The Motibhai Patels of Ba led by the company’s Chairman and CEO, Kirit Patel, are continuing to corrupt Fiji’s traditional newspaper of record and first draft of history by using its editorial pages to shamelessly promote their commercial interests.
Not content with manipulating and censoring the news, the Motibhai Group continually depicts the launch of its new commercial products as “National News” in the Fiji Times. It is an abuse of the family’s power, giving them a commercial advantage over their competitors. Yet more importantly, it is an abuse of their duty to uphold the journalistic integrity of a precious national institution – a paper which the Fijian people have relied on to be informed since 1869.
Kirit Patel and the miserable cast of characters around him – including his legal advisor at the Times, Richard Naidu, and the paper’s “Editor-in-Chief”, Fred Wesley – seem to have no idea that they are merely the latest custodians of this national resource established by George Griffiths 156 years ago The Motibhais are treating the Fiji Times as an adjunct to their other commercial interests, on top of their chronic manipulation of the news cycle to advantage those interests.
Grubsheet has regularly highlighted the way in which the Fiji Times either ignores major national events or selectively manipulates the news to remove vital components of stories that don’t suit its political agenda.
Among the latest is the paper’s decision to censor the most important part of Christopher Pryde‘s recent statement highlighting his concerns about Nancy Tikoisuva and John Rabuku at the ODPP handling police cases arising from the Supreme Court Commission of Inquiry when they have been adversely mentioned in the COI Report. The Fiji Times simply excised two paragraphs of the DPP’s statement when they were covered by every other mainstream media outlet in Fiji.
This is an outrageous interference in the proper editorial process that ought to apply to any company that owns a mainstream media outlet. Put simply, Kirit Patel and his journalistic vandals are depriving the Fijian people of their right to know. And they have forfeited their right to be regarded as fit and proper persons to preside over such an important vehicle for public discourse.
That manipulation and censorship – combined with full page “national news” items like the latest one today promoting the Motibhai’s latest liquor line – is a serious violation of accepted editorial standards the world over. This “news” is actually an advertisement for one of Motibhai’s commercial products. Yet it is placed cheek-by-jowl with other news as if it is something of national importance when it is a grubby ad for booze in a country crippled by alcohol and drug addiction.
Grubsheet is compiling a dossier of these editorial outrages that will be submitted to an incoming government as comprehensive evidence that the Motibhai Patels are degrading a critical national asset and should be stripped of the Fiji Times. It is all very well for the current government to complain about “fake news” on the part of information outlets that it doesn’t favour. But when we are routinely getting “fake news” from a mainstream media outlet such as the Fiji Times, it is time to intervene and force a change of ownership.
Kirit Patel and his family have betrayed the Fijian people and their right to unbiased, fair and independent media coverage. And they must feel the blowtorch of an inquiry that examines the evidence against them and forces them to sell the paper to owners who are more responsible and understand the importance of journalistic integrity.
That inquiry can’t come soon enough and ought to be a top priority of any government that emerges whenever the next election is held. The CJ Patel Group should also be part of this inquiry after refusing to correct a blatant falsehood that the Fiji Sun has peddled about the DPP that has triggered the decision by Christopher Pryde to sue the paper for defamation.
Henkell will become Hen Kill if it adds more to the long list of female alcoholics in Fiji.
When the Fijian media are so desperate to fill up the news with anything BUT what is going on in Fiji, and they resort to Andrew Lloyd Webber……even though most Fijians wouldn’t know or care about musicals.
https://www.fbcnews.com.fj/entertainment/is-an-andrew-lloyd-webber-renaissance-underway/
The fascist West.
Big business owns the media and the politicians.
End Times and the end of The Fiji Times.
“What is right will be wrong, and what is wrong will be right”.
We have this down, Satan must be most pleased.
Leaders lecturing us about integrity and ethics whilst sporting $150,000.00 gold diamond encrusted watch.
Maybe our One State Party – Community of Patriots Party (COPP) will sponsor a journalists co-operative owned publishing house with clear mandate to report the truth without fear or favour. haha.
First Edition, Front Page. Lead. Mr Graham Davis, Chairman of the Fiji Free Press Co-operative Ltd. haha.
Ian, strangely enough, $150,000 just buys you a Rolex solid Gold “President” watch. The diamonds would cost extra and Siti hasn’t been the beneficiary of a “girl’s best friend”, even though he has been the beneficiary of the particular watch favoured by dictators and the super rich.
The owners of this company are just despicable people born devoid of any shame.
Just read the transcript of the Post Fiji court case to understand what kind of a person he is. Arrogant, condescending, narcissistic are few words that spring into mind.
There is a special place in hell for these kinds of people.
I appreciate that you have soft spot for Christopher Pryde and his treatment in the Fiji Times is unfair. But at the end of the day, the Fiji Government does not want his services.
If both parties can come to an amicable agreement and part ways, Mr Pryde can get on with the rest of his life.
Unfortunately, I dont see him coming back in any way shape or form.
I have a softer spot for the principle of adhering to the rule of law. If as an employer, you no longer want someone, you would not be at liberty to terminate them unlawfully. Why should the government be allowed to do so?
Aree brother, where were you when Fiji Sun did same with FFP government.
Where was accountability back than.
Grow up my friend.
That’s how guji businesses thrive.
Throw one dollar and get 10 back.
Thanks for clarifying why Guji businesses must not be allowed to own media outlets. They cannot be trusted to run them in the public interest.
There is a trend GD.
When government changes, allegiance changes.
Unless you know but don’t want to know.
After the 2006 coup, reporters and media outlets in Fiji have become a joke.
Social media has become best forum.
One inch is read and explained as a mile.
Injured is understood as dead.
So on….
Noodles is a luxury.
Then who is there to buy off such business.
We want locally owned.
Probably send all machines to scrap yard .
Turn all those buildings to night clubs, as they are located in main towns and cities.
@Patel, that is for the free market to establish. What Fijians now see is that the Motibhais are corrupt and greedy.