Questions on Govt. sincerity regarding media freedom

The 17th anniversary of the assassination of The Sunday Leader Editor-in-Chief Lasantha Wickrematunge was marked with a service at his graveside on Thursday. Family, friends, former colleagues, and others gathered at the Borella General Cemetery to mark the anniversary.

Wickrematunge was assassinated on 8 January 2009 and the hunt for his killers remains elusive despite promises made by different political parties to punish those involved. Wickrematunge, who was an outspoken critic of the Mahinda Rajapaksa administration, was killed during the period and successive Governments have used the killing to score points during election campaigns but have not followed through on their promises.

First, it was the Yahapalanaya Government, and now, the ruling National People’s Power (NPP) too is going the same way. President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, who promised justice for the Wickrematunge family, has since gone silent. In fact, instead of upholding the promises to protect media freedom, the Government is slowly tightening its grip on the media and attempting to silence its critics.

Cabinet Spokesman and Mass Media Minister Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa this month warned media institutions who are spreading ‘unverified information’ linked to early warnings on Cyclone Ditwah. Dr. Jayatissa said that such information would lead to public unrest and hence the Government has the right to act against ‘distorted’ news reports.

There are moves afoot now to tighten the Online Safety Act as well instead of replacing it. This, too, is aimed at cracking down on media outlets which the Government finds harmful to its image.

The Right to Information (RTI) Act too has been weakened by the Government since taking office. It has become near impossible to obtain information from Government institutions even using the RTI Act.

This is the same with many Government institutions where public officials are under gag orders. For journalists, getting a comment from an official entails writing letters and getting the sanction of high officials. It seems like a method used in authoritarian countries where stiffing the media and silencing the officialdom is used as a way to keep information away from the public.

Most Ministers and Ministries have their own media spokespersons/media officers, but their only job is sending press releases and doing public relations work for the Ministers. Handouts are sent regularly to bolster the image of their Ministers, but when journalists reach out to get a comment about the not-so-good happenings within, they are shut out.

Ironically, for the very same people who rode to power using media freedom, Wickrematunge’s assassination, and attacks on other journalists during past regimes, the media has now become the enemy, because at least certain sections of the media refuses to toe the Government line and wants to expose wrongdoings within it. This anti-media feeling is especially strong among the new entrants to Parliament from the NPP, who have suddenly been crowned as Ministers and are unable to stomach criticisms. A handful of the old hands seem to have a better understanding that the media is not a party propaganda tool, and hence, trying to control it is counterproductive.

Some of the country’s leading politicians have been subject to bitter attacks when they were in power during the past few decades, but most understand that being in the public eye also means being under constant scrutiny. It’s the price one has to pay for being a public representative. It also means growing a thicker hide and not taking every criticism that comes one’s way personally.