Prime Minister Tuilaepa Dr. Sailele Malielegaoi has accused the Samoa Observer newspaper of publishing erroneous news articles and described its coverage as "stale".

Tuilaepa made the comment during an interview with national 2AP radio which was hosted by Ministry of Communication and Information Technology, Assistant Chief Executive Officer, Letoa Matini Fasino.  

He was responding to an article published by the Samoa Observer quoting the Samoa International Finance Authority [SIFA] 2019 Annual Report, which revealed a decline in the registration of new companies.  

The Prime Minister said the reporter who penned the article should have asked the S.I.F.A. management for an explanation and the changes that were made. 

He pointed out the Annual Report being referred to is from last year and the management should have been approached for comments. 

The report highlighted that the drop of over 30 per cent in new company registration is due to strict regulations brought on by de-risking actions enforced by international financial organisations. 

“They didn’t talk to the current management about changes they have now,” said Tuilaepa. 

“This girl Joyetter Feagaimaalii is the kind of journalist that is making the newspaper thin...it’s going to three weeks since they’ve published correction.” 

Tuilaepa claimed that the newspaper continues to publish incorrect articles that later "had to be corrected", and made reference to the recent publication of articles on the Tiavea airport and the Ministry of Health lacking a COVID-19 plan. 

He added that he feels for the newspaper that continues to make mistakes hence the Government-owned Savali newspaper had to publish corrections. 

“I believe that they should find journalists that are smart,” he said. 

“This newspaper is used to stale news.”