Pacific Journalism Online hosted at UTS:
http://www.journalism.uts.edu.au/
Wansolwara Online (June edition):
http://www.lookinglassdesign.com/wansolwara/wansol.html
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SUVA (PMW): Wansolwara, the award-winning University of the South
Pacific journalism training newspaper, has been published in defiance of
campus authorities seeking to ban distribution of its latest edition.
The two-year-old online edition of the newspaper had been curbed when
authorities disconnected the journalism programme's main website Pacific
Journalism Online on 29 May 2000 over Fiji political crisis coverage.
University administration sources said the website had been pulled
because of "threats" to the university following an attack on Fiji
Television offices by supporters of rebel leader George Speight, who
seized the country's elected government as hostages in Parliament on May 19.
However, Vice-Chancellor Esekia Solofa denied that there had been
threats, but told Wansolwara reporters in a media conference on May 31
that the website had been shut down temporarily because of security
concerns for the university.
Wansolwara quoted Solofa as saying: "The recent damage to Fiji
Television premises show that because of Pacific Journalism Online, the
whole of USP might have been at risk."
At a meeting on June 1, staff from the department of literature and
language (which includes the journalism programme) met with senior
administrators in an attempt to persuade the university to lift the
website ban.
The administrators decided to maintain the ban indefinitely and also
discussed measures to censor Wansolwara - such as removing articles,
preventing distribution, or at least delaying distribution in Fiji.
Wansolwara's editorial management decided that censorship was
unacceptable in line with section 2 of the International Federation of
Journalists' code of ethics obliging journalists to "defend freedom of
information, comment and criticism".
The editorial team also cited the Charter of Student Press Rights and
Article 19 of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights
guaranteeing "freedom of opinion and expression".
The general secretary of the Paris-based world media freedom
organisation Reporters Sans Fronti*res (RSF), Robert Menard, sent a
protest to the university administration on June 9. He appealed to the
university to ensure that Wansolwara "can publish freely" and for
the
website to be reopened.
RSF considers gagging a news website to be a violation of press freedom.
Wansolwara was published online last week thanks to a former USP senior
graphics designer, Mara Fulmer, who now lives in the United States and
who offered to host the entire edition's stories and pictures on her
Looking Glass Design website.
"I consider it an honour and privilege to do this for freedom of the
press," said Ms Fulmer.
"The students have worked so hard on this. They have truly earned their
journo stripes."
The 2000 copies of the print edition were distributed yesterday.
Editor Reggie Dutt said he was delighted by the publication and pleased
that the public interest of the campus community was still being served.
The University of Technology, Sydney's department of social
communication and journalism and Australian Centre for Independent
Journalism (ACIJ) has hosted the ongoing Pacific Journalism Online
coverage of the Fiji crisis by the journalism students with exclusive
reports and pictures.
In a media release from the university, UTS online journalism
coordinator Fran Molloy said: "This is a great example of how
international cooperation and the use of the Internet can get around
political censorship."
Associate Professor Chris Nash, director of the ACIJ, said: "It has
galvanised our students here, and they are mightily impressed with the
work coming out of the USP journalism programme. The ACIJ will continue
to publish on our website any material which the students send us.
"Any attempt to suppress their capacity to publish reports on the
situation in Fiji transgresses the fundamental principles of both
academic and press freedom, the professional responsibilities of
journalists and the general democratic rights to free speech. The ACIJ
will continue to work closely with [USP] to uphold those rights in
Fiji."
* Wansolwara won the 1999 Fiji Human Rights Award (media category) and
was highly commended in Australia's 1999 Journalism Education
Association (JEA) Ossie Awards for the best regular publication
category. David Robie is USP's journalism coordinator and co-convenor of
Pacific Media Watch.
+++niuswire
Title -- 2775 FIJI: Wansolwara defies ban to publish
Date -- 10 June 2000
Byline -- David Robie
Origin -- Pacific Media Watch
Source -- PMW, 10/6/00
Copyright -- PMW
Status -- Unabridged
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