In journalism school there is no module on how to recover from the burning of ones newspaper, there is no Editors manual on how to quickly recuperate from the ashes of a once running press and there is no Journalists guide to writing after a fire, simply put, last week, we were not just shocked, saddened, in denial and in slight despair we were also deeply unaware of how to deal with the whole situation.
I, despite the confident façade, cried in a moment of vulnerability, for a split second I let go and freely succumbed to the tragic but momentary loss of Newsline.The fire did not just burn a building, it burnt with it the livelihoods of more than twenty employees including myself, it burnt years of work by Pio Sioa and his sister Maggie, it burnt information, it burnt history but perhaps most unfortunately it burnt an important part of press freedom in Samoa, and that is competition.For my part the fire took away a years worth of relentless efforts and a slow process to try and improve Newsline.When Pio offered me the position of Editor this time last year, I took it up as the next big challenge in a Journalists life, that it was indeed a chance to contribute to the media in Samoa in a different way, so as you can imagine when the building and printing press went up in flames, so were the small changes and the big efforts that we all put into it.It was disheartening and it would have been easy just to give up, but we did not and we will not. The fact that you are reading this, whoever you are, wherever you are is testimony that Newsline is worth every new effort that we invest into it, this humble newspaper deserves a second chance, a better chance.Since the fire last Thursday we have received tremendous amount of support from so many people all over the world, and this has been comforting.One country representative wrote: “We have appreciated very much working with Newsline, which has made a solid contribution to the development of independent journalism in Samoa; and we offer you and the staff our best wishes for the future as you pull things back together and resume providing people here with the quality product for which you have become known.”A media owner from Fiji wrote: “Keep the faith – there is a saying that time heals all wounds – and in this case, if there was foul play, I expect it will also be said that time wounds all heels!”An interesting remark.Those were just two of heartwarming messages sent to us, every single person expressed their best for us, and with every word of encouragement with every pat on the back and handshake and kiss on the cheek we were given the extra strength, a yard stick to move on and we have.We have decided to call the weekly editions of Newsline, the Phoenix Editions to signify the beginning of a new journey for us, the rise of new Newsline from the embers of the formers fiery demise.It is said that the phoenix is a bird with beautiful gold and red plumage. At the end of its life-cycle the phoenix builds itself a nest of cinnamon twigs that it then ignites; both nest and bird burn fiercely and are reduced to ashes, from which a new, young phoenix arises. The new phoenix is destined to live. The bird was said to regenerate when hurt or wounded by a foe, thus being almost immortal and invincible, a symbol of fire and divinity.The story of the phoenix signifies the new journey that Newsline will take; from the ashes it shall be redeemed.I admit that Newsline has been less than perfect, and I thank you for putting up with the spelling mistakes, the missing pages and the various errors that you so do not deserve as a reader, we are, like you, human after all, but I urge you to bear with us.My Grandmother, the late Faleasiu Liki Tiatia amidst her accusations of my being a wayward child always said that things happen for a reason.“E le falala fua se giu, kaukalaikiki,” (A coconut does not sway by itself, cheeky!)Perhaps this is a blessing in disguise, (granted, in deep disguise) this is a chance for us to rebuild, to start anew and fresh, to relive the dream, so to speak.We are given a second chance here and like Savea Sano Malifa said: “Despite what some say, Samoa needs a Newsline.”There was never a point where we considered the end of Newsline, it was just a matter of time, even if we had to handwrite it with pencils on dear old parchments and deliver it by horseback, it was going to happen. Indeed Samoa needs a Newsline, for now Samoa will have Newsline, The Phoenix Edition to add to your literary Sunday delights.It will not be easy and we venture to guess how we will survive, operating solely on external resources, but we will do it with your support.It is at times like these, I do affirm that in the face of adversity there is nothing wrong with hope, of course it also helps to have a second income, but that’s beside the point.I am, as you can see, trying to make light of a situation that has been otherwise heavy and sad in the past week.We shall and will not dwell on the past, on the errors and the tragic hand that fate had dealt us, but we will focus on the future, that of Newsline Phoenix Edition.As you may see, this is not on parchment nor handwritten, but it is black and white from cover to cover, we have forfeited the red, green and blue on our front and back pages so that our workers may get paid, so that we can still deliver this paper to you every Sunday, with stories written by our own writers.The Newsline Phoenix Edition shall endeavor to provide you with: “An Insight to News.” Our stories will also be published on our website www.newslinesamoa.com, which is in partnership with SamoaLive.This is the first issue of the Newsline Phoenix, and I do hope you enjoy it as much as we enjoyed putting it together.I leave you with a recurring thought in the past days that it is not in the fall but in the rise that makes us who we are.With the first issue of the Newline Phoenix we express our deepest hopes that free press continue to prevail in Samoa despite impediments. Good Sunday Samoa!
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