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| Sunday, 5 October 2003 |
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Features |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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Familiarizing youth with mass media by Berty Jayasekara, Director of Govt. Information Mass media activity in Sri Lanka is seen widening and expanding day by day. Both the radio and the print media field that prevailed in the bygone days are being superseded by other sectors with the advancement in technology. Though one is inclined to think that the scenario concerned with the media personnel who were then involved in the radio field as well as the print media field was limited in scope in comparison with the present, the onerous responsibility and the fund of knowledge that was acquired at that time cannot be belittled in comparison. For instance, the Radio newsreader had to be present at the Radio Newsroom one hour before the news broadcast and to translate into Sinhala news-script typed in double space and then to write it in between the lines himself and read out the broadcast news bulletins. During our childhood we listened with rapt attention over the radio when this sort of thing was being done by the veteran broadcasters like Alfred Perera, Cyril Rajapakse, Thilak Sudharman de Silva and Sarath Wimalaweera. We saw this spectacle with our own eyes when we as children participated in programmes having joined the children's programme called 'Lamapitiya'. Today although the scope is comprehensive and wider, we are aware that problems would crop up as to whether a newsreader could perform such a task. Today some one is a News Editor and another is a Newsreader. The listener is not aware of whether the reading out of names of both persons is being done to satisfy some institutional requirements or else to fulfil any other requirement. The media is an art which must be cultivated and mastered in an extremely wide spectrum. Today although the media is known as an art in a wider sense the art of writing should arise within an accumulation of factors of learning, intellect and the training. For this ample instances can be cited. In this connection names of such distinguished veteran media and literary personalities as Piyadasa Sirisena, Hemapala Munidasa, Munidasa Kumaratunga, Martin Wickremasinghe, Sri Chandraratne Manawasinghe, Meemana Premathilleka, D.F. Kariyakarawana and of hundreds of present-day versatile media figures as well can be mentioned. The appreciative readership are aware that those who undertook this task following the veteran media personalities mentioned above are unfailingly performing their duties, making the path taken by the old-timers to conform to be compatible according to their innovative needs in order to safeguard their duties and the responsibilities of the media profession. My problem is hereafter who will undertake these responsibilities. The typist will only know of typewriting, but will not know not only the correct use of the letters in Sinhala writing. Who will impart this ? Is there anyone who is capable of imparting this knowledge amongst us ? Apart from literates like erudite Minister W.M.J. Lokubandara, Prof. J.B. Dissanayake who is capable of taking on this worthy cause ? On an exploration in search of an answer to this we could find the means by which very fruitful results could be achieved. They are the schoolchildren in the higher grades who have enthusiastically shown interest in this. Societies in various forms related to media matters such as news broadcasting societies, publicity societies in most of the schools (inclusive of National Schools) have been formed and conducted for two to three years now according to the enthusiasm of the respective schools. The Govt. Information Department recently initiated action to bring all these societies together under one banner having named them School Mass Media Societies / Associations (starting from the Colombo District). The students and the teachers in charge (including several Principals also) of these societies participated in this preliminary discussion and their response was encouraging and pleasing; it was appreciated and their view was that this essentially should come into being. What's it ? If the younger generation should undertake the future mass media they should be trained for it. Guidance must be made available to them from the veterans. The youth need theoretical as well as practical training for this. Ways and means must be paved for the purpose. Taking these ideas lumped together as a whole as we have proposed earlier a series of theory lectures to be delivered by the veteran linguists and the media personnel has been prepared. This onerous task following the series of theory lectures for the students is to direct these students to a practical training in many aspects related to both electronic and print media such as reportage, feature article writing on investigative matters as well as different subjects - page-making, writings appealing to the readership, taking a photograph and descriptive text writing etc. and making announcements with correct pronunciation etc. Amongst the students of many a school are found children showing many talents in the media field. We have very often witnessed this at school speech contests as well as at various concerts, shows and variety entertainments. The problem is that after leaving school they rarely get opportunities to show their capabilities. It is true that there are youths who would emerge through various personal connections on contacts they could find and that those who fail to get such opportunities would turn to other areas. They allow their inborn capacity and talents to die out at birth and go to some computer training "boutiques" or after business people to make a living doing something to support the parents as well as the younger siblings taking over the responsibilities and willingly or unwillingly directing the innate capacities towards a different course. I do not consider it essential to analyze this over and over again. In most countries state as well as different established institutions have been functioning for hundreds of years for the purpose of educating creation of works of arts. We are not unaware of the service rendered by a large number of such institutions established in USA, Germany and UK and also the Puna Film Training Institute in India, the French Film and Arts Archive named 'Cinematheque', Japanese Film Archives, training institutes for dramatics. We are also not unaware of the eminent creative personalities interested in this cause. We are aware of numerous articles written by the renowned award - winning Film Director in our country Dr. Lester James Peiris several years ago on the essentiality of having a film archives in Sri Lanka. Several years ago this writer too wrote to the Newspapers a few articles on this matter and publicised its importance. Views remain still stagnant and untranslated into action. All will verbally accept the need for fully equipped centres for training in dramatics and scriptwriting. It is accepted that these should be put in place. We acknowledge the fact that these views should be brought up to the practical level and are prepared in every respect to extend unstinted support for these. The mass communications field is an area like a great ocean spreading in ramification over a large expanse, which should receive in full the talents, skills and knowledge. Its future need not become anarchic. The future responsibility of enlivening and brightening this field of distinction rests on the hands of the talented schoolchildren of the younger generation. The responsibilities cast on the veterans in this field is to guide these versatile, talented youth on the proper path and conduct the undertaking styled as 'mass communications' towards the field of excellence. I sincerely and in good faith solicit the fullest contribution and support of the enlightened and interested literati and the scholars for this worthy cause. |
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