… more specifically a cocktail, hosted by the same people who they should be questioning. Instead, what do we get? Four lines about a corporate cocktail.
The biggest reforms to Fiji’s telecommunications industry are underway and the people who are supposed to inform us of developments have been made complacent with a few stubbies.
Readers should recognize that the Fiji Times is ill-equppied to raise their concerns with stakeholders.
Of course, this raises serious questions about conflicts-of-interest. Should news reporters accept being wined-and-dined by corporate entities at the center of on-gong developments?
Are they serving the best interest of their readers? To date, we have yet to get a serious statement from anyone inside ATH or TFL about the process to deregulate the industry.
TFL hosts media (Wednesday, December 12, 2007)
IT was one of those functions journalists from all media outlets usually look forward to.
Telecom Fiji Limited hosted the local media members to a Christmas cocktail.
This was no ordinary cocktail as it was held at the TFL’s corporate box at the Post Fiji Stadium.
And with the cool Laucala breeze and the lovely food it was definitely a night to remember for those who attended.
Does TFL understand something we don’t?
They can keep the public in the dark by supplying the boozehounds of the media?
7 comments
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February 20, 2008 at 4:37 am
dtabureguci
My guess is that this Fiji Times article met a space shortage and had to be cut…it sounds like the beginning of a feature article.
And FYI, NOT ALL journalists look forward to cocktails. As a journalist, my employer pays me enough money to make ends meet and buy a bottle of wine or beer :))
February 26, 2008 at 4:49 am
Emmanuel
LOL….okay sorry D not laughing at you but at the Graphic up there. Funny, but yes of course not all journalists are like that, but hey if it’s part of the job then why not??
February 26, 2008 at 5:20 pm
coconutwireless
Thank you both for commenting.
I would only urge you to look at it from the TFL perspective. The few stubbies they poured down the throats of the Fishy Times writers has pretty much kept the newspaper free of any insightful commentary on the changes from deregulation and what they mean for people in Fiji.
How can there be so little in the media about the dramatic changes coming up? The bits and pieces of information coming out is simply not enough because what’s needed is for the population to see the ‘bigger picture’ of what competition in mobile, internet, and tv will mean for them.
Where are these in-depth articles???????????????
“Keeping people in the dark” should be the motto of the Fishy Times.
All of this may sound particularly harsh, but let’s be honest with each other: there is quite a bit at stake here.
February 26, 2008 at 10:18 pm
Emmanuel
No you’re right, you and I do pretty much the same type of blogging in fact. Here are some of my postings for PNG’s ICT industry:
http://masalai.wordpress.com/2008/01/07/ict-in-png-who-the-hell-is-doing-what
http://masalai.wordpress.com/2007/12/28/considerations-for-a-government-media-company-in-png/
http://masalai.wordpress.com/2008/01/25/brief-round-up-of-ict-workshop-upng-230108-main-lecture-theatre/
http://masalai.wordpress.com/2008/01/27/pt2-ict-workshop-upng-230108/
http://masalai.wordpress.com/2008/02/02/pt3-ict-workshop-upng-230108/
March 12, 2008 at 1:57 am
dtabureguci
yes coconut wireless, I do agree with you. i can safely say that we local reporters need more training in reporting on ICT. Even if the beer was not being poured down our throats, we would still not be confident enough to report to the standard that you ask because we lack the training in such a complex field as this. This is why I love the blogs like CW and Masalai! I have found that if I bring a bit of common sense, you guys very effectively do the rest. So I say for ICT news/in depth, forget the fishy times and mainstream media….head for the blogs.
March 12, 2008 at 7:09 am
coconutwireless
D,
Your honesty is always appreciated. As stated before, this blog is an educational tool and individuals like you seem to understand this.
We try our hardest to be a resource to individuals like you.
If you read the most current post on ‘broadband internet and cell phone convergence’ it might sound like a technical discussion. However, it’s meant to make journalists, policymakers, and the general public aware of the direction that wireless technology is headed.
3G and 4G wireless networks are what Fiji is deploying. It will serve us well to understand how the technology works together.
Fiji’s size means we should avoid duplication of effort at all cost. So, it makes more sense to try to develop a wide-reaching WiMAX network, which cell phone operators can piggy-back on using femtocell routers. A win-win situation for all–and a big step in the direction of providing universal access.
March 12, 2008 at 8:15 pm
dtabureguci
Thank you CW.
The Internet has been very much a great source of information for everyone. I make a habit of downloading and reading white papers on these technologies and joining email networks like PICISOC to hear what people are saying or the topical issues of the day. If the media won’t train you, you might as well train yourself.
In a way, our employers do pay for that because they pay the Internet bills.
About WiMAX, yes, definitely the network of the future. I can see now why Unwired Fiji applied for a mobile license and I am sure at some point, Digicel would also want to provide Internet service.
In one of Emmanuel’s posts, I remember reading about Digicel providing high speed data access or something like that in PNG. Maybe they will do the same here too.