Amid condemnation from around the Pacific and the world to its front page story about an alleged suicide victim, with a photo of the deceased, the Publisher of the Samoa Observer newspaper Savea Sano Malifa has apologized to Samoa.
The story which appeared in the Sunday Samoan and circulated on social media has attracted unprecedented criticism for the award winning newspaper.
It is the first time in the newspaper’s 35-year history that it is on the receiving end of international condemnation, a lot coming from media organizations and journalists.
Two complaints have been lodged with Samoa Ombudsman Maiava Iulai Toma about the newspaper’s breach of media ethics, failure to uphold acceptable reporting standards, being insensitive to cultural norms and being insensitive to the privacy of the victim and her family.
Apulu Lance Polu President of Samoa’s media body, JAWS, said the newspaper story was unacceptable.
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Editor in Chief, Gatoaitele Savea Sano Malifa, is highly regarded in the region and international media circles with his fiery brand of journalism.
But some of his admirers did not hold back with their stinging comments about the newspaper’s reportage of the death of 20-year-old Jeanine Tuiaviki, a computer student.
Gatoaitele did not expect the reaction that the story generated and was apologetic.
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This was a change of heart from comments that Savea made in a story that appeared yesterday , which was an explanation of why the Observer chose to publish the story the way it did, with a photo of the victim suspended from the ceiling of the Taufusi Catholic Church hall.
He said when the photograph showed up that . “It’s a sad sight. But behind the sadness and the pain was the image of Jesus Christ hanging between earth and sky.”
He says “it was as if Jeanine Tuivaiki was telling Prime Minister Tuilaepa and Pope Francis and Rev. Ma’auga to make friends with everyone and let there be peace.”
Rev Ma’auga Motu is the general Secretary of the Congregational Christian Church of Samoa who has called for Islam to be banned.
