Acting Director of Information should know why Fiji Times did not publish PM's New Year message - Wesley

The Fiji Times Editor Fred Wesley says that the Acting Director of Information Izek Lal should know why The Fiji Times did not publish the Prime Minister's New Year message.

Wesley says it is because The Fiji Times never received it from his Department. 

Wesley says because they were receiving no Information Department emails, on January 10th, one of their senior reporters contacted the Information Department, asking whether there was an issue.

He adds they received a test email on Thursday, January 10th at 10.03am, adding they have since been receiving emails from the Department.

Wesley says once again the Government is accusing The Fiji Times of "one‑sided and unfair reporting".

He says they repeat what they always say when these attacks are made that The Fiji Times is independent, it is neither pro‑Government nor anti‑Government and that it publishes news and views based on what it believes is of interest to its readers.

Meanwhile Acting Information Director, Izek Lal had said that Prime Minister, Voreqe Bainimarama's New Year message was flatly ignored by the Fiji Times, giving their readership, including Naca Nabukavou, the false impression that the Prime Minister had not addressed the Fijian public since Christmas.

The Department of Information states that it is a serious lapse that a major national address from Prime Minister Bainimarama received no coverage in the Fiji Times.

However it says that it is not surprising, given the long string of one‑sided and unfair reporting from the newspaper.

The government says moving forward, they would hope that any national address from the Head of Government be given the news attention it warrants, because every Fijian rightly deserves to hear from their Prime Minister.

Naca Nabukavou made the claim in a Letters to the Editor that the Fijian public has not heard the Prime Minister address the Fijian people from Christmas until 12th January 2019.