Press Bill Creates Slight

From Our Own Correspondent

Suva, Feb. 21.

THE motives which induced the Gov ernor of Fiji to prepare, for his Legislative Council, a measure called the Press Correction Bill, are not quite clear; but the publication of the modest little measure on February 13 created some stir.

The Fiji Government has not suffered unduly at the hands of the press. The old-established Fiji Times always has been on the side of law and order, al though it has at times displayed some sharpness in the art of criticising the administration —an age-old British pre rogative.

The year-old “Oceania Daily News”, in its early stages, was guilty of some irre sponsible journalism—criticism of the Government based on misinformation, and refusal to publish a correction —and this may have been regarded by the Gov ernment as a matter requiring attention.

But probably the real reason why the Government proposed this Bill is the ap pearance of> an increasing number of apparently irresponsible Indian publica tions. The Indian situation in Fiji is so delicate that irresponsible journalism and an abuse of the traditional freedom of the press easily could cause the Gov ernment acute embarrassment.

The Bill, which is similar to a measure enacted in Uganda last year, provides that where an item appears in a news paper which is considered by the Gov ernor in Council to be false or distorted, the Governor in Council may order that a correcting statement shall be published in the newspaper. The correcting state ment itself emanates from the Governor in Council and contains the true facts as they appear to him.

The correcting statement, which must be delivered with the order at the principal office of the newspaper, must not contain comment and is limited in length.

No offence is committed in respect of the original publication but, if the cor recting statement is not published in accordance with the order, each pro prietor of the newspaper is guilty of an offence.

The Fiji Times said that the BiU merely set out in black and white a right which had long been granted readily and voluntarily to all governments, institu tions and individuals, by reputable British newspapers.

The Oceania Daily News denounced

the Bill because it “jettisoned the whole system of press freedom” and “brought the secret police round the corner”.

A well-known international press association picked up the Fiji proposal, and sent it around the world as an ex ample of how the bureaucrats of the British Colonial Office would muzzle the P““ er tl ? ld f get the P° we r- rather xa . gB l r o atlon f ot . a S, h ch ap ‘ Pf ar f ‘° 9 r * h ® t pec ““ d ' tlol of P ubll <;„ 11 f® “ <The B bce law early ln IVidl Lll./