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“THERE ARE ALWAYS TWO SIDES TO EVERY STORY”

Dear Editor,

I must say that I was very saddened and disappointed when my daughter asked if I had read the article regarding Mrs. Jessica Fuimaono’s husband. This article was a version that came from the husband’s side that was printed in our local newspaper, Samoa News on March 24, 2020, written by Fausia Ausage.

It saddens me, Samoa News, that you would publish such an article that was so, excuse me, biased, disgusting and sick. It goes to show what kind of man Amosa is. This sounds like it was written verbatim. So, I’m guessing Ausage recorded his interview and just wrote up the article and Samoa News just printed it, no questions asked.

Samoa News and Ausage, you know very that there are always two sides to every story. It hurts that Jessica is no longer here and has no way to defend herself. Not only that but what was written there will last forever, saved in the archives and anyone can look it up, including Jessica’s young children.

Did you ever stop to think how sensitive this matter is to the Fuimaono Family? The way Jessica was sadly and viciously taken from her family should have been a red flag to you. That suck an article would deepen the pain and hurt this family is going through. Why? Because that article was a big fat lie.

What happened to investigative journalism? Didn’t you consider verifying your facts? Isn’t that what reporters are supposed to do? Didn’t you consider the source of your story? Did you seek to uncover the other end of the spectrum? No, you didn’t. Instead, you just took the word of a man that brutally took a life and endangered the life of his 10-month old child.

By printing that horrific article, you have slandered the name of this beautiful woman. This woman was a mother, daughter, and sister, and by taking just one side of the coin, you painted her to be a harlot who thought little of the people in her life. You have stained the wholesome memory that her family has of her. A family that now has the image of their beaten, battered and broken loved one to haunt them. How can you do that? Where is the integrity?

I cannot standby as this man, after taking a life, continues to dishonor the person he had sworn to protect. And for you, Samoa News, to have gone through with published this makes me question your own moral accountability. I wish that you had done the proper thing and reached out to Jessica’s family and friends and printed both sides. Yes, you have to take both sides into consideration but to blatantly just distribute one side without speaking to the surviving family is repugnant.

I wish your article painted the true side of Jessica. The beautiful, loving mother, the dutiful daughter, the God-fearing faithful woman who loved life. She thrived. She was a blessing to all that knew her. She loved and was loved by many. There is so much her had you sought to put in some effort into finding the truth, into printing a story that was based on facts.

Yes, we all have freedom of speech, but we also have the responsibility to ensure that what put out there is fact, and this is where you failed.

I hope and pray that you do try to find the truth from both sides before publishing any story. It’s said the pen is mightier than the sword, and when it comes instances like this, it’s so true. Be mindful of how you use the tools you been given because once it’s out there, there is no way of making it disappear.

Christine L. Fuimaono

Jessica's Aunty

(Editor’s Note: The source of the article you are referring to is a court document, not a one-on-one interview with the defendant. Samoa News stands by its reporter, noting we made no judgement, that’s for the court or a jury of his peers to decide. ra)