Media suppression - The real truth

Case for a Media Ombudsman:

By Sarath WIJESINGHE

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Media is a double- edged sword, a good friend and a very bad enemy, but a powerful force with out the goodwill of which it is rather hard for any government to survive. Aggressive and impartial media is as important as the Executive, the Legislature and the Judiciary. Free and impartial media is a pre requisite for a “Just Government”. Without media freedom, there is no democracy.

Nowhere in the world the media is ideally free! In the west the media is in the hands of a few rich individuals and companies. United Kingdom boasts of free press.

But the Independent, Times, Mirror, Guardian, Star, BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and 5, and all other electronic and mass media giants are companies or privately- owned and ordinary people have little or no say.

The government has a direct as well as an indirect control over the press anywhere. In countries other than the in the west media is state-owned or state controlled.

Mass media denotes a section of media designed to reach the population of the national state. It was around 1920, with the advent of radio network and mass circulation of news papers that the present day media evolved. Media consists of Recording, Print, Electronic, Multimedia, Hyper, Advent, Digital, Electronic, Published, and Computer. E-com or any other mode.

Journalists are those engaged in media professionally or otherwise and journalism is a descriptive collecting, analysing, verifying, and presenting information regarding current events trends knowledge and issues to the people. Those who practise journalism are journalists.

In the west journalists are rich, well paid and powerful. UK editors are in the bracket of the highest paid super-employees. In Sri Lanka sadly it is not so. Still the average Sri Lankan media personnel maintain a higher standard whether in state or private media. I know of a very senior journalist in the state media who is still not provided with a vehicle or any other perks, but performs an excellent job.

He travels home by bus or sometimes even by lorries in the night after a heavy day’s work. He has been offered attractive packages by Fact Cat NGOs which he has politely declined. He is committed to an honest journalistic carrier.

It is not possible to suppress the media, as it is so powerful with no clearly defined limits and boundaries. It involves human beings and is therefore bound have vested interests and different agendas. But a real ‘Media Animal’ is restrained and disciplined despite enormous benefits waiting for him! Even in dictatorships media is effective and plays its role.

When there was a real suppression of media in Sri Lanka yet it was most effective, as the masses were behind it.

Journalists should be given the freedom to perform their duties impartially and without fear or favour. World bodies and municipal legislators have taken steps to gusranee media freedom generally known as the freedom of the press.

In 1946 United Nations declared by resolution 59(1) that media freedom is a fundamental right. Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights declares the right to freedom of opinion and expression. Article 14 of the Constitution of Sri Lanka guarantees freedom of speech, expression and association which is enforced by Article 126.

But media should exercise self - restraint and understand the ground realities. They should realise that the security forces are fighting a bloody war against a powerful and ruthless terrorist organisation backed by a strong network and front organizations infiltrated by some international organizations including the UN. Media need to be national- minded in dealing with procurements, situation reports and war reporting.

Despite guarantees journalists are always vulnerable and face dangers and threats by governments and interested parties all over the world. Only 23% of the 193 states have a reasonable degree of freedom of press.

Most countries have no freedom at all. Australia is on 41st position in press freedom but advises Vietnam to let the media to do its. They try to advise other countries when they are themselves responsible for suppression of media in their own countries.

This is the situation in other parts of the world as well. West proposes benchmarks for press freedom for the rest of the world through states and Non-Governmental organisations.

But the west is not a safe haven for journalists and free press. The policies of the media institutions are controlled and governed by a few individuals or companies and the state. In the west always money matters. Money and power controls the media and its policies. Hot news and war reporting in poor countries is good money for the west.

They do not mind promoting and encouraging terrorist and underground organizations in countries with economic hardships. They want news that they can ‘sell’ to other parts of the world. War and the, natural and man made disasters in less developed countries are a rich source for ‘Hot- Hot and Spicy’ news for the world media.

Sri Lanka is a good catch and a regular source of news which is a good money spinner for the world media and their agents stationed locally, in the guise of ‘Fat Cat NGOs’ living on dollars, pounds and euros.

The BBC Sinhala Service recently gave full publicity to Nadeson, a former police constable currently the head of the LTTE political wing who denied the killing of civilians and stated that ‘ you can not resolve the Tamil Ethnic issue by killing politicians and innocent civilians’.

Let us be honest. True, there is a grave concern for press freedom in Sri Lanka. Some reports are really disturbing. Keith Noyahr episode is very worrying. Lalith Alahakoon is one of the most respected and senior editors with whom Keith had dinner on the day of the unfortunate incident.

The good news is that Lalith had easy access to the President who took prompt action to trace the victim.

There are other spicy reports relating to disappearances, white vans, threats, and all other sorts of suppression of media mostly connected to the war on terror and security reporting which is very crucial to the war and the safety of the innocent civilians aimed by unseen terrorist groups haunting all over the country.

This spicy reporting is good money for some agents of the local and world press and NGOs living on news and Human Right Industry which is very lucrative.

War should of course be avoided at any cost. But at times ,war is inevitable for the good of the community. Just and holy wars are tolerated by all religions.

Sri Lanka is fighting the most brutal, ruthless and powerful terrorist organization in the world. The 4th powerful army in the world too was unable to crush it in 1986-1987. Our people have very short memories. We went through 1971 insurrection and contentious emergency rules for years with media suppression.

The Lake House take over and Dawasa group suppression are black marks on the government in power at the time.1988-1990 were the worst years for the Sri Lankans and the free press.

Dead bodies were exhibited in bulk and journalists were threatened, killed and harassed in torture camps. JVP was responsible for both 1971 and 1988 disasters where the country had to pay the highest price. Now the LTTE is on the warpath.

Today the press is free to agitate and also criticize the government. The Newspapers and the TV are full of anti-government slogans and reporting which is a good sign of freedom of media. The fact that the government tolerates its critics is a healthy sign and a relief for the ordinary non political citizens who are in the majority. Media at times make difficult decisions.

Despite worrying factors, the private media in Sri Lanka is vibrant organised and powerful.

The state Media as usual is inert and less effective though gentle and more people-friendly. The State has some control only over two TV Channels one newspaper company and a radio station as against a barrage of private TV Channels, Press, Radio and other media institutions backed by billions of foreign funds and organisations.

The ‘And Company’ telecast by Swarnawahini is good entertainment. ‘Leader’ is an anti-government paper which is a basic requirement of a democratic set up for constructive criticism .

It is now time for the government to take stock and think carefully on the current situation as the road should be clear for the security forces to complete the last lap of the mission to liberate the North.

We suggest the appointment of a Press Ombudsman in order to inquire into and take all possible steps to control and minimise the alleged media suppression.

The Ombudsman is an official appointed by government to safeguard the public interest and to address public complaints. It is a Swiss concept which has been proved successful worldwide. This system is in use and accepted as people-friendly.