Gatoaitele Savea Sano Malifa Asked if he would talk about his newspaper's controversial publication of a front page photo of Jeanine Tuivaiki shortly after her death, an apparent suicide, the Samoa Observer's Editor-In-Chief, Gatoaitele Savea Sano Malifa, was initially reluctant to speak on the subject. "I've apologised about it, nothing more to say." When advised GayNZ.com also wished to discuss his apology, which has also drawn flack for repeating that Tuivaiki was a man, he became a little more talkative. "I've already done another apology, it's in today's paper, that [first] apology was done two days ago, there is a new apology and I've also put in all the letters from people that were critical of us, everything has been said." "I really don't have any more to say on the matter, not out of disrespect, I just don't have anything to say. I am not used to this kind of stuff. A big piece by Cindy [of Samoa] is in our paper this morning, attacking me and my wife who is the publisher... she has said a lot of very strong words against us. We have published them, we have nothing to hide, we do not shy away from our responsibilities Janine Tuivaiki "We are sincerely sorry about what has happened but it was never our intention to cause any mental... and feelings of sadness to anybody. None. Now that we have realised there is some disaffection, some sadness, and other feelings caused we have apologised. And I am sorry I cannot say anything more than that" Asked if he would have published the photo if it had been of a member of his own family, he responded "That's an unfair question to ask. Because if it was my family I would know about it, as a journalist you are being unfair to me. I have won awards, I am a responsible journalist. If there is disgruntlement about the photograph in the paper I apologise immediately. I am asking you as a fellow journalist please try and understand where I am coming from." GayNZ.com Daily News: I am. But as a responsible journalist I have to try to reflect the concerns of our community to you in order to get responses from you. "It's all over the world now and it's in our paper three times a day, there's nothing else for me to try to convince people of how sad I feel about the whole episode. "We are most supportive of the gay community in Samoa and everywhere, we still support them. That photograph was something that should never have happened and I apologise. There is anger here in Samoa and all over. Even my family all over the world have been calling me attacking me." GayNZ.com Daily News: You say you support the gay community and yet in your story you referred to Jeanine as a man, why would you do that? "I am the chief editor but things get past me without my knowledge, this story was not written by me and I apologise because I am the editor in chief. And I have to take responsibility for things that are done that are not right and for which I apologise. I have apologised for the entire Samoa Observer organisation, all the staff reporters and everybody" GayNZ.com Daily News: In your own apology you referred to Jeanine as a man... "I did not write that..." GayNZ.com Daily News: But it went out under your name. "Yeah, well, it came in and I thought the best thing to do is put my name there. I don't know, the story came to me.... what else I can't say. Do you want me to apologise again for that name, for Jeanine being named a man instead of a lady, a woman? Is that what you want me to apologise for? GayNZ.com Daily News: It's not my role to ask you to apologise, I'm just a reporter, reporting on concerns people here have and asking for your comments and I report on that. "I apologise for that, I apologise sincerely." At that point Gatoaitele Savea Sano Malifa terminated the interview.