News
Minister Dullas laments credibility deficiency in media world over
By Saman Indrajith
Mass Media Minister Dullas Alahapperuma says the media all over the world are facing the issue of credibility deficiency.
Addressing a ceremony to mark the 67th anniversary of the Sri Lanka Press Association at the Sri Lanka Foundation recently, the Minister said that credibility loss was not a problem limited to one or two countries.
“Credibility of the media is at question owing to three main issues among others. Not only as the Minister of Mass Media but also as a citizen I see these three causes that harm the credibility of the media. Integrity of the media is lost when the journalists are compelled to stand for the whims and fancies of the media ownership. This is a problem faced not only by the state-owned media but also by the privately-owned media. The former may try to uphold the government in power whether it is blue, green or red while the latter try to defend the interests of their owners, or to stand for the political and business interests or image causing the loss of balance. The second cause of losing credibility is encroachment of privacy of persons by the media. This is a main reason behind people questioning the credibility of the media all over the world. The third reason is reporting news based on attitudes, hypotheses and hunches rather than facts. When the foundation for news is not facts but the attitudes dished out as news, the media loses people’s respect. These are the three main reasons for the loss of integrity of the media globally.
“My stand could be countered by showing ratings and circulation figures. But, you have to remember that people’s trust or respect can never be measured by the rating cards or circulation figures. You cannot match economic assumptions with the aspects of the media. The rationale of economics is primarily based on supply and demand theory which cannot be generalized to be applied for the media culture. Those are two different things. One may say that they have the highest ratings and highest circulation but that does not mean they command the respect of their viewers or the readers. The media industry today is facing a crisis because of the attempts to mix it with the needs of supply and demand. In that sense, the media profession and political profession are both the same because the Constitution may have a clause stating that such an institution is supreme, the people would not accept it so. People know that the constitution says so but they do not accept it as a supreme institute or respect it for that. There is a huge difference between respect and fear. I was once a journalist, now my profession is politics. What I have observed is that both in these two professions have mixed up the connotations of respect and fear. People may have fear for the politicians but not respect. Some people have fear for the media, but the media should never misunderstand that fear as respect which should be earned and comes not from the same path of the fear. For example, circulations of newspapers have decreased world over. It is common truth for all the papers including the New York Times to the newspapers in Sri Lanka. Yet, there is no decrease in respect for the print media,” the minister said, adding that maintaining that respect is of utmost importance.
“That cannot be achieved by the laws, rules and regulations. It cannot be achieved by censorship. Every government that attempted to control the media using coercive methods has ended up in the dustbins of history,” Minister Alahapperuma said.
Minister Alahappermua was the Chief Guest at the 67th anniversary convention of the Sri Lanka Press Association (SLPA). Five senior journalists, Sunil Daya De Alwis, Sarath Cooray, Arthur U. Amarasena, Chandrika Wijesundara and A.C De Silva, were felicitated at this ceremony for their service to journalism in Sri Lanka.
President of the Association, Silumina Editor-in-Chief Dharman Wickramaratne, Patron of the Association, Muditha Kariyakarawana and General Secretary of the Association Kurulu Kariyakarawana were also present.
News
Sun directly overhead Galle, Angulugaha, Imaduwa, Telijjawila, Yatiyana and Tangalle about 12.08 noon today (07)
The sun is going to be directly over the latitudes of Sri Lanka from 28th of August to 07th of September due to its apparent southward relative motion.
The nearest places of Sri Lanka over which the sun is overhead today (07) are Galle, Angulugaha, Imaduwa, Telijjawila, Yatiyana and Tangalle about 12.08 noon.
By Norman Palihawadane
The CID recently found that former SLPP Deputy Minister Premalal Jayasekara, better known as ‘Choka Malli’, had left for Thailand when the Supreme Court imposed an overseas travel ban on him last Friday.
The CID discovered that Jayasekara had left Sri Lanka on August 31, while authorities were taking steps to enforce the travel restriction imposed by the Supreme Court. The Department has subsequently informed the Attorney General’s Department of the development.
The Supreme Court last Friday ordered Jayasekara, and two other men, to appear before court on October 21, and imposed a ban on their overseas travel.
The orders were made as the Supreme Court considered an appeal challenging the acquittal of the three men in connection with the 2015 murder of Shantha Dodangoda, also known as D.G. Sunil Perera.
The appeal was filed by Dodangoda’s wife against a decision of the Court of Appeal to acquit and release Jayasekara and the two other accused, who had previously been convicted and sentenced to death by the Ratnapura High Court.
Dodangoda was killed in a shooting in Kahawatta town, in the early hours of January 5, 2015, while a group of people were putting up decorations for an election rally in support of then common Opposition presidential candidate Maithripala Sirisena.
Two others, Karunadasa Weerasinghe and Mohamed Ilfan, were seriously injured in the shooting.
Following the incident, the Ratnapura High Court convicted Jayasekara, former Chairman of the Kahawatta Pradeshiya Sabha Wajira Darshana de Silva, and former Sabaragamuwa Provincial Council member Nilanta Jayakody, sentencing all three to death.
The Court of Appeal subsequently acquitted the three men and ordered their release.
The victim’s wife later challenged the acquittal before the Supreme Court.
The appeal was taken up before a Supreme Court bench, comprising Justice Preethi Padman Surasena and Justices Achala Wengappuli and Gihan Kulatunga.
During the proceedings, Deputy Solicitor General Janaka Bandara requested that the court impose overseas travel restrictions on Jayasekara and the other respondents.
The Supreme Court subsequently ordered all three to appear before the court on October 21 and imposed travel bans on them.
President’s Counsel Nalin Ladduwahetty, President’s Counsel U.R. de Silva and President’s Counsel Anuja Premaratne appeared for the respondents. President’s Counsel Saliya Peiris represented the aggrieved party.
Police sources said that the discovery that Jayasekara had already left for Thailand, on August 31, has raised concerns over the timing and enforcement of the travel ban.
Sources said that the CID had notified the Attorney General’s Department and was taking further action in relation to the development.
By Pradeep Prasanna Samarakoon
The number of deaths from dengue fever in Sri Lanka has risen to 73 this year, with 96,228 cases reported across the country so far, according to the Dengue Control Unit.
The latest figures indicate that dengue continues to pose a significant public health concern, with 737 new cases recorded during the first four days of September alone.
Dengue infections peaked in July, when 29,964 cases were reported, according to the latest data. June recorded the second-highest monthly total, with 21,533 cases, while 10,155 cases were reported in August.
Earlier in the year, 8,590 cases were recorded in May and 7,866 cases in January.The Western Province remains the worst-affected area, accounting for more than half of all dengue cases reported nationwide. A total of 50,851 cases have been recorded in the province, representing 52.84% of the country’s total.
The Southern Province has recorded 13,950 cases, followed by the Central Province with 8,818 cases and Sabaragamuwa Province with 7,925 cases.
Sun directly overhead Galle, Angulugaha, Imaduwa, Telijjawila, Yatiyana and Tangalle about 12.08 noon today (07)
Showers above 50 mm are likely at some places in the Uva and Eastern provinces.
Harshitha’s composed knock seals Sri Lanka’s semi-final berth
‘Choka Malli’ slips out of country before travel ban
Dengue death toll rises to 73
Ranil accuses govt. of undermining democracy
‘Dates have the highest sugar content to fight Coronavirus’
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