Archive for June, 2008

War and Press Freedom

The Media at a time of war During the Second World War the German people tuned into the BBC for war news rather than their own radio managed by Goebbels who broadcast war propaganda as news. People under Communist rule listened to Radio Free Europe. Last week the Secretary of Defense summoned the President and Secretary of the Sri Lanka Journalists Association and gave them a piece of his mind which the journalists have said were indirect threats to their lives. Whether it was a warning, an admonition or threat, the fact is that he expressed the view that during a time of war the media should not criticize the Armed Forces and that if they were to do so the Government would not be defending them from the attacks of persons who are loyal to the Armed Forces. Another worthy in charge of news has said that the two journalists being employees of a government owned institution- Lake House…

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Sri Lankan journalists: An extinct and unprotected species

By Satheesan Kumaaran   While the freedom of the press is a precious ingredient of a vibrant democracy, in most autocracies claiming to be democracies, journalists are casualties of the various conflicts they report on.  Sri Lanka is among the worst in this regard showing utter hostility, to say the least, to members of the media who are prepared to speak out and stand up against unfairness. Free speech in Sri Lanka is the last bastion of democracy well on its way to extinction. The latest victim is the deputy editor of the Colombo-based Sunday newspaper, The Nation, Keith Noyahr who was kidnapped by the archetypal ‘white-van’ gang on the night of May 22 as he drove home at about 11:00 p.m.  In the past three decades, Sri Lanka has never arrested and brought to justice persons who unduly acted against journalists using violence. This abysmal record will remain unchanged unless one or several of the world’s leading journalist groups puts…

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  • 1 Jun, 2008
  • 15 Comments
  • Colombo

119, Buddhism and being Sinhalese

Take it from me, being a responsible citizen in this country sucks, big time. Take last Saturday for example. There I was, driving along with my parents when I saw this lorry which was being driven about like the driver’s pants were on fire. Not only was he driving fast, he was driving all over the road. Being the responsible citizen I am, I decided to do the only viable thing. I got my gun out and shot him. Well, not really. I don’t own a gun, and I don’t think I can muster up the nerve to do something like that. I called 119. After getting a busy signal for a while, I got through to them, gave details of the lorry, and then proceeded to video what was going on. I took a clip of about five minutes, and called 119 again since I couldn’t see anything happening. The lorry turns into a side street, and I do…

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About Groundviews

Located at the Centre for Policy Alternatives in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Groundviews is a citizen journalism website that uses a range of genres and media to highlight critical perspectives on governance, reconciliation, human rights, the arts and literature, democracy and other issues. The site has won two international awards, including the prestigious Manthan Award South Asia in 2009. The grand jury's evaluation of the site noted, "What no media dares to report, Groundviews publicly exposes. It's a new age media for a new Sri Lanka... Free media at it's very best!"

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