Dig for the Truth: Deputy PM Challenges Women
“What happens to truth in a world where facts can be created and manipulated?”
Friday 20 June 2025 | 16:59
Updated 08 August 2025 | 15:34 FJT
Minister for Trade and chief guest Manoa Kamikamica (back row: fourth from left), Women in Media (WiM) Fiji president Rosi Doviverata (back row: fifth from left), with WiM Fiji members during the inaugural Women in Media (WiM) Fiji Conference at the Grand Pacific Hotel in Suva, on June 18, 2025. Photo: DEPTFO News
Be radical enough to believe that facts still matter and that the truth even when buried beneath lies is always worth digging for.
That was the challenge issued by Minister for Trade Manoa Kamikamica as he delivered a stirring closing address at the inaugural Women in Media (WiM) Fiji Conference on Wednesday at the Grand Pacific Hotel on Wednesday night.
Calling for an “ethical revolution” in journalism, Mr Kamikamica urged media professionals to stand firm in the face of growing digital misinformation, AI threats and a media environment increasingly driven by algorithms and sensationalism.
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“This is the age of manufactured realities,” he said.
“What happens to truth in a world where facts can be created and manipulated?”
He applauded the courage and resilience of women in media, who often bear the brunt of online harassment and under representation in leadership, despite leading the charge in covering issues like domestic violence, corruption and climate change.
“The media world is still largely built by men, for men,” he said.
“Yet time and again, it is women who rise above.”
Women in Media (WiM) Fiji members during the inaugural WiM Fiji Conference at the Grand Pacific Hotel in Suva, on June 18, 2025. Photo: DEPTFO News
Mr Kamikamica praised the conference as the beginning of a transformative movement in Fijian media and pledged Government’s support through ongoing digital reforms — including the National Digital Strategy, cybersecurity legislation, and stronger protections for women and girls online.
While welcoming the repeal of the controversial Media Industry Development Act, he warned that press freedom must be paired with responsibility.
“Freedom does not mean anything goes. The line between debate and danger is growing thinner by the day,” he said.
Encouraging self-regulation and ethical journalism, Mr Kamikamica ended with a call for women to lead not just in newsrooms, but across the media industry.
“When women rise in the media, the media evolves,” he said.
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