Fiji convened its first-ever national communications conference this week as the government moves to tighten coordination and upgrade the skills of media liaison officers across ministries, agencies and statutory bodies.
Minister for Information Lynda Tabuya described the gathering as an historic step for Fiji, saying the conference has been convened “for the first time ever” to teach officials the tools needed to communicate more effectively across government. Participants were drawn from a wide range of departments with the stated goal of improving the consistency and timeliness of official information reaching the public.
Central to the training agenda is lifting standards in how government handles and distributes information. Tabuya said the programme aims to strengthen coordination and shorten response times, addressing a recurring problem in which “a lot of times it comes out in the media before it comes out in the government channels… that is a challenge for us.” The minister framed the initiative under a broader objective of creating “a well-informed Fiji.”
A key component of the conference is practical training on identifying and countering misinformation, including false or manipulated content and deepfakes. “We need to be able to have the skills… to identify when a particular source of information is truthful or it’s deepfake or it is manufactured,” Tabuya told attendees, signalling a direct response to emerging digital threats that can quickly undermine public trust and complicate official messaging.
Organisers said the sessions will focus on equipping media liaison officers with verification techniques, better use of digital tools, and protocols for cross-ministry information sharing—measures intended to ensure coherent, timely messaging particularly during crises or fast-moving news cycles. The ministry emphasised that improving internal communications is not just about message craft but about building systems that allow ministries to act in concert.
The government is also signalling a willingness to bridge gaps with the media. Tabuya said future editions of the conference could include journalists, a move she positioned as necessary to foster closer collaboration and “support each other in putting out truthful and efficient information to the public.” Including reporters would mark a shift toward formalised government–media engagement aimed at reducing the lag between independent reporting and official confirmation.
This inaugural conference represents the Information Ministry’s effort to professionalise government communications at a time when manipulated content can spread rapidly online. By placing verification and inter-agency coordination at the centre of the training, the ministry intends to reduce misinformation’s impact and present faster, more reliable official responses to the public.
Officials did not announce a schedule for follow-up events, but Tabuya’s remarks indicate the ministry plans ongoing training and broader stakeholder engagement. The conference is the latest development in the government’s push to modernise how it communicates with citizens and manage information risks in an increasingly digital environment.
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