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| Sunday, 19 February 2006 |
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Features |  |
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COMMENT - The scribe does Beira way by Chamitha Kuruppu It was like a nightmare...a nightmare, that I felt like, I will never be able to come out of. Any Lake House employee who has previous work experience, especially in the private sector, will agree with me. Until I joined Lake House, I only remembered it as a landmark. Joining Lake House was not in my wildest dreams. But thanks to a single sudden decision, I ended up working at this 'wondrous' house, near the lake or as it is better known 'Paththara Kalawe Maha Gedara'. As I stepped into Lake House, there were hundreds of faces gaping at me (which I still experience). While taking the stairs my mind ran back to my previous office, where we eternally complained about the elevator - and for the first time in my life, I started to miss 'that' elevator. The gloomy building and dusty walls made me feel eerie. Corridors running everywhere, and departments in every corner, made my life more complicated. It has been over three years now, and I still cannot go around this 'maze' without getting lost. (No..I am not ashamed of myself because there are people with over ten years experience at Lake House, who also feel the same way). However, finding stories became much more easier at Lake House. A story I would struggle to get at my previous office, could be done within a couple of minutes, and saying 'Lake House' would do the trick. Many would disagree on this, but the very same people who say they prefer the private media, would always oblige 'their story' being published in the daily News or Sunday observer. But the institution had little impact on my journalism career. Within a couple of weeks, I realised that the biggest mistake about Lake House was the belief of lack of freedom. Although the institution has its own policies, journalists are not restricted from engaging in balance reporting. The truth is, that the institute encourages her Journalists to work on controversial stories. The bad news is that most journalists impose self censorship (either to save their job or due to mere laziness) and refrain from trying their hands on in-depth investigative reporting. However, a common complaint made by colleagues is the attitude of the contacts, of not equipping us with juicy controversial stories due to the mistaken idea that proper publicity will not be given. Lake House journalists are showered with numerous opportunities, journalism workshops and tours top the list. Although many private media institutions restrict workers from participating in such workshops, Lake House has always played a supportive role, by granting duty leave, and even helping the journalists financially. But deep down in our hearts we all feel we owe much to this institution. She has moulded us to be strong and courageous (so that we can face all those sudden changes) and make us the best paid workers in the industry. The golden rule remains....if you can survive at Lake House, you can survive anywhere. |
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