Freezing Free Media

 

 

Nothing is so frightening for a ruler, who is extremely corrupt and lacks transparency, than the free media in a country. The ruling party of a country has always followed a double standard with regard to the media. It is the practice of the present government as well as previous governments to give financial and various sponsorship to the pro-ruling party media and to cripple and destroy the independent media institutions that expose government corruption and irregularities. Attempts to bring back the criminal defamation law, which was repealed in 2002, are one step in the right direction to crack down on the media. It appears that the underlying motive behind the Cabinet decisions taken on April 19 to legislate to protect against misleading statements made over the internet is the suppression of free media.

According to research data, free media repression is gaining momentum in both the East and the West, especially in corrupt countries.

Corrupt rulers use various tactics to get the media to obey them and turn them into their trumpets. Examples of tactics include appointing pro-government people to media outlets, giving private media owners various privileges and money, and giving them opportunities to make their own money and make as they please.

 Similar incidents have been reported in Serbia and Hungary. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reportedly bribed the country's main media outlets to protect his power. Also, information can be obtained from various countries about instances of relentless repression of the media. To cover up the truth, the Cameroonian government blocked Internet access in part of the country. Myanmar has sentenced three journalists to seven years in prison for reporting on torture against the Rohingya minority. Journalists who went to raise their voices against corruption in countries such as El Salvador and Tanzania had to pay with their lives. Jamal Kashoghi, a Saudi Arabian newspaper editor, has been brutally murdered for raising his voice against injustice.

In an environment where free media is not active, people lose a lot. Both the state media and the state-sponsored private media communicate information that is biased and distorted. This not only deprives the people of their right to free information, but also deprives them of the knowledge of what is going on in the country, of the existence and behavior of the rulers who govern them, and of their further choice as their representatives and leaders. This is very detrimental to a country with universal suffrage.

Sri Lanka is constitutionally a democratic state. If so, the right to write and speech, as well as the right to information, which are part of a democratic system of government, must be guaranteed. Censorship of the media violates that democratic right. The power of the people when assisted by right thoughts results in a right decision  and thereby right people as leaders . Free media is the driving force in an environment where they express their power  based on accurate information.  Free media is also a deterrent , a deterrent to the discipline of the rulers elected by the people. Because of this, waste and corruption in a country can be minimized. Therefore, the existence of a free media is also essential to correct the elected representatives and leaders of the people and get their maximum.

The contribution of the free media is immense in making the protection of human rights and the rule of law more meaningful and accurate. A free and impartial media will make a valuable contribution to the functioning of a state that is irresponsible in the eyes of the people

Examples of the media being able to provide factual information to the public even in an environment where the media is censored .It has been revealed that a group of journalists from outside the country have been active in overthrowing Sudanese President Omar al - Bashir.

 

 

 

Kularatne Suriyarachchi