BBC - ' Barefaced ' Broadcasting
Corporation - by Manisha Fernando (09.06.2010 09:54 AM
SLT - defence.lk)
BBC, or the British Broadcasting
Corporation is renowned for their deliberate and biased
misrepresentation of facts and events during its history of news
reporting. It is true that human beings are not perfect and susceptible
to "human - mistakes". But apparently the reporters and editors of BBC
seem to have a knack for deliberately misinforming the events without
due diligence. During the last decade, the reports and news items
carried by the BBC in the mass media including its official news web,
are ample proof of the unethical, unprofessional and conscious
misrepresentation of facts and events across the world. A closer view
shows that the news items are always more or less biased towards the
attitudes of the reporter or the editor.
.............................>>
Rupavahini
has new Chairman in Sarath Kongahage - by K T Rajasingham (15.05.2010 -
Asiantribune.com)
Colombo : Sarath Kongahage is the newly
appointed Chairman of the Rupavahini TV Corporation. A mass media
expert, he brings in his rich experience from his past service in the
print and electronic media as also in the Media and Information
Ministry.
He spoke to Asian Tribune and said that Rupavahini, the leading
Television channel in Sri Lanka by any standard, has always maintained
and catered the national perspective, and to get an opportunity to serve
as the head of it is the greatest happiness. ..........................>>
What a relief ! (07.05.2010 - The
Island, SL - Editorial)
It is a matter for happiness that
sanity has prevailed at long last and Mervyn Silva's resignation as
Deputy Media Minister has been accepted. The problem is now confined to
the 'highways'. (He has been appointed Deputy Minister of Highways.) Our
roads are dangerous anyway with so many asphalt cowboys around and his
appointment will not matter much!
Now, we learn that Mervyn resigned as Deputy Media Minister on Wednesday
itself but, when inquiries were made by the media, he, true to form,
chose to muddy the water. First, he said he had resigned and then he
retracted his statement claiming that he would function as both Deputy
Minister of Media and Deputy Minister of Highways thus prompting us to
fire a salvo at President Mahinda Rajapaksa. ..................................>>
The
Prageeth Ekneligoda affair – Part
I - by C. A. Chandraprema
(Political Correspondent) (07.05.2010 - The Island, SL)
Over
the past few months, there has been quite an issue created over the
disappearance of a ‘journalist’ by the name of Prageeth Ekneligoda. I
have remained silent on this disappearance up to now, for a purpose. Now
however, irrespective of the purpose I had in mind, I have been
compelled to break my silence on this issue because Sunanda Deshapriya
writing to the Ravaya last week, said quoting Prageeth’s wife Sandya,
that the first time Ekneligoda is said to have been ‘abducted’ around
August 2009, it was I who had got him released. Of course Deshapriya has
not mentioned me by name, but referred to a mediaman attached to an
English language newspaper. This is a reference to me. I was not very
surprised at seeing this because a few weeks back, I got a call from
Sandya telling me that she had got to know from one Gunadasa Jayalath, a
close friend of Prageeth’s who works as a coordinating secretary to
deputy minister Salinda Dissanayake, that the first time Prageeth
disappeared, in August last year, I who had saved him. ............................>>
Hudson
heads SLBC for fourth time;
to open Yarl FM Tamil service
in Jaffna - by K T Rajasingham (05.05.2010 -
Asiantribune.com)
Colombo : The newly appointed chairman of the Sri
Lanka Broadcasting Corporation Hudson Samarasinghe is presently involved in the
opening up of the Yarl FM, the Tamil service.
It is learnt that Hudson Samarasinghe is the first head of the
corporation to be officially appointed under the new United Peoples
Freedom Alliance Government.
Speaking to Asian Tribune , Hudson said that he has received his
appointment letter from the Secretary to Ministry of Mass Media and
Information.
It is also learnt that Senior Attorney-at-Law, Presidential candidate, Sarath Kongahage
has been appointed as the chairman of the Rupavahini Corporation and
the present chairman Dr. Ariyaratne Athugala has been appointed as the Director
of Information and Mr. Anusha Palpitta, the present Director of Information,
will remain as the Chairman of the Telecommunication Regulatory
Commission. ..............................>>
Media and journalist conmen - by Ranga Jayasuriya (02.05.2010 -
LakbimaNews)
Four years ago, this correspondent happened
to be in Male to cover the controversial hearing of Mohammed Nasheed,
popularly known as Anni, the then Maldivian opposition leader who was
facing charges of terrorism and was detained in house arrest. One sunny
morning when his case was taken up, massive crowds thronged the court
and the narrow driveways of Male. Protestors were peaceful, but Police
simply didn’t like their presence. Police acted with impunity, baton
charging, tear gassing and randomly picking up people, who were driven
away in packed jeeps to the Maldives notorious Maafushi prison where
they would be held in prolong detention under the draconian security
laws of the atolls. The Maldives, those days, was a Kafkaesque
nightmare. ...............................>>
Are you ready ? (26.04.2010 - The
Island, SL - Editorial)
Former President Chandrika
Kumaratunga in her inimitable sardonic way used to call her bête noire
the then Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa the 'reporter' in her Cabinet, as
she thought he was responsible for leaking out information about her
bungling government to the media because of his rapport with the
journalistic fraternity. She was not completely wrong! He was easily
accessible and outspoken and therefore became one of the most sought
after politicians in those days. He talked freely with journalists,
endeared himself to them and got good press in return. His healthy
relations with the media stood him in good stead in politics later in
life. ...........................>>
Sri Lanka : Journalists worried about a ‘spy’ amidst them (07.04.2010 - Asiantrib)
Colombo : Many
journalists employed in a premier Sinhala daily are highly perturbed
over the activities of a senior colleague, who discredits the profession
and brings the newspaper to disrepute. This modern day Goebells has a professional label to cover his covert
campaign of devious disinformation and falsehood.
Officially, he is the Associate Editor of an otherwise respected Sinhala
daily newspaper in the island, though unofficially, he is a man of many
parts to different people. One of the roles he has excelled is playing
spy to different political parties providing "inside information" to one
another. He has won dubious titles for excelling in this role. At
Elvitagala Mawatha, they call him "sarpaya" or a poisonous snake. Among
his workmates, they simply call him CT (cut throat) or TG (after his
name). .........................>>
Sudden reminder to declare assets has journalists wondering (04.04.2010 - Sunday Times, SL)
Journalists
were taken by surprise when they received an official letter from the
Ministry of Mass Media and Information reminding them to declare their
assets and liabilities on or before April 30.
The letter, dated March 23 and signed by W. B. Ganegala, Secretary to
the Ministry of Mass Media and Information, said the information was
required under the provisions of the Declaration of Assets and
Liabilities (Amendment) Act No. 74 of 1988. The deadline given was April
30. ...........................>>
Woman alleges acid threat by media personality - Colombo district UNF candidate arrested (03.04.2010 - The Island, SL)
Well-known media
personality and Colombo District UNF candidate at the April 8
parliamentary elections, Susil Kindelpitiya, was
arrested together with three others yesterday by the Mirihana Police,
while they were travelling in a van.
Police said that a 7.62 revolver was also found in the vehicle.
Police media spokesman SP Prishantha Jayakoddy told The Island that a
woman had made a complaint to the Mirihana Police on Thursday (April 1)
that Kindelpitiya had allegedly threatened to throw acid on her and kill
her. .........................>>
