CoveragePost
May 12, 2026
RNZ Pacific Fiji’s military chief has made a public admission at a church service that the institution was “at fault” for the death of Jone Vakarisi while he was in military custody. Local media reported that Republic of Fiji Military Forces (RFMF) commander Ro Jone Kalaouniwai, while addressing officers at a military family service, admitted ... <a title="Fiji army commander admits military ‘at fault’ for custody death" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2026/05/12/fiji-army-commander-admits-military-at-fault-for-custody-death/" aria-label="Read more about Fiji army commander admits military ‘at fault’ for custody death">Read more</a>
CoveragePost
May 6, 2026
Wansolwara News The University of the South Pacific (USP) Journalism Programme has marked the 2026 World Press Freedom Day this year in partnership with the Fiji National University (FNU) School of Language, Communication and Literature. A successful collaboration between two universities, the event highlighted a strong partnership focused on advancing journalism education in the Pacific. ... <a title="Media programmes at USP, FNU join forces for World Press Freedom Day talanoa" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2026/05/06/media-programmes-at-usp-fnu-join-forces-for-world-press-freedom-day-talanoa/" aria-label="Read more about Media programmes at USP, FNU join forces for World Press Freedom Day talanoa">Read more</a>
CoveragePost
May 5, 2026
By Khalia Strong of PMN News Fiji has shot up the world rankings for press freedom but the victory feels hollow as journalists across the Pacific face a wave of court battles, police raids, and vicious online abuse. The 2026 World Press Freedom Index, released last Thursday by Reporters Without Borders, shows Fiji climbing to ... <a title="Fiji’s media win in World Press Freedom Index overshadowed by threats and court summons" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2026/05/05/fijis-media-win-in-world-press-freedom-index-overshadowed-by-threats-and-court-summons/" aria-label="Read more about Fiji’s media win in World Press Freedom Index overshadowed by threats and court summons">Read more</a>
CoveragePost
May 4, 2026
By Stefan Armbruster of Pasifika TV Fiji has recorded a dramatic jump in its media freedom rating to be in the top 25 nations globally while Samoan government press restrictions have seen its rating plummet in the latest World Press Freedom Index. Advocacy group Reporters Sans Frontières (RSF) said globally it was the first time ... <a title="Fiji jumps, Samoa plunges in World Press Freedom Index" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2026/05/04/fiji-jumps-samoa-plunges-in-world-press-freedom-index/" aria-label="Read more about Fiji jumps, Samoa plunges in World Press Freedom Index">Read more</a>
CoveragePost
May 4, 2026
RNZ Pacific Fiji has recorded the biggest improvement in the Pacific in the 2026 World Press Freedom Index, rising to 24th out of 180 countries. The index has been compiled and published by global media watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF) since 2002. Papua New Guinea moved up slightly on the index to 73rd. But Samoa ... <a title="Fiji climbs to 24th in World Press Freedom Index, biggest gain in the Pacific" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2026/05/04/fiji-climbs-to-24th-in-world-press-freedom-index-biggest-gain-in-the-pacific/" aria-label="Read more about Fiji climbs to 24th in World Press Freedom Index, biggest gain in the Pacific">Read more</a>
CoveragePost
May 4, 2026
Fijian Media Association Three years after the lifting of draconian media laws under which Fiji’s media industry operated, and even with significant improvements in the country’s media freedom rankings, the gains from the return of media freedom remain tenuous. This World Press Freedom Day, the Fijian Media Association is heartened by the country’s remarkable progress ... <a title="FMA praises Fiji media workers for press freedom climb but warns it is ‘tenuous’" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2026/05/04/fma-praises-fiji-media-workers-for-press-freedom-climb-but-warns-it-is-tenuous/" aria-label="Read more about FMA praises Fiji media workers for press freedom climb but warns it is ‘tenuous’">Read more</a>
CoveragePost
May 4, 2026
