Tabuya fights fake news with Rapid Response Unit
The Information Minister returns to ministerial role with big plans to transform her ministry.
Wednesday 06 August 2025 | 18:00
Minister for Information Lynda Tabuya presents her inaugural statement in Parliament on August 06, 2025.
Photo: Parliament of Fiji
Minister for Information Lynda Tabuya is setting the course of how factual and timely information reaches the public with plans to transform the way information is disseminated.
In her ministerial statement yesterday, Ms Tabuya said the ministry would champion truth plainly, promptly, and persistently. Ms Tabuya said the ministry would launch a Rapid Response Unit to tackle misinformation, especially during elections, disasters, and health emergencies.
“Next month, I begin a nationwide listening tour. We will hold town halls in every province. Because communication is not a megaphone. It’s a conversation,” she said.
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Ms Tabuya said each ministry would need to submit a one page-communication plan on the ministry’s activities.
“We are also building a central digital dashboard, a real-time calendar that tracks government announcements, prevents overlaps, and coordinates messaging.”
Minister of Information, Lynda Tabuya
Ms Tabuya’s plans include:
- A National Crisis Communications Protocol: This will outline, who speaks? On what platform? In which language? How quickly?
- Digitising archives: By December 2025, the digitisation of the Indian indenture record would be completed, and by the end of 2026, 50 per cent of the national historical collections would be digitised.
She informed Parliament that her ministry’s vision aligns with the national development plan:
- Nation-building: Launch a Civic Media Fellowship to train 50 young journalists and digital creators by 2026.
- Equitable access: Deploy Digital Information Kiosks in all government service centers.
- Responsive information: Pilot AI-powered SMS alerts for rural and maritime areas.
- Partnerships: Institutionalise media liaison officer Forums, co-chaired with civil society and media leaders.
- Records access: Build regional archive centres in Lautoka and Labasa.
- Knowledge society: Launch an Open Government Portal with raw datasets and policy reports by July 2026.
“Let this ministry be known not for managing narratives, but for telling the truth,” she said. “Let our broadcasts carry facts. Let our press releases reflect reality. Let our websites answer questions. Let our communities feel heard.”
Feedback: iva.nataro@fijisun.com.fj
