Archives

'Media as an instrument of vengeance'

"In the hands of the unscrupulous, the media could be the worst instrument of vengeance." The words are those of Samurdhi and Poverty Alleviation Minister Pavithra Wanniaratchi. The occasion, a provincial media conference cum workshop.

As the saying goes, the pen is mightier than the sword. This is because in the hands of the righteous, the pen could be put to very worthy purposes, including the exposure of wrong-doers and their misdeeds. However in the hands of the degenerate, the pen could become a terrifying sword of vengeance and character assassination. In the latter instances, the media are rendered subservient to the base instincts of those who own them and those who have a stranglehold over their operations. A connected abuse is the use of the media to serve personal agendas and selfish interests.

These issues go to the heart of the current debate on the independence of the local media and related questions. A re-examination of some of these questions would help to put the record straight on the legitimate functions of the media.

The State media have their work cut out for them. They are to always operate in the interests of the public and promote the common weal. Accordingly, socio-economic development becomes its principal focus. Public interest issues set the framework within which this section of the media functions. In other words, the State media would always need to be motivated by a sense of social responsibility.

It doesn't follow from this premise that the State media would always operate within a public interest strait jacket. It would remain open to human interest stories and all other news components that edify and ennoble humanity.

The above norms and values are expected to guide all sections of the media and determine their content but we in Sri Lanka are familiar with the abuse of the media and their brazen manipulation to serve personal agendas. The character assassination of VIPs is part of this attempt to throttle the media into serving the personal agendas of some private media managers and magnates.

Having an eagle eye on government is a legitimate function of the media but this concern shouldn't degenerate into an obsessive concern with the personal lives of public figures and a brazen disregard of their privacy. Besides, keeping government under scrutiny shouldn't be misconstrued to mean character-assassination of government leaders. Personal lives can be dwelt on only in-so-far as they impinge on the discharge of public duties by the personalities concerned.

We need hardly say that measured by these standards, not all sections of particularly the private media could be considered flawless.

We agree with the Samurdhi Minister that the profession of journalism was at one time a very noble vocation. Not all sections of the local media have betrayed the high principles of journalism, but there are quite a few black sheep in the media fold.

To the latter we say: please keep out the personal element and dwell on the public aspect which has the closest bearing on the public interest.

######

Road to safety

Road deaths are a daily occurrence in this country. Some of the accidents are truly horrendous and even their pictures flashed on TV channels makes one shudder. But horrific road accidents are by no means unique to our island. Many countries around the world have appalling road safety records. Iran, Greece and China readily come to mind.

According to the latest agency reports, the Greeks' patience has run out. Around 5,000 people took to Greece's main north-south highway for three hours on Tuesday to protest the frequent deadly accidents on it. Traffic in both directions of the Athens-Salonica highway was interrupted at three separate spots near Lamia, one day after seven schoolchildren died and 30 more were injured there when their bus crashed into a truck. Around 100 people are killed in road accidents near Lamia each year.

This is a novel from of 'people power'. This time, it has not been directed against the political establishment. The protestors have vented their anger on killer drivers and poor road safety measures instead.

Here in Sri Lanka, there is often another form of 'people power' witnessed at the scene of road accidents. What happens is that so-called 'enraged passersby' set fire to the offending vehicle on the spot, even before rushing the victim(s) to hospital, and pummel the driver, sometimes to death.

However serious an accident may be, such behaviour cannot be condoned in a civilised society. No citizen has the right to take the law into his or her hands. The Greeks have set an example to the rest of the world by proving that the public can mobilise against road deaths in a more civilised, lawful manner. Such actions usually open the authorities' eyes to the acuteness of a given issue.

We are usually horrified by newspaper accounts and TV pictures of road accidents. We privately mourn the victims and the media slam the errant drivers. But there is no collective action from within the society that could lead to a reduction in road accidents.

For example, passengers in a bus can warn the driver to drive more carefully instead of risking all their lives by reckless driving. Such a collective caution will force the driver to think twice before flooring the accelerator to overtake the bus in front. The inception of road users' societies/associations is also a timely idea.

The authorities should also introduce a program to educate drivers (especially of three wheelers and buses) and other road users on good road manners. That will make the roads a less dangerous place.

www.ceylincoproperties.com

www.Pathmaconstruction.com

News | Business | Features | Editorial | Security
Politics | World | Letters | Sports | Obituaries

Produced by Lake House
Copyright © 2003 The Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd.
Comments and suggestions to :Web Manager