• Tolerance in Media

• 'Open letter to Ranil Wickremasinghe' - a response
  
  Tolerance in Media

The imposition of a tax levy on media broadcasts widely open the horizons of media responsibility private or state, towards the viewers and their rights as recipients.

In our tremendously heterogeneous mixture of racial, ethnic and national groups there is much variety in the impulse regarding communication in print or electronic. Some communication is highly sensitive while others are not, especially where people of different ethnic groups intermix. The trend is to safeguard the privacy to maintain interpersonal relations to maintain public harmony.

It is easy to be critical on the actions of the legislators on the inadequacy of actions dealing with censorship ,but is not easy to make alternative suggestions or proposals to arrest the excess of communication. Some communication may do someone damage for the well being of another.

It may interfere on the privacy of others. There could be communication so offensive to others, that they should have a right not to view.

The portrayal in words and pictures in a film of some fanatic sexual behaviour is alleged to have harmful effects and values and predispositions of viewers. The right to be informed without lies and mispresentations may lead to unethical choices of preference by the viewers.

Especially with regard to children, let it be known that certain subjects (sex, violence, death) should not be exposed.

As much as pictures can enhance our senses, they also can harm them. In this regard it is our duty to apprise what the President has requested from the private media institutions ,but it should be no exception to state media institutions as well.

By Bandula Nonis, Colombo 02.

'Open letter to Ranil Wickremasinghe' - a response

Over the weekend, Buddhika K. kept us entertained with his literary skills.I nominate him for the Shining Wit Award of the Rev. William Spooner Institute.

by Nihal Ratnayake, Dehiwela.