By Anish Chand in Suva Fiji’s rise in the latest global press freedom rankings is being credited to improved media conditions following key political and legal reforms in recent years. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) says the country’s jump to 24th place in the 2026 World Press Freedom Index reflects a shift in the media environment ... <a title="Political reforms drive Fiji’s big press freedom gains, says RSF" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2026/05/04/political-reforms-drive-fijis-big-press-freedom-gains-says-rsf/" aria-label="Read more about Political reforms drive Fiji’s big press freedom gains, says RSF">Read more</a>
CoveragePost
April 29, 2026
By Christina Persico, RNZ Pacific bulletin editor A woman whose great-grandparents — all eight of them — were Girmitiya labourers has put their stories into her debut novel. The result is Banjara, a novel partly based on what she found, which is told through the eyes of two women more than 100 years apart. Author, ... <a title="Girmitiya ancestry the inspiration behind Fiji writer’s debut novel" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2026/04/29/girmitiya-ancestry-the-inspiration-behind-fiji-writers-debut-novel/" aria-label="Read more about Girmitiya ancestry the inspiration behind Fiji writer’s debut novel">Read more</a>
CoveragePost
April 28, 2026
RNZ Pacific The Fiji Prime Minister has thrown his government’s support behind a controversial waste-to-energy project at Vuda Point in the country’s Western Division despite “a delay”. The multi-million-dollar “Fiji Energy from Waste Project”, backed by Australian billionaire Ian Malouf and Fiji-born businessman Robert Cromb’s company The Next Generation (TNG) Fiji, has been making headlines ... <a title="Fiji PM Rabuka gives govt support for controversial waste-to-energy project" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2026/04/28/fiji-pm-rabuka-gives-govt-support-for-controversial-waste-to-energy-project/" aria-label="Read more about Fiji PM Rabuka gives govt support for controversial waste-to-energy project">Read more</a>
CoveragePost
April 27, 2026
By Anish Chand in Suva Fiji Minister for Defence and Veterans Affairs Pio Tikoduadua has confirmed that a police officer seriously injured during a checkpoint incident in Laqere is his daughter. In a statement, Tikoduadua said the incident occurred in the early hours of Sunday at a joint checkpoint involving the Fiji Police Force and ... <a title="Injured Fiji police officer in checkpoint incident ‘is my daughter’, says Tikoduadua" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2026/04/27/injured-fiji-police-officer-in-checkpoint-incident-is-my-daughter-says-tikoduadua/" aria-label="Read more about Injured Fiji police officer in checkpoint incident ‘is my daughter’, says Tikoduadua">Read more</a>
CoveragePost
April 23, 2026
By Margot Staunton, RNZ Pacific senior journalist Jone Vakarisi was heard screaming and begging before he was “brutalised to death” in Fiji military custody last week, according to his sister. Melehola Tagaga told RNZ Pacific Waves that the well-known drug pusher was asked if he was planning a coup, before the military arrested him at ... <a title="‘His life mattered’: Family of man who died in Fiji military custody says he begged for his life" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2026/04/23/his-life-mattered-family-of-man-who-died-in-fiji-military-custody-says-he-begged-for-his-life/" aria-label="Read more about ‘His life mattered’: Family of man who died in Fiji military custody says he begged for his life">Read more</a>
CoveragePost
April 21, 2026
By Margot Staunton, RNZ Pacific senior journalist The Fiji Police Force has launched a murder investigation following the death of wellknown drug pusher Jone Vakarisi, who died in military custody on Thursday. Police spokesperson Ana Naisoro told RNZ Pacific that “investigators are gathering intelligence to establish the facts and circumstances surrounding the victim’s death”. “The ... <a title="Fiji police confirm murder probe launched into death of man in military custody" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2026/04/21/fiji-police-confirm-murder-probe-launched-into-death-of-man-in-military-custody/" aria-label="Read more about Fiji police confirm murder probe launched into death of man in military custody">Read more</a>
