Comments on: The pretense of professionalism – the flipside of media freedom in Sri Lanka https://groundviews.org/2007/07/01/the-pretense-of-professionalism-the-flipside-of-media-freedom-in-sri-lanka/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-pretense-of-professionalism-the-flipside-of-media-freedom-in-sri-lanka Journalism for Citizens Thu, 05 Jul 2007 06:04:23 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.1 By: Melvin Ally https://groundviews.org/2007/07/01/the-pretense-of-professionalism-the-flipside-of-media-freedom-in-sri-lanka/#comment-1089 Thu, 05 Jul 2007 06:04:23 +0000 http://www.groundviews.org/2007/07/01/the-pretense-of-professionalism-the-flipside-of-media-freedom-in-sri-lanka/#comment-1089 Excellent stuff all round. Good work groundviews!

]]> By: groundviews https://groundviews.org/2007/07/01/the-pretense-of-professionalism-the-flipside-of-media-freedom-in-sri-lanka/#comment-1088 Thu, 05 Jul 2007 02:09:16 +0000 http://www.groundviews.org/2007/07/01/the-pretense-of-professionalism-the-flipside-of-media-freedom-in-sri-lanka/#comment-1088 s Note: An edited version of this letter first appeared in The Island on June 16. The original letter is published in full today as the writer has taken issue with us over the changes effected to it for clarity and brevity. However, our decision to reproduce it has nothing to do with the complaint he has made to the Press Complaints Commission, which we came to know only at the eleventh hour. We reproduce it on our own as we previously made the mistake of editing and publishing it without returning it to the sender.</em></blockquote> The article as it appears on the Island's website can be accessed as a PDF <a href="http://www.groundviews.org/wp-content/uploads/2007/07/the-island-opinion-5-july-2007.pdf" rel="nofollow">here</a>.]]> The Island of 5 July 2007 reproduces Nishan’s article in full with the following note from the Editor:

Editor’s Note: An edited version of this letter first appeared in The Island on June 16. The original letter is published in full today as the writer has taken issue with us over the changes effected to it for clarity and brevity.

However, our decision to reproduce it has nothing to do with the complaint he has made to the Press Complaints Commission, which we came to know only at the eleventh hour.

We reproduce it on our own as we previously made the mistake of editing and publishing it without returning it to the sender.

The article as it appears on the Island’s website can be accessed as a PDF here.

]]> By: groundviews https://groundviews.org/2007/07/01/the-pretense-of-professionalism-the-flipside-of-media-freedom-in-sri-lanka/#comment-1087 Mon, 02 Jul 2007 14:55:34 +0000 http://www.groundviews.org/2007/07/01/the-pretense-of-professionalism-the-flipside-of-media-freedom-in-sri-lanka/#comment-1087 Text of email sent to Editor of The Island on 1st July 2007:

Dear Sir,

I wish to bring to your attention an article titled The pretense of professionalism – the flipside of media freedom in Sri Lanka (http://www.groundviews.org/2007/07/01/the-pretense-of-professionalism-the-flipside-of-media-freedom-in-sri-lanka/) regarding an article submitted by Nishan de Mel published in The Island on 16th June 2007.

The facts of the case as they are presented in the article strongly suggest a gross and indefensible misuse of Editorial freedom. I would welcome your response that can be sent in via email to me or entered on the website directly.

Best,

Sanjana Hattotuwa

]]> By: Asanga Welikala https://groundviews.org/2007/07/01/the-pretense-of-professionalism-the-flipside-of-media-freedom-in-sri-lanka/#comment-1086 Mon, 02 Jul 2007 14:41:17 +0000 http://www.groundviews.org/2007/07/01/the-pretense-of-professionalism-the-flipside-of-media-freedom-in-sri-lanka/#comment-1086 And I am waiting to see what the PCC does about what, on the face of it, seems an instance of disgraceful conduct by The Island. It smacks of not so much a lack of professionalism as deliberate mala fides.

Of course, this type of thing is nothing new among newspapers in Sri Lanka, some of which have in several instances in the past demonstrated that they are either unwilling or incapable of seprating their politics with professional and ethical obligations.

