Wanted a Code of Conduct for Tsars,
Commissars and Press Barons

Two Lake House journalists Sanath Balasuriya and Poddala Jayantha, president and secretary of the Working Journalists' Union respectively, made a giant leap for Sri Lankan journalism when they stood their ground and defended their right to criticise the government before Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapakse and Chairman, Lake House, Bandula Padmakumara.

Taken by Padmakumara before Rajapakse they were told that as 'state employees' they had no right to criticise the government and if criticisms were made on the armed forces he (Rajapakse) would not be able to protect them. This is what the journalists said, transpired at the meeting and there has been no denial since it was published a week ago.

The two journalists construed this to be a veiled threat against them because their 'crime' had been to participate at a demonstration held to protest the brutal assault of fellow journalist, Keith Noyahr, the associate editor of   The Nation by unidentified goons, yet to be arrested.

The Rajapakse administration has suddenly declared Lake House employees to be state employees even though the law which took over Lake House from its private owners, the Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd. (Special Provisions Law No 28 of 1973) makes no mention of it nor has subsequent legislation being enacted to make it a state institution.

We were journalists of the privately owned Lake House at the time of the take-over and the Prime Minister Sirima Bandaranaike as well as the commissars who arrived took special pains to tell journalists that they were 'independent' under the new dispensation.

However, journalists were not suckers to believe in the sugar coated pills and adopted the policy of 'discretion being the better part of valour' and kept off criticism of the government. Those who saw the writing on the wall clearly pulled out their Provident Fund savings and quit.

Lake House strike of 1977

Five years after the take-over journalists and other employees of Lake House developed a spine as the 1977 general election approached and days before the election the great majority of workers and journalists went on strike, crippling the main propaganda organ of the government. No doubt they contributed immensely to the 1977 UNP victory.

Even though I have never been an admirer of trade unions, it has to be admitted that this event demonstrated that the only effective tool in fighting powerful governments that want to muzzle the press is trade unionism.

J.R. Jayewardene quite early in his period of government demonstrated his attitude towards independent journalism. He summoned two Observer (Lake House) journalists, the late Philip Cooray and the late Ian Jayasinghe to the well of parliament on the issue of a mix up of two captions of two photographs. One showing Foreign Minister A.C.S. Hameed shaking hands with some foreign dignitary with the caption of Jane Fonda sailing in a yacht with a playboy and the other picture of Jane Fonda captioned as A.C.S. Hameed greeting the foreign dignitary. JRJ in all solemnity held it was a breach of parliamentary privilege.

The two journalists got off with mild fines and severe reprimands and the Parliamentary Privileges Act was amended with greater penalties for pressmen. It was a warning to all media persons not to fool around with JRJ.

Muzzling and shackling of the media

Muzzling Lake House pressmen continued under Chandrika Kumaratunga and now Mahinda Rajapakse is attempting to put on not only muzzles but shackles as well by making them state employees without benefits accruing to state employees such as political rights, leave facilities or state pensions.

Journalists of the 'free press' or the 'free media' are often critical of the state owned institutions. But how 'free' are they? Criticism of government may be permitted but only when it suits the interests of the newspaper barons. If their interests are jeopardised such as when they intend applying for loans to state banks or want to cultivate friendship with even terrorists with blood on their hands, limitation of the freedom of the press comes into play. Or even if the ego of a new press baron is pricked by a journalist, it is considered absolute sacrilege and all the principles of freedom of expression and the sacrosanct independence of journalists goes into the WPB.

Thus while the actions of the government media Tsars and commissars need to be curbed, so is the necessity to curb independent media barons acting like wild asses. However it has to be admitted that the privately owned media is far more accommodating to diverse views than the state propaganda organs.

Despatched to limbo

After 38 years of journalism and helping to build up a paper from its inception for 24 years (19 years as its editor) we were unceremoniously despatched from the premises. We were fortunate to find refuge in The Leader under my former colleague and friend Lasantha Wickrematunge. Our first column in The Leader was titled - "Needed: A Code of Conduct for Press Barons." We were not being facetious because after long and bitter years of experience we have realised that  an independent press or media is a myth unless there are legally binding regulations for the Tsars  and commissars of the state owned press and press barons of the privately owned media be they be gentlemen or robber barons.

We have attempted to impress the Editors Guild on this issue for the past two years without success. We feel like Don Quixote tilting at the windmills. Who is the editor who would dare impose a code of conduct on his boss? Success lies in bumming the boss.

The Editors Guild in a fit of masochism decided to bind themselves in a Code of Ethics whereas the bosses who can sack them for any reason or no reason at all, continue to preach to the nation.

Those interested in independent journalism should ask themselves: What is the basis of recruitment of young journalists? Why should GCE-O/Level types be preferred over graduates? When some Sinhala journalists requested a press baron for a pay hike his reply was that he could go to the gates of a well known school after school hours and shout: 'Journalists wanted' and he could have enough and more. His idea of a journalist apparently was any one who could put pen to paper!

We are aware that a legally binding Code of Conduct for Tsars, Commissars and Press Barons is a far cry but it is worth striving for. Till that happens the only way to ensure media freedom is through active trade unionism as the Lake House 1977 strike demonstrated.