by
Kusal Perera
Looking back over a decade or so, the realisation that numerous NGOs secured millions of dollars to create awareness and train journalists on media ethics, conflict reporting and investigative journalism, leaves one high and dry when the media continues to behave as bad or worse than they were 10 – 15 years ago. How do we understand this ? How do we understand the attacks on media, along with this “fixed” behaviour of the media ? On the other side, how do we understand the media within the context of the stalled peace discussions and the political war perspective of the present regime headed by President Rajapaksa ?
Colours and shades of media
Let’s be frank in this endeavour of understanding the media. The media in Sri Lanka that we talk of, which woefully lacks localised provincial media, is more a Colombo based media. Both print and electronic media opens out into the provinces from Colombo. The recipient culture that had grown out of the Colombo centred media, also looks for national outlets from Colombo, despite power being devolved to the Provinces under the 13th Amendment for over 17 years. There is no provincial media culture and the provinces do not accept local media seriously, except in the Jaffna peninsula. But often, the Jaffna based Tamil media is just taken for granted, when one talks of the media in Sri Lanka. The media though commonly identified as two separate entities – “state” owned and “privately” owned – in effect is divided as “pro – peace” and “anti – peace” blocs. This is basically a division on the lines of pro – democracy and pro – Sinhala Buddhist convictions. Within this ethnically sensitive divide, lies other political affiliations.
It is often and primarily the “pro – peace” and therefore the pro – democracy platform in Colombo based media that talks of media freedom and independence. It is within this lobby that democratic issues are taken up as vital for debate and life. Thus it is they who stand up against any violations or corruptions, even in a meagre, isolated way. They have over the last decade or so created organisations and institutions for media freedom and media ethics, although they have not been pushing them to perform credibly and honourably. Yet, it is also this same lobby in the media that ties up with numerous regional and international agencies and advocacy groups, to campaign for democracy and human rights. Why these organisations and institutes nevertheless have failed to act with credibility and commitment is another serious issue and requires a healthy discussion that may erupt over this essay as well.
MR and the pro – peace media
This media milieu, was some what disturbed on other political lines, when Mahinda Rajapaksa projected his candidature as President in 2005 October. With the political party grouping that includes a ‘left’ presence tagging along with the “anti – UNP” candidate Mahinda Rajapaksa, the pro – peace media played a very subdued role, avoiding the issue of “ethnic conflict and peace negotiations” within the election campaign. They felt comfortable taking up other issues in the campaign. Within that, the UNP candidate Wickramasinghe was opposed not for economic policy, but for having betrayed the Sinhala nation. Therefore during the election campaign, there emerged a vociferous Sinhala Buddhist ideology tinted with a dull anti – UNP sentiment. The ruthless outburst against the Tamil media since Rajapaksa’s ascent to Presidency, needs to be understood within that political build up.
Why Tamil media was first targeted
The new regime headed by President Rajapaksa sat comfortably on the rejuvenated Sinhala ideology with a Buddhist flavour which they whipped up during elections, that in turn has rekindled the Sinhala state in to action. It was taken for granted by this regime, the Colombo based pro – peace media presence that played a subdued role avoiding the politics of candidate Mahinda Rajapaksa, could be pushed to accommodate a compromised stand on “war”.
It was evident from the manner in which most incidents were covered that the Colombo based media in general was content in reporting what the state security wanted or provided with. If not, felt at ease ignoring them altogether. The killing of Tamil youth in Trincomalee in January 2006 was one unforgivable incident that exposed the irresponsibility of this Colombo media. This pro – Sinhala media looked more stupid when they claimed, again on “planted” information that the LTTE media spokesperson S. P. Thamilselvam was killed in a blast in a remote village in Mannar and also claimed Tiger leader Prabhakaran was killed in the Tsunami.
The print media from Colombo in particular continued to support the political agenda of the government, in further consolidating the Sinhala Buddhist thinking in society. All such attempts required, misrepresenting news, misquoting sources, introducing unknown sources, unduly highlighting some, sticking only to state security and government information sources, pumping features against the LTTE, against devolution, against the CFA and everything else possible to justify and build a case for Sinhala dominance. The Tamil media at times went to the other extreme, irresponsibly enlarging on atrocities committed by the state security forces and ignoring those committed by the LTTE. That said, it should also be noted with due stress, if not for the Tamil media, the government backed pro – Sinhala media would not have been exposed thus far, on their racial interpretations.
How was all this possible ? The Editors allowed blatant violation of their own “Code of Ethics” by allowing racially inciting news coverages in their publications over and over again while the Code of Ethics says “This code of practice which is binding on all Press institutions and journalists,(emphasis added) aims to ensure that the print medium in Sri Lanka is free and responsible and sensitive to the needs and expectations of its readers, while maintaining the highest international standard of journalism”.
Anti – government media and MR
With such unwritten assurances from the Colombo media for the government’s approach in handling the war amid booming corruption and total inefficiency, the government was only uncomfortable with that part of the media which raised issues of governance.
In any country where a government tightens security on any pretext, where democracy is restricted with the media falling in line, corruption grows quite fast at all levels and without limits. Nepotism becomes more the norm and inefficiency the rule of day to day life. Abuse of power becomes part of governance. And then the ruling personalities begin to feel, the society has to allow them all such practices as part of their baggage of privileges. That thinking grows into governance and any attempt at challenging them, meets with stiff and at times brutal resistance.
A way out for democracy and freedom of expression
This is no situation that could be handled only with protests at functions and street kerbs. With press statements and voice cuts. This situation compels all to focus on the media as well, apart from appealing to the government to keep off media. It needs a “cleansing” of the media itself. The Editors and journalists have to be told they should adhere to 2.2. of their own Code of Ethics which says, “Every reasonable attempt should be made by editors and individual journalists to verify the accuracy of reports prior to publication. Where such verification is not practicable, that fact shall be stated in the report.”
Pressure would have to be exerted against all editors and journalists to compel them to live their professional life true to their own Code of Ethics, which clearly says, “6.3. A journalist shall not knowingly or wilfully promote communal or religious discord or violence.”
It is this freedom of expression in the media, which makes the media independent. It is that media freedom the government is moving to suffocate. Thus it is this media freedom that would have to be established within the media and that requires intervention on “public interest”. ALL MEDIA ORGANISATIONS that calls for a free and independent media therefore should take it as their responsibility to EXERT STRONG PRESSURE ON THEIR MEMBER EDITORS AND JOURNALISTS to stick to the Code of Ethics even while agitating on road fronts. Unfortunately this is NOT HAPPENING and the future is grossly blurred.
email : kusal.perera@gmail.com
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