I obtained my Masters in Communication Studies (MCS) with Honours from the Auckland University of Technology (AUT) on December 15, 2011.
My thesis was based on George Speight’s 2000 Coup that ousted the Mahendra Chaudhry government in Fiji.
As a former Publisher of Daily Post, I was aware that some sections of the Fiji media were not fair to Mr Chaudhry and his government.
I wanted that to be substantiated by comprehensive and in-depth content analyses of Fiji Times during the yearlong one-year rule of Mr Chaudhry.
The analysis showed that the newspaper had projected Mr Chaudhry and his government as “Indian,” which could not be trusted to safeguard the interests of Fijians.
It failed to inform the common people about the safeguards enshrined in the 1997 Constitution, which stipulates that no Prime Minister, at his or her whim, could implement any changes affecting the land and the rights of the indigenous people.
The newspaper also allowed free access and voice to those opposing the government and did not edit treasonable, seditious and hate-speeches that were seen as derogatory to others in a civilised democracy or civilised media.
Negative stance
It appeared that Fiji Times had a policy of highlighting the negatives, subduing the positives of the Chaudhry government.
It presented the government as dishonest, untrustworthy, corrupt and undeserving, led by a non-believer and womaniser.
While Mr Chaudhry himself was also responsible for democracy’s downfall, the newspaper hastened the process.
It created an atmosphere ripe for the removal of the government by means other than democratic contributory with Mr Chaudhry’s style of leadership adding as contributing factors.
Had Mr Chaudhry been able to build bridges, especially with the Fijian community and its institutions, such huge support for Speight and the ethno-nationalist elements may not have materialised.
All the good things about the media being a uniting force were rarely seen in Fiji Times. If anything, it lived up to its colonial reputation of being anti-Indian since its establishment in 1869.
While no proof has come to light to substantiate allegations that some sections of the business community contributed to the fall of the People’s Coalition Government, my research indicates enough motives for that to be so and why the business community wished to see Mr Chaudhry go.
Partisan approach
Some earlier studies on Fiji Times have indicated that despite the passage of time, the partisan approach of the newspaper in favour of the elite class has not changed.
Times have changed. Even the elites have changed, including the Colonial Sugar Refining Company (CSR), the British government, the colonial Europeans, indigenous Eastern Fijian chiefs and the Indian business community.
What has not changed is the credibility of the Propaganda Model, which remained steadfast in giving credence to the theory of media analysts Edward Herman and Noam Chomsky (2008) that the media becomes, and in case of Fiji Times, continues to be a sympathiser and mouthpiece of the elites at the cost of its watchdog role.
Thakur Ranjit Singh is our regular contributor. His full thesis is available online at http://aut.researchgateway.ac.nz/handle/10292/2554
