Clever Fijian media
April 20th, 2009 at 2:00 pm by David FarrarI like how the Fijian media is protesting military censorship of their stories. They are running totally banal stories, to make a point.
We have this story about a man catching a bus:
IN what is believed to be the first reported incident of its kind, a man got on a bus yesterday.
“It was easy,” he said.
“I just lifted one leg up and then the other and I was on”.
Fiji Daily Post reporters found witnesses willing to confirm the happening.
“Yes”, said one who asked to remain anonymous, “I saw him get on the bus”.
Superb. It’s like The Onion. And this story about watching paint dry:
PAINT has apparently dried on his old couch, Max reports.
Given the job of painting the couch, Max was excited at the prospect of the paint drying.
But when asked how it dried, he was nonplussed.
“It just went on wet, but after about four hours, it started to dry”.
“That was when I realised, paint dries,” the young scholar observed.
Fiji Daily Post asked Max if he intended to do more painting.
“Oh yes,” he replied, “I like watching paint dry.”
And a more recent story:
It’s official: a man went out.
Neighbours reported that they saw him go out last night.
‘I thought he was just mad’, a woman opined while asking to remain anonymous.
Another neighbour said he saw him open his door about ten o’clock.
‘Arreh, he went out’, he added.
It’s a very clever way of reminding readers that they are being censored.
Related posts:
- The Fijian constitution
- The Fijian constitution
- The proposed Fijian charter
- Fijian elections within two years
April 20th, 2009 at 2:06 pm
Hilarious! I wonder how long it will be before banality becomes sedition?
Vote:April 20th, 2009 at 2:54 pm
Maybe the Australian media (and NZ media) could start reporting like that. They might be more objective and relevant.
Vote:April 20th, 2009 at 3:00 pm
I thought you were quoting stories from the Dom Post.
Vote:April 20th, 2009 at 3:22 pm
In South Africa during the apartheid years reports would read that “Mr X spoke to men in blue clothes and then left” and so on.
Blue clothes= uniformed police, of course…
Vote:April 20th, 2009 at 3:51 pm
There is nothing wrong with what is happening in Fiji. Adolf said so.
Vote:April 20th, 2009 at 6:43 pm
Brilliant.
I’m sure Bananarama and his thugs will see the funny side.
Vote:April 20th, 2009 at 10:37 pm
Of course following the passing of the Electoral Finance Act Helen Clark wanted the media to publish similar stories like “Helen Clark spoke to a crowd of people who gave her rapt applause”, over and over and over again.
Vote:April 20th, 2009 at 10:49 pm
Very smart, very funny – satire to be admired especially under the local junta.
My opinion of Fijian media just grew enormously.
Vote:April 21st, 2009 at 12:29 am
This was how NZ was going to be if Lairbour got back in yet they protest Fiji
Goffs a bitch!
Vote:April 21st, 2009 at 12:30 am
Ditto
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