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| Sunday, 12 September 2004 |
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Editorial |  |
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Editor, Sunday Observer. E-mail: [email protected] Snail mail : Sunday Observer, 35, D.R.Wijewardana Mawatha, Colombo, Sri Lanka. Telephone : 94 11 2429239 / 2331181 Fax : 94 11 2429230 Our principles From today the Sunday Observer comes out in a new format with certain structural adjustments in the editorial content. This is not a mere cosmetic exercise. It is part of our constant endeavour to give our dear readers qualitatively better reading content that is at the same time more topical, livelier and more informative. As a first step in our effort to develop the Sunday Observer as a family newspaper, we have decided to introduce a separate children's newspaper as part of it. We would be looking for further areas of expansion in time to come. We consider this an opportune moment to reiterate the basic principles that guide us in our work. We acknowledge that our first duty is to provide the readers with credible information so that they could take informed decisions on all matters of public interest. In fulfilling this duty, our first obligation is to the truth and our loyalty is to the people. We consider the latter to be our master. As Joseph Pulitzer said, our main priority in reporting facts will be accuracy, accuracy and accuracy! We are, however, not infallible. If we recognise that we have erred due to some reason or other or if inaccuracies in our reports are brought to our notice we will publish a correction as early as possible. We abide by the highest standards of journalistic ethics and recognise the right of individuals to privacy and human dignity. While we preserve the right to hold our own opinions and to fearlessly express them, we respect the right of others to differ and offer space in our columns for public debate on all issues of public interest. We defend the freedom of the press and the people's right to information and we believe them to be inseparable. We consider it our obligation to be a monitor of power and to expose misdeeds, injustice and discrimination on the part of those who govern and administer. At the same time, we are a socially responsible newspaper. We have, therefore, an additional role to be a conduit between the rulers and the ruled. Our duty is not just informing the people about economic, political and social developments but be an active participant in the developmental process in the country. Thus we have an agenda-building role as promoters of peace, democracy, human rights and communal harmony etc. In this age of globalization and rapid technological advance when the world is shrinking, we consider it a duty to inform the readers of these developments and of current happenings around the globe. In the same context, we recognise our right to be an active participant in the worldwide struggle for a better world, for a better future for mankind. We are also aware that we live in a competitive world where market forces impose on us additional constraints and pressures. Nevertheless, we pledge to preserve our integrity as a socially responsible newspaper as well as the integrity of the profession of journalism. War on terror Yesterday was the third anniversary of the dastardly attack on the World Trade Centre in New York by a group of fanatical madmen. It was one of the biggest acts of war since the Second World War, comparable only to such acts as the massacre in Mai Lai, Vietnam by US soldiers. The entire world condemned the attack in unison and sympathized with the American people in their moment of sorrow. It was an act that none could condone. The United States responded to the attack with a belligerent call to attack the enemy anywhere any time. It declared an Axis of Evil and vowed to smash it to atoms. United States and its Allies went to war in Afghanistan and Iraq ostensibly to install democratic regimes. While elusive Osama Bin Laden, who was suspected to be the mastermind behind the September 11 attack is still at large, a democratic Afghanistan is yet to emerge. In Iraq Saddam Hussein was dethroned with relative ease, captured and incarcerated. An interim government of Iraqis has been installed in Baghdad. Yet it continues to be a theatre of war and a breeding ground for jihadis mounting a guerrilla war against American occupation forces. The United States leaders are threatening more and more countries of military attacks accusing them of harbouring terrorists. Yet more and more people in the United States are now openly questioning the wisdom of attacking Iraq on fabricated evidence that could not stand the test of time. The global war on terror should be based on other lines. It is the root causes of terrorism that should be addressed. What is wanted is concerted action by the international community under the aegis of the United Nations to create a better world by eliminating the injustice, deprivation and persecution of the world's poor and marginalized communities. |
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