5 Sep 2014

Fiji Labour Party says MIDA stopping leaders' debates

7:18 pm on 5 September 2014

The Fiji Labour Party says the Media Industry Development Authority is stopping political leaders' debates.

The leader of the Labour Party, Mahendra Chaudhry, says the refusal to allow the media to organise its own debate is a ploy to stop a national leaders debate, saying the leader of the Fiji First Party is afraid to face other political leaders in a one-off debate.

Mr Chaudhry says MIDA wants to organise a debate, and doesn't want the media to do so.

He says MIDA's action constitutes a direct interference with the running of the news media, and he wants to know what authority MIDA has to stop the media from holding a debate.

MIDA was set up as a media regulator to provide oversight and ensure media outlets conduct themselves in line with a code of ethics and the Media Decree.