14 October 2009

Travel writers mull Fiji annual meeting decision

SYDNEY - The Australian Society of Travel Writersââ¬â¢ (ASTW) committee will meet in Brisbane on November 17 to assess a number of bids from destinations wishing to host the societyââ¬â¢s annual meeting in 2010.

One of the those bids is from Fiji, which would be a controversial choice given opposition to the countryââ¬â¢s regime by the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ).

The IFJ recently wrote to the ASTW urging it not to accept a bid for its annual meeting to be hosted in Fiji next year, ââ¬Åâœin view of the Fiji military regimeââ¬â¢s strict censorship and hardline in controlling news reportingââ¬~.

Tom Neal Tacker, ASTW vice president, told TravelMole:

ââ¬~At this point no decision has been made about the AGM. After the 17th, the committee will determine whether or not to hold its 2010 AGM in Fiji based on both the majority view of ASTW members and the majority view of the committee.ââ¬~

Tacker said both the IJF letter of objection to the possibility of the ASTW holding its AGM in Fiji and a statement circulated by the ASTW that explains the ASTWââ¬â¢s position regarding Fiji have been on the ASTW website, accessible to members only.

Tacker added, ââ¬ÅâœWhen the ASTW committee meets in Brisbane on November 17 it will look into a variety of AGM bids from a number of cities and countries. At this point no decision has been made about the AGM."

In its original September 23 letter to the ASTW, the IFJ said that ASTW members ââ¬Åâœwould be compromising their integrity to accept the hospitality of the regime in the current circumstancesââ¬~.

The letter from IFJ Asia-Pacific steering committee member Christopher Warren, who is also federal secretary of the Media Entertainment & Arts Alliance, noted that "while ASTW members may be encouraged by Fijiââ¬â¢s regime to visit and report favourably on Fiji, other foreign journalists risk being banned from entry while local journalists must daily bow to the demands of the newsroom censorsââ¬~.

The ASTW was reminded of its code of ethics, which states that members will ââ¬Åâœencourage responsible professional standards of reportingââ¬~ and ââ¬Åâœsafeguard the professional independence of travel writersââ¬~. The societyââ¬â¢s stated mandate is to promote ââ¬Åâœunbiased reporting of information on travel topicsââ¬~.

ââ¬ÅâœThe IFJ believes that the staging of the AGM in Fiji would risk compromising the ASTW,ââ¬~ Warren said in the letter.

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