by Kumara Kaluarachchi
(July 09, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) They come in hundreds to Lipton circus or Fort Railway station, armed with megaphones, placards and banners. They shout and jump up and down. They take their won photos and video record their own antics. After that all of them go to a nearest bar to discuss their days work. Then they go home. The officials of the Free Media Movement, how organized the whole fiasco may “retire” to five start hotels and embassies to meet their foreign handlers and pay masters to receive the balance of payments due to them. That is what an average media man does these days in Sri Lanka.
Most of them do not write or contribute to any media other than writing placards and jumping up and down in demonstrations. However one time of their lives, they have had worked in a newspaper, a radio station or a television studio. That qualification is enough to get the life membership and earn a better life by “electing” in to offices of Free Media Movement and other media watch dogs!
Naturally, the chaps who are currently working for Sri Lankan media (for a measly sum of course) are not happy. They know their ex-colleagues in Free Media Movement sell them to foreigners for Dollars and Euros. That’s why they have put up another organization “Sri Lanka Working Journalists Association”!!! However when it come to protests and demonstrations, they forget their differences as the “interested parties” are sponsoring some of the notable personalities in the association.
If you examine carefully, you will understand that the education standards of our media people are not that high. Most people in Sri Lanka believe that the only job available for an under-educated person is being a politician. I beg to differ. Having gone through the educational qualifications of the media chaps in Sri Lanka, I think that there are two jobs available for an under-educated but highly ambitious person. They start their career as media people and end that as non other than POLITICIANS, very people they criticize day and night!!!
Ever heard of a media man called Ratna Deshapriya? (No relation of Sunanda Deshapriya of course). Ratna Deshapriya was the news editor of Lankadeepa. He was very popular media man during 60’s and used that popularity to obtain nominations from SLFP to contest in the elections against Hon Dudley Senanayake in Dadigama electorate. Being from a suppressed community, but highly ambitious, Ratna acquired a new surname to face Senanayakes before the contest. It was none other than Senanayake!!! Ratna the media man lost the election and appointed as the chairman of CWE. Later his brother Dharmasiri Senanayake won the seat and became the media minister of CBK’s government!!!!
I think Ratna Deshapriya Senanayake was the first media man who used media credentials as a stepping stone to be a politician in Sri Lanka. He was followed by lorry loads of ambitious media chaps in to the prosperity of the political world.
Take a look at Vimal Weerawanse (pen name Rohana Gamalath) and Dullus Alahapperuma. Both of them were fearlessly battling against the authoritative dictatorship of Premadasa during eighties. They used their media credentials successfully to get elected in to the parliament and gain important political positions.
Let’’s see major media men turned minor politicians. Remember Buddhika Pathirana? The medical student (an educated man, a rare exception) who interviewed politicians in Srirasa TV? Now he is a doctor and a member of the southern provincial council for UNP. Same goes for the anchorman of live at 8, Manusha Nanayakkara, a provincial councilor for the UNP. Producer of the Kinihira and Deshapalana sathiya political programs of Swarnawahini, Didula Bogahakumbra quit his media job to become the organizer of the Badulla district for the UNP.
(The writer is a Editor of Lanka Journal Web Site)
- Sri Lanka Guardian
(July 09, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) They come in hundreds to Lipton circus or Fort Railway station, armed with megaphones, placards and banners. They shout and jump up and down. They take their won photos and video record their own antics. After that all of them go to a nearest bar to discuss their days work. Then they go home. The officials of the Free Media Movement, how organized the whole fiasco may “retire” to five start hotels and embassies to meet their foreign handlers and pay masters to receive the balance of payments due to them. That is what an average media man does these days in Sri Lanka.
Most of them do not write or contribute to any media other than writing placards and jumping up and down in demonstrations. However one time of their lives, they have had worked in a newspaper, a radio station or a television studio. That qualification is enough to get the life membership and earn a better life by “electing” in to offices of Free Media Movement and other media watch dogs!
Naturally, the chaps who are currently working for Sri Lankan media (for a measly sum of course) are not happy. They know their ex-colleagues in Free Media Movement sell them to foreigners for Dollars and Euros. That’s why they have put up another organization “Sri Lanka Working Journalists Association”!!! However when it come to protests and demonstrations, they forget their differences as the “interested parties” are sponsoring some of the notable personalities in the association.
If you examine carefully, you will understand that the education standards of our media people are not that high. Most people in Sri Lanka believe that the only job available for an under-educated person is being a politician. I beg to differ. Having gone through the educational qualifications of the media chaps in Sri Lanka, I think that there are two jobs available for an under-educated but highly ambitious person. They start their career as media people and end that as non other than POLITICIANS, very people they criticize day and night!!!
Ever heard of a media man called Ratna Deshapriya? (No relation of Sunanda Deshapriya of course). Ratna Deshapriya was the news editor of Lankadeepa. He was very popular media man during 60’s and used that popularity to obtain nominations from SLFP to contest in the elections against Hon Dudley Senanayake in Dadigama electorate. Being from a suppressed community, but highly ambitious, Ratna acquired a new surname to face Senanayakes before the contest. It was none other than Senanayake!!! Ratna the media man lost the election and appointed as the chairman of CWE. Later his brother Dharmasiri Senanayake won the seat and became the media minister of CBK’s government!!!!
I think Ratna Deshapriya Senanayake was the first media man who used media credentials as a stepping stone to be a politician in Sri Lanka. He was followed by lorry loads of ambitious media chaps in to the prosperity of the political world.
Take a look at Vimal Weerawanse (pen name Rohana Gamalath) and Dullus Alahapperuma. Both of them were fearlessly battling against the authoritative dictatorship of Premadasa during eighties. They used their media credentials successfully to get elected in to the parliament and gain important political positions.
Let’’s see major media men turned minor politicians. Remember Buddhika Pathirana? The medical student (an educated man, a rare exception) who interviewed politicians in Srirasa TV? Now he is a doctor and a member of the southern provincial council for UNP. Same goes for the anchorman of live at 8, Manusha Nanayakkara, a provincial councilor for the UNP. Producer of the Kinihira and Deshapalana sathiya political programs of Swarnawahini, Didula Bogahakumbra quit his media job to become the organizer of the Badulla district for the UNP.
(The writer is a Editor of Lanka Journal Web Site)
- Sri Lanka Guardian
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It is very true that the majority of our Mediamen are under educated, and they will go down to any low leval to please their political masters, to make a fast buck.
The do not care what happens to their mother country and its nation because of their biased, misleading reporting, as long as they make few thousands of Rupees to have a nice time.
Majority of the current problems Sri Lanka is facing today are the results of the handy work of these half backed journalists.
There are only less than 10% of the present mediamen who are honest. Others are all traitors who should be taken to courts and given the corporal punishment. Just assaulting them won't do.
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