Ritika Pratap 
Deputy Prime Minister Manoa Kamikamica speaking at the 8th PINA summit [Photo: Ritika Pratap]
The government should stop overregulating the media industry and instead focus on building trust to allow it to drive itself.
Speaking on the second day of the 8th PINA Summit, Deputy Prime Minister Manoa Kamikamica highlights that the removal of the Media Industry Development Act has created a culture of increased honesty and directness within the country.
Kamikamica says a free press requires economic viability to be sustained alongside democratic freedoms.
“When we talk about the media, we shouldn’t talk about it just as a democratic institution; we must also talk about it as an industry that employs people and uses technology. Newsrooms that cannot afford journalists will eventually produce less journalism or may not even survive.”
Kamikamica says misinformation and disinformation are critical global issues driven by technology and AI.
He highlights that Fiji has implemented the SAUTU Framework to address these challenges.
However, he stresses that the government must also provide accurate information to prevent distorted narratives from forming among the public.
