Attorney-General Siromi Turaga has lodged a complaint against one of the dailies with the Fiji Media Council based on an article published, which he claimed is misleading and baseless.
In a statement, Turaga said that he was not given time to respond to the allegations made against him before the article was published.
Turaga said his input was not sought, resulting in a one-sided article that goes against the principles of fair and transparent journalism.
Turaga has also sought legal advice and has engaged the services of Naivalu Law, who will now handle all inquiries and questions regarding the claims on his behalf.
He said what the news outlet did was that they took a story that was posted on social media and published it without bothering to do any verification on whether the allegations directed towards me were true.
“The complainant was never at any point my client. My duty is only towards my client and to one else other than that we need to respect due process for the sake of transparency.”
“Journalists are watchdogs, and their role is to publish a fair, balanced, and accurate news article. One-sided reporting not only damages the credibility of the media but also leads to misunderstanding amongst the public,” Turaga said.
Turaga said as the Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, he has faced unwarranted accusations.
He said last month, his family was unfairly targeted with comments and baseless accusations.
He said, unfortunately, these claims are part of a deliberate effort to undermine my integrity and that of the Coalition Government.
Turaga said such personal attacks distract the public from the real issues and create a climate of distrust.
“It is disheartening to see public officials being undermined in this way,” the Attorney-General said.
He called on all media outlets to uphold the ethical standards and promote transparency and by doing so; journalists can help create a well-informed society.
“Moving forward, I urged the media to think about the impact of their reporting and strive for fairness and accuracy.”
