Unless there is a podium he can hold onto, the governor said he may not be able to stand for too long while delivering his remarks.
During the ribbon-cutting event for the new playground in San Antonio last Friday, Fitial said he felt like he was going to fall forward while speaking to the public.
In previous occasions, the governor was observed to be grimacing in pain every time he had to stand up from his chair and walk.
Be factual
Fitial at the same time said the media should not inject “opinions” in their news reports.
He said he was a news director for a government local radio station from 1967 to 1969 so he understands why reporters have to ask controversial questions.
Fitial also served as vice president of Tan Holdings, which owns the Saipan Tribune.
“Now that I am being interviewed, you know, mostly, I can really appreciate the way interviewees represent themselves to the interviewers,” he said.
He added, “I understand the need to ask pointed or controversial questions. That is what the people want to hear during interviews.”
But in reporting, he added, “you got to be factual. That is the most important.”
He said “reporters can opinionate but they should not do it to the extent that it destroys the factuality of the representation coming from the one being interviewed.”
Fitial cited as an example his remarks in the U.S.-China forum in Beijing where he was quoted by Bloomberg as saying that he offered the Northern Islands to Chinese investors.
The Bloomberg report was nonsense and sensationalized, he added.
He said he was merely inviting investors to the CNMI.
