“An Act Of Suppression”
By Nirmala Kannangara
The government’s decision to set up a Media Development Authority is an attempt to suppress the private media, a senior newspaper editor told The Sunday Leader.
He opined that the government’s move to set up a Media Development Authority reeks of suppression as state intervention in any media matter would lead to complications.
Editor of the Lankadeepa newspaper Siri Ranasinghe said that there is no necessity to set up an authority to introduce guidelines in accordance with media ethics, as there are quite enough media foundations to look after media ethics in the country.
“We have the Editor’s Guild, the Free Media Movement and the Sri Lanka Press Institute to ensure and guide media ethics so why worry setting up an authority? The initiative is certainly dubious,” Ranasinghe told The Sunday Leader.
However Director General, Information Department, Prof. Ariyaratne Athugala said that the decision to set up an authority was to help journalists in the print and electronic media to enhance their journalism skills and was not to impose any harsh regulatory mechanism.
“We have seen as to how some media institutions have gone astray. The setting up of such an authority would certainly help guide local media institutions to improve media ethics,” Athugala told The Sunday Leader.
Sinhalese leaders not only hesitate to give freedom to minority Tamils, but also to majority Sinhalease too. From the independent, all leaders from South have proofed that they are Sinhalese leaders and not a Sri Lankan leaders. As a result, ethnics in Sri Lanka is divided into groups!
No No need an authority, there is something fishy in it.
Beware of all governments bearing any kind of ‘gifts’ to the media!
Besides, Dr Ariyaratne Athugala is a highly discredited official who had an absolutely appalling track record of running state TV Rupavahini. He was the worst Chairman in the corporation’s nearly 30 year history. He antagonized trade unions, prostituted the airwaves more shamelessly than any previous chairman, and allowed a notorious politician like Mervyn Silva to come in and attack a senior manager (which led to Mervyn being counter-attacked by angered staff). By the time he ended his term there, SLRC was down to No 4 in the TV ratings (which is topped by ITN at the moment). A sorry state indeed for the national broadcaster!
IS THIS THE KIND OF MAN WHO CAN TALK ABOUT IMPROVING QUALITY AND STANDARDS IN THE SRI LANKAN MEDIA?
HA, HA, HA!!!
People are worried about the cost of living and how to keep the home fires burning. Don’t worry about the journalists and the media gone astray. Concentrate on the government and the economy gone astray and do something. By silencing the media you hope to cover your sins but you will not fill the stomach of the starving nation.
This authority is to cordinate the humanitarian operations that will be carried out on the media and the jurnos. Will have lots of white vans.By the way Is WW still fasting??
[...] to a weekend English newspaper former chairperson of the Sri Lanka Rupavahini Cooperation (SLRC) and the present director general [...]