Bold scribes in days of yore

There is so much talk of Press Freedom and the rights and privileges of media personnel, these days.As many a pompous and arrogant person has discovered much to his embarrassment and discomfiture, it is very difficult to attempt to insult, browbeat, or bully pressmen and come out on top.

The late Hector Weerasekara, the “Times of Ceylon” correspondent for Galle and a club member, proved this on several occasions. He was no respecter of persons when it came to doing his job as a reporter, and never yielded to pressure from any quarter. He believed in fair and impartial reporting and this did not appeal to some, especially tin-pot politicians.

One Southern politico, (now dead) once confronted Weerasekera at a society wedding. The man had downed a few free whiskies, and fortified by this, berated Hector for some report he had sent to the “Times” in which Hector hadn’t done justice to the politico’s importance in the South. “I say, you must understand I’m a prominent politician”, he yelled.

Holding his tongue, Hector just gazed at the politico with cold revulsion. The politico had several cheque cases pending against him, and thereafter he was constantly in the news. Hector sent regular reports to the paper, headlined something like this:

“Cheque Case Against Prominent Politician”

“Plaint Filed Against Prominent Politician”

“Date for Answer in Prominent Politician’s Cheque Case”

“Amended Plaint Filed Against Prominent Politician”

“Answer Filed in Prominent Politician’s Cheque Case”

“Answer Amended in Prominent Politician’s Cheque Case” and so on.

And Hector stopped it only when the politico proffered him an abject apology for his uncouth behaviour at the wedding.

Once there was a Prize Giving at a leading school in the South and an important judicial personage was to be Chief Guest.

The judicial personage prepared a six-page speech, and getting his stenographer to make several copies of it he had distributed them among the pressmen present, saying, “You reporter fellows always distort, misreport, or underreport speeches made by important people on important occasions like this. So, I want to make sure a correct and complete report of my speech is published in your various newspapers.”

Naturally, these tactless and ill-advised remarks got the goat of the local correspondents, and on Hector’s suggestion, they decided to cut the Chief Guest down to size.Two days later, the proceedings of the Prize Giving were reported in the country’s newspapers. The speeches of the Manager of the school, the Principal, and even the Head Prefect’s vote of thanks was reported in detail and the report ended with the words: “The Chief Guest, Mr… also spoke.”

Once a conference was held by the then Food Minister, Sir Oliver Goonetilleke, at the Galle kachcheri and when Weerasekera sought permission to cover it for his paper, R. H. Manders, the last English G.A. of Galle, rudely refused.

There was nothing hush hush about the conference, it was sheer cussedness on the part of the bumptious Manders.When Sir Oliver arrived for the conference Hector walked up to him and asked him for permission to be present, and Sir Oliver very tactfully asked him to get it from the G.A.

Once again Manders refused.

The following day, much to Manders’ amazement and impotent fury, the detailed proceedings of the conference appeared on the front page of “The Times”

But only the Wise Old Owl guessed the source of Hector’s information.

Ringing him up, Sir Oliver lisped, “I say, Weerasekera, who is the Galle correspondent of the “Times”? You or W?”

The dark days of 1915 with a “shoot at sight order” comes to my mind.E. T. de Silva was in a selected band of England – educated Barristers who sacrificed their professional practice and the vast wealth they could have made from it, to devote their lives (and their money) to win freedom for their country.

During this time, he was the Co-Editor of the “People”. A. E. Goonesinghe, then a labour leader and a freedom fighter, had written an article to it, on the Kandyan Convention of 1815. In it he had said that the Colonial Government was trying to repudiate the Convention signed by the British Government and the Kandyan Chiefs. He had added “Our Rights and Privileges must be guarded, peaceably if we can and forcibly if we must.”

No doubt, this created a stir among the Colonial might. E. T. de Silva, as the co-editor of the “People” was summoned to give evidence before the Special Commissioner who was appointed to make preliminary inquiries under Martial Law.

He was shown the relevant newspaper article and asked who wrote the article? De Silva replied that it was the privilege of the editor of a publication not to disclose the name of the writer of any article!

At this the Commissioner said sternly,” This is Martial Law and you are compelled to give the information asked for”. Then the editor quietly replied “Under any Law, this is the custom prevailing among editors and I cannot give you the name of the writer of the article!”The Commissioner then asked the witness to go, adding ominously that he would be hearing from them soon.It was an idle boast.