his government.
“Pressure exerted on the media by the civilian and military authorities has let up since Sitiveni Rabuka’s election as Prime Minister in December 2022,” said RSF.
The Fiji Times editor-in-chief Fred Wesley welcomed the news, adding the new ranking reflected what was happening on the ground.
“This is what we need. Freedom of expression is essential in a democracy,” Wesley said.
Fiji improved 45 places from 89 in 2023 to 44 in 2024 in the Reporters Without Borders (RSF) 2024 index that assessed media freedom in 180 countries.
RSF said after 16 years of recurring attacks on press freedom by former prime minister Voreqe Bainimarama, the pressure exerted on the media by civil and military authorities has eased since the election of Sitiveni Rabuka as Prime Minister.
RSF noted the repeal of the draconian and unpopular Media Industry Development Act (MIDA) in April 2023 is an important step forward.
“From 2006 to 2022, press freedom was directly affected by recurring attacks by prime minister Frank Bainimarama. Faced with the COVID-19 pandemic, one of his relatives affirmed the need to ‘stifle criticism of (the government) by curtailing freedom of speech and freedom of the press’,” said RSF in its Fiji assessment released last week.
“But pressure exerted on the media by the civilian and military authorities has let up since Sitiveni Rabuka was elected prime minister in December 2022.
“Biman Prasad, who is deputy prime minister in Rabuka’s Coalition Government, has shown strong support for press freedom.”
RSF said under MIDA journalists could be jailed for up to two years for violating the law’s vaguely worded provisions.
“The sedition laws, which were used against The Fiji Times, also fuelled a climate of fear and self-censorship, with the threat of sentences of up to seven years in prison.
“Journalists’ interests are represented by the Fiji Media Association (FMA), which was often critical of the harassment of the media by the previous FijiFirst government.
“After the repeal of the Media Act, the FMA worked hard to restore independent journalism and public trust in the media.”
Welcoming the news, The Fiji Times editor-in-chief Fred Wesley said the news was overwhelming.
“After 13 years of suppression, it’s good to know that such organisations are noticing changes in the media landscape in Fiji,” said Wesley.
“That reflects what’s happening on the ground. People are expressing their opinions without fear and that is a reflection of the value they are placing on democracy even if they don’t realise it.
“This is what we need. Freedom of expression is essential in a democracy.
“We saw how the power of the people forced the Government to reconsider the budget allocation for the National Economic Summit in 2023 for instance.
“This is what it is all about, the people holding power to account, and the powers that be, in this case, the Government, responding. It works both ways and it is great news for the media industry in Fiji, the people and the nation,” he said.
