Report irks Toni

Main Stories, National
Source:

The National, Friday 21st September 2012

By SALLY TIWARI
MINISTER for Religion, Youth and Community Development Loujaya Toni is frustrated by biased and unfair reporting from sections of the media.
Toni was referring to reports by the other daily newspaper on the fight for leadership between Department of Community Development former acting secretary Anna Solomon and incumbent Joseph Klapat.
Toni, who was a journalist and has a Masters in communication degree, said certain senior journalists were not providing a balanced story.
She said the reports in the newspaper this week that alleged she had conspired with others in hijacking the processes and procedures and misled the National Executive Council into reinstating Klapat were false and designed to tarnish her reputation.
“You cannot publish the same story over a month without getting any balance,” she said. “Get the balance and you’ll get the respect.
“I am a media personnel myself and I won’t allow you to hang me. I am ashamed that the standards of the Post-Courier have dropped.”
Toni told media personnel to check with the NEC’s secretary regarding any NEC decisions to get their facts right.
She urged the female staff of the Department of Community Development who raised allegations of sexual harassment against Klapat to submit their petition to the office of the Attorney-General for further investigation. She queried why these female staff had to wait until the recent leadership tussle to raise their concerns when they could have raised it earlier.