Captain Pratibha. The First Solder

An Australian reporter recently wrote this about journalism: it's a craft, a set of trade skills that can be applied pretty universally to a range of situations.

It immediately set my mind racing with thoughts about this one journalist in Fiji and how she would have paraphrased it: I do have a very particular set of skills, skills I have acquired over a very short career. Skills that make me a nightmare for people like you. If you stop criticizing Bainimarama now, that'll be the end of it. I will not look for you, I will not pursue you. But if you don't, I will look for you, I will write about you, and I will trash you.

This is our Fiji Sun 'journalist' Jyoti Pratibha. She is a storm unlike Katrina or Evans that hits us everyday through her Coconut Wireless column or when she is at full force displaying her 'journalistic' skills writing advertorials for Bainimarama.  

In modern society, journalism is said to serve the role of a "fourth estate", acting as a watchdog on the workings of the government. Unfortunately, Jyoti Pratibha's modern society exists on an entirely parallel universe that determines its own agenda, facts and logic according to revelations she receives in her dreams.

An adjudicator of political parties except the Bainimarama led Fiji First which she has determined enjoys immunity from her thru one of the decrees, Jyoti  Pratibha stands at the altar of national interest and decimates these political parties like no one has ever been able to. 

International journalists have also not escaped this esteemed journalists radar. An example was when she blamed Bruce Hill of Radio Australia for unbalanced coverage. His reply was that he does not read magazines or respond to their columnists.

Jyoti has been unlike any other journalists in recent times. She has stated with conviction and without using a single cell in her brain that she is biased towards the Bainimarama government.  "I stand  for nationalism and not parochialism."