Usually a Parliamentary debate on the state of the media would have the Government on the back foot. But at the Committee Stage debate of the Ministry of Mass Media and Information last Wednesday, there were more opposition members questioning the crediblity of certain sections of the media while government members had to come to [...]

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Debate on media: Story does not fit the headline

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Usually a Parliamentary debate on the state of the media would have the Government on the back foot. But at the Committee Stage debate of the Ministry of Mass Media and Information last Wednesday, there were more opposition members questioning the crediblity of certain sections of the media while government members had to come to their defence.

The UNP’s Gampaha district MP and the party’s newly created Leadership Council’s chairman, Karu Jayasuriya, who opened the debate devoted much of his speech to take on a media organisation which he accused of attacking him personally in an unethical manner. Citing various articles that appeared in the group’s newspapers, he said they slandered him. But his charges against the media group not only shifted the focus of the debate away from addressing some real concerns facing the media but also gave enough ammunition to government members to take on an ‘intolerant” opposition.

Responding to Mr. Jayasuirya, one-time Media Minister and now Petroleum industries Minister Anura Priyadharshana Yapa said that criticising media organisations that attacked some opposition members only showed that there was no tolerance for an opposing view. “The United National Party (UNP) speaks of media rights but it is intolerant of people who criticise it,” Minister Yapa said.

It was film star politician, the UNP’s Ratnapura District parliamentarian Ranjan Ramanayaka, who took on the Government for taming the media by hook or by crook and forcing many organisations to toe the Government’s line. “Media organisations and journalists are being tamed by various inducements or blackmailed , threatened with litigation — and if all this fails, they are being bombed into submission,” he said, drawing references to several instances where some media organisations have been forced to do a complete volte face and desist from criticising the Government.

The MP said successive governments have taken different measures to control the media but the situation is unprecedentedly dangerous now.
He was also critical if not sceptical about the media personnel. He asked how keen the media personnel were to take on the Government, in particular the President and his family members and expose their wrongdoings.

“We know that many editors have coffee with the President at least once a month but how many of them question him directly about issues such as human rights and other such issues,? “ he queried. UNP parliamentarian Gayantha Karunatillake too asked if the “helapa” and coffee breakfast hosted by the President regularly was just another way to keep media personnel at bay.

The role of the media was also called into question by R. Yogarajan, another UNP MP, who claimed that one of his parliament speeches had been reported in three different ways in Sinhala, Tamil and English newspapers. “The media can play a vital role in promoting reconciliation but some of these reports only help to spread hatred, “he said.

Mr. Yogarajan said the media could promote his suggestion that the country celebrate a remembrance day each year to remember all the people who died during the 30 year old war. “We have to have a common day for celebration so that people can come together. The media have to play a vital role in this regard.”
The need for the speedy enactment of a Right to Information (RTI) Act was highlighted by both Mr. Jayasuriya and the UNP’s Gampaha District MP and its youth front leader, Ruwan Wijewardena. But there was no response to such progressive ideas from government-side speakers including Media Minster Keheliya Rambukwella.

Skirting the issue, the Minister said that not only journalists but also others were killed or disappeared during the war years. But since 2010 no such incidents have happened. He also said the opposition members were casting aspersions on journalists when they accused them of compromising their position by having coffee with the President.

“What is wrong with having coffee with the President and exchanging views with him? The opposition members by projecting this as wrong are insulting all media personnel,” the minister added.

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