‘Paparazzi‑style reporting must stop,’ says Information Minister

Minister for Information Lynda Tabuya has called on journalists to stop doorstop-style reporting, saying media must agree on interview settings with those they wish to question rather than catching them off guard.

Ms Tabuya made the remarks yesterday after FBC News published footage of her being door stepped outside a Fiji-SPC climate agreement signing event in Nabua on Wednesday morning.

She had attended the event during a parliamentary recess before rushing back to Parliament.

Ms Tabuya said she had asked the journalists to meet her in Parliament for a proper interview.

“I attended this event during the (Wednesday) morning tea break of Parliament all the way in Nabua and I was rushing back as Parliament had resumed,” Ms Tabuya said.

“This kind of paparazzi style needs to stop.”

The minister said she was also unaware she was being recorded when journalists initially approached her.

“I thought they were just questioning me about where they could ask me, but I didn’t know they were actually videoing,” she told this masthead.

Ms Tabuya said paparazzi-style reporting carried real risks, referencing overseas cases where such practices had caused injuries and deaths.

She stressed that a good working relationship between Government and the media remained important.

“A democracy cannot survive without a thriving media. But free media also must mean responsible media,” she said.

The FBC News video of the doorstop has since been deleted from the broadcaster’s social media.

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