Pacific Magazine > Magazine > February 1, 2001

Mail Bag

Mail Bag

Our readers have to say.

Get the Facts Straight

Why is it that Pacific Magazine can't get the most basic of facts correct, even when the writer is sitting in the very location that he misidentifies? I am referring to page 30 of the November/December issue of Pacific Magazine. First, Kolonia is not the capital of the Federated States of Micronesia (sixth paragraph, second sentence). The writer should know this because he drove out to the capital. It is located in Palikir, Pohnpei, about five miles away. It can't be missed.

Furthermore, the Compact of Free Association is not up in 2001 (eighth paragraph, second sentence). Only the economic aspects of the Compact are up, and these will be extended for two more years if the negotiations continue that long. This was supposed to be the theme of the interview with President Falcam. Does this mean the interviewer was ignorant of the content of the Compact while conducting an interview about it? One must ask, "What other mistakes were made?"

It is errors like this that make folks in the Pacific very leery of giving interviews in the first place. Then the journalist cry, "you are denying the people's right to know." Giving them the wrong information because of sloppy reporting is what denies the people the right to know, not the folks being interviewed.

Thomas C. Panholzer
Former media consultant to the FSM President
Guam


Delighted with Tarawa Visit

Recently I spent six weeks on Tarawa, a small island in Kiribati. A friend and I were invited by MSC, a Catholic Mission, to help set up a woodwork shop for some of the young fellows there. What a privilege it was to spend time with these young men. They were so cheerful and enthusiastic, and when things got tough they worked together and overcame the challenge. Everywhere my mate and I went, we saw the same things…hospitality, friendship and an irrepressible spirit. I thank God for the privilege. No amount of money could pay for that experience.

Phil Elliott
Tasmania, Australia


Upset by Merger

I was taken aback to hear that Pacific Magazine and Islands Business were merging. The loss of Pacific Islands Monthly in June was bad enough, but now we're down to one regional magazine when a year ago we had three very different Pacific news sources. I've been a subscriber to all three for many years, and I already miss Michael Field's penetrating articles which I'd got from PIM. It seems your only hard copy competitor now is the PCRC's Pacific News Bulletin, certainly not a good thing for magazine consumers like me. I'll remain a loyal reader of Pacific, but I'd be delighted to hear that some other news group had bought the PIM brand name and that we readers would again have a second choice. Good luck in your venture.

David Stanley
Guelph, Ontario, Canada


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