By Pita Ligaiula in Savusavu
The Pacific Islands News Association (PINA) has recognised Fiji Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka for the repeal of the Media Industry Development Act 2010, describing the move as a defining moment for press freedom in Fiji.
The recognition was presented to Rabuka during the Pacific Media Summit in Fiji, with PINA acknowledging the repeal in April 2023 as an important reform for the media sector.
PINA President Kalafi Moala said the repeal marked a significant step in restoring press freedom and recognised the role of government in protecting media freedom.
“The Pacific Islands News Association recognises the repeal of the Media Industry Development Act of 2010 in April 2023,”
“It is a defining moment in the restoration of press freedom in Fiji,” Kalafi said.
PINA said the recognition was made in keeping with the principles of a free press, which must both acknowledge reforms that protect media freedom and hold leaders to account when those freedoms are threatened.
“This recognition is offered in the spirit in which a free press operates, acknowledging when leaders act to protect their freedom as readily as it holds them to account when it is threatened,” Kalafi said.
It also called for the reform to remain in place beyond the current government.
“May the standard set by this reform outlast any government that upholds it,” he said
PINA President Kalafi Moala and SIBC CEO Johnson Honimae then presented an award to Rabuka in recognition of the repeal.
The association said the presentation marked a milestone for journalism in Fiji and the wider Pacific region.
The Media Industry Development Act was repealed by the Fiji Parliament in April 2023, removing provisions that had governed the media industry under the previous legal framework.
The recognition comes as journalists, media organisations and regional stakeholders gather in Fiji for the Pacific Media Summit, which is examining the challenges facing journalism, including press freedom, safety, artificial intelligence and the changing media environment.
