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| Sunday, 25 September 2005 |
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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 Elections and the media Elections usually evoke interest in the media. Not only the candidates and their parties but also ordinary people display heightened interest in the media during the run-up to the elections. It is also a time in which media watchdogs spring up like mushrooms in wet weather. These watchdogs that look for media bias are themselves biased, if we go by past experience. State media bashing is a very good pastime during elections. As the Elections Commissioner has pointed out even the lawmakers have forgotten to make legal provision to monitor the private media. Did they assume that private media is the epitome of impartiality? Whether elections are round the corner or not the media are bound by its own ethics. These ethics do not differentiate between the media on grounds of ownership or clientele. We hope to abide by these ethics. As it is often said a newspaper is a mirror that reflects the conscience of the nation. But mirrors are of different types and the image may be twisted accordingly. We would try to present a true reflection of the conscience of the nation within our constraints. Constraints, we understand bind all media. He who pays the piper calls the tune. Not all constraints are political or economic. There are constraints of space and time too. The media monitors often ignore these constraints. We understand that it is our duty to present all shades of opinion and provide a forum for all candidates to voice their policies through our columns. That does not preclude us from voicing our own opinion on matters of national interest or refraining from becoming a party to the mudslinging that goes on all sides in the political stage. We as the media have a duty to provide the readers with an enlightened vision and will hold our right to do so irrespective of whether it would hurt powers that are or powers that be. We belong to the public service media and therefore public interest is foremost in our minds. We hope to serve our master - the public loyally. We have a duty to inform the public not only about the elections but also on a host of other issues including those of national and local development. Very often media are made scapegoats for the trials and tribulations of politicians. They have a penchant for blaming the media when things go wrong. This is not to absolve the media from responsibility for any misinformation or inaccurate reporting. However, we must say that the politicians should look inwards for their failures rather than pointing fingers at the media. We acknowledge that the media constitute a powerful force and should be handled with care. But we do not believe that media are kingmakers. Very often elections have proved that media arithmetic had been wrong as it happened in India during the last General elections. We wish to serve in humility. Heart care Today is World Heart Day. Humans have been living so heartlessly towards their hearts that cardiovascular disease has become a leading cause of death worldwide. The World Health Federation has called it a global epidemic, which contributes to approximately one third of global mortality. Deaths from heart diseases are more than those from AIDS, malaria, pneumonia and lung cancer. The tragedy is that heart diseases are largely preventable. As Dr. Robert Beaglehole, World Health Organization (WHO) Director of Chronic diseases and Health Promotion puts it "Approximately 80 % of heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes and 40 % of cancer could be avoided through healthy diet, regular physical activity and avoidance of tobacco use". Overweight and obesity have been identified as the major risk factors for cardiovascular diseases. According to the WHO nearly 1 billion people or 1 in 6 persons inhabiting our planet are overweight. No doubt the sedentary life style of most persons contributes to such obesity and overweight. The WHO estimates show that these risk factors are dramatically on the rise in middle and low-income countries. Changing dietary patterns towards the intake of more fatty, sweet and salty foods as well as lack of physical activity have contributed to these risk factors. In Sri Lanka too the incidence of cardiovascular diseases is on the increase. It has become a major cause for concern. Hence the need for both preventive and curative medicine is on the rise. The Government must emphasise more on the preventive aspect through health education and inducements for changed dietary habits. At the time facilities for treating cardiovascular diseases, especially surgical facilities are woefully inadequate. Even where facilities are available they have been made non-functional either by bureaucratic bungling or trade union squabbles. |
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