Government threatening media is counterproductive

The National People’s Power (NPP) Government is under fire these days after the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) summoned a Newspaper Editor to question him over a news item published in his paper. 

The Free Media Movement (FMM) and the Sri Lanka Working Journalists Association (SLWJA), the leading media organisations in the country have decried the government’s move as a threat to media freedom. 

While the government ministers allege that the news item in question was factually wrong and a part of the smear campaign by the Opposition, some journalists and Opposition parties contest their assertion. They are of the opinion that the government is attempting to tame the media by threatening it. 

In fact, it would be the upshot of summoning journalists to the CID headquarters, whatever the real motive of the leaders of the government may be. During the previous Gotabaya Rajapaksa Government, the CID wanted to question veteran Chief Editor of Lankadeepa, Siri Ranasinghe over a news item about a fraud involving the CWE and the government had to withdraw its move following opposition by the journalists and the Opposition Parties including the NPP. 

The clashes or at least differences between the government and the media have historically been a common phenomenon, with leaders of the government stressing the responsibility and accountability of media despite them having stood for the rights of the media when they were in the Opposition in the past. Political parties take turns in changing their role, every time governments change. 

However, one party of the controversy is not always to blame. Either of the two parties, the government or the media may be at fault. In most cases, the government has been the culprit as it resorts to suppressing the media that exposes corruption, waste, mismanagement, crimes by ministers and cronies of it. Some leaders have gone to the extent of murdering or physically assaulting journalists or attacking media houses. 

For instance, journalists such as Wimal Surendra, Richard de Zoysa and H.E. Dayananda was abducted and killed during the United National Party administration between 1977 and 1994. Journalists Mailvaganam Nimalarajan and D. Sivaram faced the same fate and those pressmen who covered Opposition rallies were attacked and their cameras were smashed or grabbed by thugs during Chandrika Kumaratunga administration. 

So many journalists were attacked and some of them like Lasantha Wickramatunga were killed while several media houses were torched when Rajapaksa brothers were at the helm. So-called Yahapalana leaders attempted to stifle the voice of the media through legislation such as the Counter Terrorism Bill. During the UNP-SLPP coalition, the government under President Ranil Wickremesinghe attempted to bring in several such suppressive laws and they succeeded in enacting the Online Safety Act. 

On the other hand, the media is also not saints. While the majority of editors and journalists attempt to adhere to ethical standards and principles, it is no secret that some work according to political or other agendas. While many editors and journalists hold their ground in the face of the market’s constant push towards negativism and sensationalism, few succumb to them, creating friction with the authorities. 

Nevertheless, absolute neutrality at times is impractical, as Henry Luce, the founder of Time, Life, and Fortune magazines, famously defended his publications’ editorial stance some seventy years ago with the statement: “I am a Protestant, a Republican and a free-enterpriser, which means I am biased in favor of God, Eisenhower and the stockholders of Time Inc”. This is one of the instances where issues crop up between the media and the governments. 

This issue coupled with media freedom was seriously considered at an international conference in Colombo far back as in 1998 at the end of which the Colombo Declaration on Media Freedom and Social Responsibility was adopted. Subsequently, the media community established the Sri Lanka Press Institute with two arms, the Sri Lanka College of Journalism (SLCJ) and the Press Complaints Commission of Sri Lanka (PCCSL) to train journalists and monitor media activities. The Editors Guild of Sri Lanka has compiled a Code of Practice for journalists.

Governments reacting to media contents with harsh moves like summoning editors to CID or before the Parliament without approaching the PCCSL first cannot be accepted. We remind the leaders of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), the core party of the NPP that they have been vociferous champions of media freedom since 1994.

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