Honiara : 28 January 2018
Letter to the Editors, Island Sun and Solomon Star newspapers.
A FREE PRESS AND ETHICAL JOURNALISM.
The Solomon Islands prides itself on a free press but last week MASI’s interim President Ms Deli Oso, found it necessary to condemn the threat of legal action against the Island Sun newspaper following publication of certain information relating to the Solomon Island’s national air carrier, Solomon Airlines.
Ms Oso in her letter to the media defended the right of freedom of information.
In the wider sense of freedom of information, journalist must also be reminded and guided by the 5 principles of ethical journalism.
These core principles are:
Truth and Accuracy
Independence
Fairness and Impartiality
Humanity
Accountability
The core principles of ethical journalism set out above provide an excellent base for everyone who aspires to launch themselves into the public information sphere to show responsibility in how they use information
In my two books on Amazon Kindle, (‘Policing a Clash of Cultures’ and ‘Cometh the Hour’) I have recounted how the 5 principles of ethical journalism were totally disregarded by two well known Pacific journalists affecting my work as the former police commissioner during the onset of the time now regarded as the ‘tensions’ and how their vicious and racially slanted lies contributed to my premature retirement.
Nobody has the right to be wrongfully and willfully maligned and the truth, as Ms Oso reminded us of in her letter to the media on behalf of MASI, is a complete defence to any charge of defamation.
Yours sincerely
Frank Short
