By GRAHAM DAVIS

(Fiji Sun columnist Graham Davis is an independent Fijian journalist and part time advisor to Qorvis Communications. He blogs at Grubsheet Feejee)

The controversial Dr Marc Edge – Head of the School of Journalism at the University of the South Pacific – continues at USP after his recent disastrous “Media and Democracy” conference that led to official protests and open conflict with his fellow academics.
But Grubsheet understands that the USP has triggered an internal inquiry regarding the Canadian-born academic.
Three Pacific Governments – Fiji, Samoa and Tonga – complained about him linking the alleged lack of democracy in those countries to repressive regimes in the Middle East.
Dr Edge’s relationships with his fellow academics at other media institutions are also in free fall.
At the Media and Democracy conference two weeks ago, he was in open conflict with Professor David Robie, Director of the Pacific Media Centre at Auckland’s University of Technology, and with Shailendra Singh, his predecessor as head of journalism at USP.

PUBLICLY ACCUSED

Both men publicly accused him of misrepresenting the university’s journalism programme.
Dr Edge is keen to portray the schism as ideological, a battle of ideas between his advocacy of a relatively liberal western media model for Fiji and the “deliberative” model publicly advocated by Professor Robie and the “development” model advocated by Mr Singh.
Both models call for more context and cooperation in third world media settings as opposed to the confrontational tendencies of the western media.

Magalie Tingal (Photo: Radio Kanaky)

But the chief concerns of his critics centre on Dr Edge’s personal style.
His treatment of one student, in particular, threatens to become an international incident. Magalie Tingal is a journalist with Radio Djido, the indigenous Kanak station that tops the radio ratings in New Caledonia.
She was sent to USP under an agreement between the university and the FLNKS – the Kanak independence movement – designed to improve ties between Francophone journalists in New Caledonia and their Anglophone counterparts in Fiji.
Yet she appears to have fallen foul of Dr Edge, so much so that his alleged treatment of her has become a cause celebre on the USP campus.
Fellow students report that the feisty Ms Tingal began to question the basis of some of Dr Edge’s lectures. He reportedly responded at first with irritation then disdain and finally barely concealed rage.

Professor David Robie

FAILED THE KANAK STUDENT

Matters have since come to a head after Dr Edge failed Ms Tingal in her course. English is Ms Tingal’s third language after her Kanak language and French and her supporters argue that Dr Edge should have taken that into account.
Instead, he evidently marked her to “English as a first language” standard. The episode has caused intense consternation on campus and embarrassed the USP.
What was meant to be an exercise in building links between Anglophone and Francophone neighbours, and between the university and the FLNKS, has instead ended in acrimony.
The USP hierarchy is dismayed that Dr Edge appears to have single-handedly damaged the university’s relations with Fiji, Samoa, Tonga and the prospective rulers of New Caledonia.

Dr Akanisi Kedrayate (Photo: USP)

DIPLOMATIC ANGER

So never mind the breakdown of personal relationships between Dr Edge and his students and fellow academics.
The finger of blame is descending on him for fracturing some precious diplomatic ties, and with some countries on which the USP’s very existence depends.
Grubsheet has had a prolonged dispute with Dr Edge that has been comprehensively chronicled in these columns.
At first, we took issue with his portrayal of conflict at the Pacific Islands News Association summit earlier in the year where we believed none existed.
Then we asked for an explanation as to why he chose to appear in a Fiji Times advertorial promoting the virtues of the Suva apartment building in which he lives. We specifically asked whether Dr Edge – as a USP academic – received any personal benefit or consideration from the owners of the apartment block in exchange for a blatant commercial plug.
He’s consistently refused to provide us with an answer to a question we regard as one of journalistic ethics. And when we repeated that question the day before yesterday, his response was a succinct “drop dead”.
Dr Edge has also revealed in these columns that he is writing a book on the Fiji media. He announces the fact in a comment on our previous posting, “Rumblings at the Edgefest” with a strange expression of glee. “Just wait until I write my book on the Fiji media. You’re going to love it!”
“Just wait”? Is this the portent of a day of reckoning, of our “hero” settling some scores? Yes, Marc, we can’t wait. All we can do is hope that you will soon have all the time in the world in which to write your book.
Because it’s high time for you to board that yacht of yours – the stories about which your students are bored to distraction– and sail away from these shores.

Dr Marc Edge (Photo: Marc Edge website)

THE DEAN INTERVENES

Grubsheet understands that Dr Edge took to locking his students out of the classroom if they arrived late for his lectures. Lateness is a common enough occurrence in the islands and especially for students on pitifully low incomes who have to walk long distances or catch a bus.
So it wasn’t long before Dr Edge’s students lodged complaints with the Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Law and Education, Dr Akanisi Kedrayate. She formally directed him to cease the practice.
What was Dr Edge’s response?
He sent his students the following angry email, (see box below with text of email.)
Marc, threatening reprisals against students in a developing country because they are late is not the Pacific way or any way, for that matter.
It is best for you to go back to Canada and write that book of yours.