This is the type of complaint that ought to have been dealt with with the utmost despatch. The PCC’s behaviour erodes public confidence in itself and the regime of self-regulation.

All in all, a most regrettable affair that is a damning indictment on Sri Lankan media.

]]> By: Nishan https://groundviews.org/2007/07/01/the-pretense-of-professionalism-the-flipside-of-media-freedom-in-sri-lanka/#comment-1085 Mon, 02 Jul 2007 13:20:10 +0000 http://www.groundviews.org/2007/07/01/the-pretense-of-professionalism-the-flipside-of-media-freedom-in-sri-lanka/#comment-1085 As Kshama Ranawana should have seen, the groundviews article has given a link to a copy of the email that I sent to the PCC. I used the email link from the PCC website. To be precise, I went to “http://pccsl.lk/contactus.htm” clicked on the email link which reads “[email protected]”. This has been coded in a way that it generates an email to “[email protected]” and that is the address to which my email went, as directed by the PCC website. All this remains exactly as I describe even now at the time of writing this comment.

Melvin Ally’s comments above are very apt in this case.

We might have thought the problem of their faulty email to be excusable, if this was the first instance in which it had `played up’. But Kshama’s comment indicates that the PCC has chosen to keep on their website an email address which THEY KNOW IS FAULTY. I think the readers of this space would appreciate hearing from Kshama, asap, that they have posted on the website an email such as Kshama’s which they know to be working.

]]> By: Melvin Ally https://groundviews.org/2007/07/01/the-pretense-of-professionalism-the-flipside-of-media-freedom-in-sri-lanka/#comment-1084 Mon, 02 Jul 2007 08:58:38 +0000 http://www.groundviews.org/2007/07/01/the-pretense-of-professionalism-the-flipside-of-media-freedom-in-sri-lanka/#comment-1084 “There are times that the pccsl common email seems to play up. If he plans to email the complaint, please ask him to send it my email address.”
-Kshama Ranawana

Sorry but that sounds more like a response from a govt. institution rather than a “protector of readers’ rights”..

Well if there is a known problem with your common email, I suggest you get it fixed. Its like having a 911 no. that ‘sometimes’ doesn’t work – doesn’t really help anybody, does it?

]]> By: Kshama Ranawana https://groundviews.org/2007/07/01/the-pretense-of-professionalism-the-flipside-of-media-freedom-in-sri-lanka/#comment-1083 Mon, 02 Jul 2007 03:13:21 +0000 http://www.groundviews.org/2007/07/01/the-pretense-of-professionalism-the-flipside-of-media-freedom-in-sri-lanka/#comment-1083 Dear Sanjana,

Thanks for bringing this to our attention. The fact is that,we have not received a complaint from Nishan de Mel.

What he needs to do is to send us a copy of the original article, the published version, and his statement of facts, along with our complaints form which is available on the web. http://www.pccsl.lk

He could either fax or mail the documents, or send it to us by email. There are times that the pccsl common email seems to play up. If he plans to email the complaint, please ask him to send it my email address.

Thanks and best.

Kshama

Kshama Ranawana
Complaints Officer

Press Complaints Commission of Sri Lanka
65/5, Ward Place
Colombo 7

Phone: 5353635, Fax 5335500
email: [email protected]
Web: http://www.pccsl.lk

]]> By: manbag https://groundviews.org/2007/07/01/the-pretense-of-professionalism-the-flipside-of-media-freedom-in-sri-lanka/#comment-1082 Sun, 01 Jul 2007 20:30:09 +0000 http://www.groundviews.org/2007/07/01/the-pretense-of-professionalism-the-flipside-of-media-freedom-in-sri-lanka/#comment-1082 Why oh why do you so called sri lankan media pundits keep comparing our imature and fragile democracy with socialist tendancies with that of another countries highly mature democracy such as the UK. If you must compare it then do so with China or North Korea since their “democracies” are closer in reality to that of Sri Lanka….

[Editors note: Your last sentence was deleted – kindly note the submission guidelines for comments. Thank you.]

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