Adjudication. Accountability.
Lodge a Complaint
The Fiji Media Council and its members are committed to responsible journalism.
If you feel that a news or sports article, an opinion piece, photo, video or an advertisement published in the Fiji media is incorrect, goes against the spirit of responsible journalism or violates the Fiji Media Code of Ethics , you can lodge a formal complaint.
There is no cost to lodge a complaint.
A process has been established to guide those wishing to lodge a complaint and out of fairness to all parties, all complaints must follow this.
It is important to note that as a first step, all complaints must firstly be taken to the publisher (media organisation) of the material.
If the complaint remains unresolved, then it may be brought to the Fiji Media Council to investigate and adjudicate.
Please refer to the FAQs on this page for more details.
Frequently Asked Questions
WHO CAN LODGE A COMPLAINT?
Anyone can lodge a complaint about a published material (print, online or broadcast) that is in violation of the Fiji Media Code of Ethics.
WHAT CAN I COMPLAIN ABOUT?
News reports, articles, editorials, opinion pieces, cartoons, images, videos, social media posts or any published material by any of our media members.
CAN I LODGE A COMPLAINT AGAINST A FREELANCE JOURNALIST OR ONE WHO WORKS IN A MEDIA OUTLET THAT IS NOT A MEMBER OF THE COUNCIL?
Yes, you can. You will still need to lodge it first with the freelance journalist or the non-member media organisation concerned before you lodge it with us.
CAN A THIRD PARTY LODGE A COMPLAINT?
The Fiji Media Council may consider a third-party complaint from a person who is not personally aggrieved. However, the Council reserves the right to require the complainant to first seek written consent from the individual who is the subject of the item being complained about.
HOW DO I LODGE MY COMPLAINT?
You MUST first lodge your complaint by writing to the publisher or media organisation concerned, within one month of its publication or broadcast.
Your complaint should be posted or emailed to the concerned media organisation’s senior management, editor or publisher.
You can email the FMC’s industry members directly on the links below:
If you do not get a satisfactory response from the media organisation after 10 working days, you can then escalate your complaint to the Fiji Media Council.
HOW DO I LODGE MY COMPLAINT WITH THE FIJI MEDIA COUNCIL?
You MUST lodge your complaint with the Fiji Media Council in writing and online below. Have on hand a copy of your initial written complaint and any supporting documents sent to the media organisation concerned.
Ruling by the Council
The adjudication procedure is at the FMC Chairperson’s discretion. He/She may:
a) invite the parties to appear before the Complaints Committee (“Committee”), or
b) consider the complaint on the basis of written submissions.
If the parties are to appear before the Committee, the names and the official positions of the nominated persons should be stated.
Legal counsel may not represent either party.
The hearing will take place in the form of a discussion, not a trial.
The Committee may uphold or dismiss a complaint or express an opinion on the matter.
It has no power to penalise or issue orders of compliance with its findings.
A copy of the Committee’s adjudication will be sent to both parties within seven days.
The organisations against which the complaint was made is expected to publish or broadcast the adjudication.
If it does not do this within one week, copies of the adjudication will be released to other media organisations for their disbursement.
The Committee reserves the right to restrict publication or broadcast in special circumstances.