Radio Kiribati editor sacked over 'unbalanced ' reporting

Transcript

The Kiribati Broadcasting and Publications Authority says Radio Kiribati's editor was sacked in part because of her reporting of the death penalty bill.

Aneta Moote was fired after Radio Kiribati rebroadcast a story from Radio New Zealand International, which said the president Anote Tong supported the bill.

The Kiribati Independent has reported that following public criticism of the bill, the government back-tracked on its support and was embarrassed by the Radio Kiribati story.

But the BPA chairman, Bootii Nauan (Boo-si Nawan), says Ms Moote was not fired because of reporting which reflected negatively on the government, but because the story was incomplete and unbalanced.

BOOTII NAUAN: The report from the senior management stated clearly that Aneta gave approval for the news to be broadcast, and the news was not right, and it was not balanced as well.

MARY BAINES: Why was the news not right?

BN: Well because I think three weeks or four weeks before that, the president gave a, presented a press release on that issue. From what the president mentioned, everything the president mentioned was not reflected in the news that was broadcasted at that time.

MB: In what way?

BN: Well because in the president's press conference, he stated that the final decision of the death penalty has to be decided by the house of parliament. And whatever the outcome of the debate in the house of parliament, that will be the final decision. And according to the news release that Aneta approved at that time was that the president approved the death penalty, period. Without mentioning the contents of the press conference that was discussed a few weeks before that.

MB: So you're saying it's not because she reported something that was perceived as being negative about the government?

BN: It's nothing to do with that. It's that she authorised the release of the news that's incomplete and unbalanced, and that's not only that, the fact there were other also other, past performance was not very good. And there has been discipline on other issues as well. So with past performance issues, along with this issue, as I said one of them is that, and the senior management recommended that she should be dismissed, and the recommendation was approved by the board.

MB: Some people have raised concerns about this, about restricted media freedoms. Do you have anything to say about that?

BN: BPA management and board do not restrict our staff to collect news from any source, but the news has to be reliable and the news has to be balanced all the time. And we have not issued any instruction to our news reporters not to get any news from outside. We welcome them to get any news from anywhere, but the news has to be balanced, and it should be complete. We have to encourage our staff to have very good performance, and if they cannot keep up with that then you know, we have no choice but to impose punishment. If they keep doing that, I think at the end of the day, we have no choice, we have to just, you know, let them go.

Aneta Moote has worked as a journalist for 30 years.