Asia-Pacific Network: 19 October 2000
MEDIA: LECTURER RUBBISHES AMUSING 'COUP'
A satirical news piece on Fiji news media carelessness and trivia - and why journos should be formally trained.
By MARK HAYES
SUVA: A new University of the South Pacific lecturer in journalism attacked a story in Thursday's Fiji Daily Post as "totally untrue".
Dr Mark Hayes, recently arrived from Australia to join USP's
journalism program, was reported as being the "... new head of the
Journalism Program.." at the University.
"This is totally untrue," Dr Hayes said. "David Robie was and remains
the head and coordinator of the journalism program, I work to him,
and he has my complete support.
"The Fiji Daily Post reporter must have assumed that, because I have a
doctorate, I had been appointed to head the journalism course," Dr
Hayes said. "He doesn't understand much about how university
appointments and programs are run."
"Just because you've got a PhD doesn't mean you're automatically
senior to or even a better academic than somebody who doesn't have a
doctorate," Dr Hayes said.
"David Robie's a senior lecturer, as well as head of journalism at USP, because he's been teaching at USP for several years, has published widely in the field, and has a long
track record as a journalist specialising in Pacific issues.
"I've shown the Daily Post story to some of our journalism students,
and they thought it was hilarious, as well as sad, that the paper
got it so wrong," Dr Hayes said.
"In journalism, we assume nothing, and if we're not sure about a fact, like me allegedly being appointed head of the journalism program, we ask a reliable source, which the
Post's reporter didn't do."
"Rumors about me pulling a coup against David Robie are complete and
utter rubbish, a fantasy dreamed up in a lazy reporter's head," Dr
Hayes said.
The Daily Post story: "A fantasy dreamed up in a lazy reporter's head".