(FMM/IFEX) – The following is a 15 June 2004 FMM press release: The State Media is not an inheritance of the Minister of Media The statement by Mangala Samaraweera, the new minister of media, at a public function attended by the heads of state media institutions, to the effect that the state media’s main task […]
(FMM/IFEX) – The following is a 15 June 2004 FMM press release:
The State Media is not an inheritance of the Minister of Media
The statement by Mangala Samaraweera, the new minister of media, at a public function attended by the heads of state media institutions, to the effect that the state media’s main task is to attack the principal opponents of the state, violates all accepted traditions and norms in the democratic world with regard to an independent state media. The Free Media Movement (FMM) says the minister’s statement that state media would and should be used to serve the government’s political purposes is a brutal violation of a democratic government’s duties.
The minister has stated that until now, the present UPFA government had attacked the SLMC, CWC and the JHU with the misconception that these parties are the principal enemies of the government. This, too, is an acknowledgement of the state media’s political partiality. According to the minister, the government’s main enemy is the United National Party, which is the main opposition party.
According to a report in “Lankadeepa”, dated 15 June 2004, Media Minister Mangala Samaraweera said the following in the presence of the heads of the state media institutions:
“Our main enemy is the United National Party. In future, we will identify our main enemy and [through the state media] attack them. I have taken a decision not to attack the SLMC, CWC and the JHU hereafter. In future, attacks on these parties will not be allowed without my permission. I have instructed [the state media] to take immediate steps to reveal to the public what the United National Party had done during its tenure in government.”
The minister’s statement clearly demonstrates that the state media will be used as a political weapon of the UPFA government. Furthermore, it clearly acknowledges that it is not the editors or the directors of these media who decide the policy thereof, but the minister.
This completely violates editorial freedom, which is a main component of a free media. It restricts independent investigative reporting highlighting the faults, if any, of a given political party. A restriction is imposed by the statement that the three political parties could not be criticised without the permission of the minister.
The Free Media Movement (FMM) firmly requests that Mangala Samaraweera and the UPFA government, instead of acting in an undemocratic manner, take steps to deliver the promises made during the election campaign to democratise the state media and to allow the heads of the state media to act independently and in accordance with accepted media ethics.
Sunanda Deshapriya
Spokesperson, FMM
