Global News Blog: Journalist “Voluntarily” Removed From Fiji

Posted by Lauren Kuhner

ABC journalist Sean Dorney was reporting on the latest developments in Fiji’s military leadership. The court ruled that leader Frank Bainimarama’s military government, in power since a 2006 coup, was illegal. After his reporting on a local station he was contacted by immigration officials and ordered to leave.

Dorney said, “I was informed immigration officers were on their way to escort me to the airport and out of the country.”

He said he was “allowed to return to his hotel to pack and was then telephoned to ask if he was prepared to leave voluntarily.”

If you ask me, the country of Fiji is acting like a baby. They are kicking a journalist out of their country because they do not like the way he is reporting about their illegal military government. Well what did they think was going to happen? When someone does something good or bad it becomes news worthy.

Think of all the celebrities who have no personal life with journalists wanting to know everything about them, and most times they do not like what the journalist reports.

The celebrity can not do anything about it but accept it, or fight it.? Fiji is embarrassed and does not want to be seen as “bad” so they do not want an Austrian journalist reporting about them. You did the crime so you’re going to do the time. Kicking out one jounralist is not going to do anything because a story is still going to get published and more reporters will cover the same story. Grow up Fiji and live up to what you did that was wrong.