Poor management of the BBC Sinhala was exposed at Central London Employment Tribunal in the case filled by sacked BBC Sinhala Service (Sandeshaya) Senior Producer Chandana Keerthi Bandara against the BBC.
Bandara
The tribunal which concluded yesterday that Bandara was unsuccessful in his claim to unfair dismissal said that the BBC was entitled to arrive at the decision based on the evidence at hand.
The BBC south Asia hub editor Juliana Iootty told the tribunal that Priyath Liyanage was not managing properly. Priyath Liyanage was the Editor of the Sinhala Service who has been punished for misreporting an exposure into torture in Sri Lanka by Frances Harrison.
Chandana Keerthi Bandara accused of gross misconduct by a few in the Sinhala service was dismissed in August 2014. Former editor of the BBC Sinhala Priyath Liyanage, Saroj Pathirana, Thisara Aravinda Rathuwithana and former acting editor Dejan Radojevic complained to the BBC management accusing Bandara of harassment and bullying.
The tribunal heard that Priyath Liyanage, Saroj Pathirana and Dejan Radojevic accused Bandara of being a LTTE supporter. However it was not made clear to the tribunal by the BBC that they have investigated the accusation. Bandara told the tribunal that these accusation were made by pro Sinhala gang that was supportive of Mahinda Rajapaksa regime.
Apart from Mr Radojevic no one else from the BBC Sinhala service went to court to give evidence against Bandara. However, former BBC Sri Lanka correspondent Frances Harrison, award winning director Callum Macrae, (No Fire Zone fame), Bandara’s long time BBC colleagues Upali Gajanayake and M J R David gave evidence supporting Bandara claim.
The BBC Sinhala Service has been ailing due to drastic loss of listenership. Senior management has been trying to replace the broadcast audience with an online audience.
However managerial dysfunction, editorial blunders biased reporting and its broadcast on Short Wave, which is very much out dated technology aggravated this situation. The service has been accused of distorting information a charge that has been acknowledged by the management.
Following the ruling that BBC Management is under pressure for allowing mismanagement and lack of transparency in its BBC Sinhala operation in particular and South Asia hub generally.
Pot Shot / June 4, 2015
We Sri Lankans are good at politicising even reputable foreign entities like the BBC now. We should be exporting this type of management service to other international markets.
/
Spring Koha / June 4, 2015
The BBC Sinhala service has been hijacked from inception, by one group or another, to tout their prevailing line. The service now operates as an adornment in the portfolio of this venerable institution. Nowadays, there are more reliable sources for keeping up with developments in our blessed land like no other.
/
J.Muthu / June 4, 2015
Damn why BBC running this stupid language programme…god knows.
/
milton Perera / June 4, 2015
Bandara has been the vitim of a nasty attack by priyath liyange who has been asked to leve the BBC and his buddy Saroj Pathirana who [Edited out]
THE bbc needs to explain how its runing this horribale service for so long with haveing no listners.
priyath liyanage who is the master of mismangement has been asked to leave and now is runing around with a pettion asking the BBC Bossess to keep him around. Dont get caught
/
Gamini Gunasekara / June 4, 2015
ha ha ha the beens have spilled they must get piyasena horavithana to do a gurukum to save this service – otherwise his son will loose the black money tradeing centre for him and Mervin.
/
K.A Sumanasekera / June 5, 2015
Our great majority inhabitants couldn’t give a tuppence about Banadara or the BBC..
But they get pissed off when BBC runs headlines like, “Dark Side Of Buddhism” to score political points on behalf of the new Yahapalanay.
Wonder whether the BBC has or will ever run such a headline on Christianity?…
/
Analyst / June 5, 2015
BBC. Singhala service channel was used and run by the mouth pieces of the past Modaya Regime. It was all propaganda in the highest order.
Any other journalists took a stance to highlight the situation in SL were vilified internally by the BBC Sighala service management or externally by the PR company paid and run by the past Regime. Francis Harrison too suffered that treatment.
There is always the truth in what goes round it comes round.
Those who were sacked by the BBCwere the puppets and the mouth pieces of the wretched Regime. Thank goodness the Regime is gone and too the propagandists who were paid by the BBCas well as the Past Regime handsomely.
BBC carries the symbol of honesty and impartiality in their history of broadcasting. These. Journalists tried to bring The Banana Republic journalism into Singhala Broadcasting service too.
That’s the problem and they paid the price.
Thank god for YAHAPALANAYA
/
Analyst / June 5, 2015
BBC SANDESHAYA. WAS MANAGED AND EDITED BY THE SRILANKANS.
BUT ALONG THE WAY THEY ALSO BROUGHT SL POLITICS INTO IT AND BEING PARTIAL TO THE RULING DICTATORIAL REGIME UNTIL LAST YEAR.
THE REST WAS THE PRESENT NEWS. THE HEADS WERE ROLLED FROM THE SANDESHAYA LAST YEAR FROM THE MANAGEMENT AND THE EDITORIAL.
THE STORY GOES ON .THE BBC WAS NOT AT FAULT BUT THESE SL JOURNALISTS WERE.
IF YOU ARE EMPLOYED BY A WORLD RENOWNED ORGANISATION AS A JOURNALIST YOU HAVE TO ACT LIKE ONE TOO. NOT RIGHT TO PRACTISE THE BANANA REPUBLIC JOURNALISM WITHIN THE. BBC.
/
Peace Lover / June 5, 2015
@ K A Sumanasekera(m) you ask
“Wonder whether the BBC has or will ever run such a headline on Christianity?… “
its either that your a dumb ignornt fool who does not know BBC or a cunning fox trying to fool the people into believing that BBC is biased
please refer links below
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2049647/BBC-documentary-exposes-50-year-scandal-baby-trafficking-Catholic-church-Spain.html
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-21715473
are just two such cases i found in a very quick and brief Google search where the BBC exposed the Chruch scandals
Can the same thing be said of the Lake Hosue media ? have they ever exposed Buddhist scandals? pls enlighten me buddy
Looks like Vellala K A Sumanasekera(m) argument has been yorked like a Malinga delivery hahahahha go and suck ur thumb K A Sumanasekera(m) the Vellala man
/
K.A Sumanasekera / June 8, 2015
P, Lover.
You didn’t get it ,, Did you lover boy !!!
/
Analyst / June 5, 2015
We in SL never asked questions , we only read and believe what was dished out on the local news papers . In the past there was all one sided stories. Any one objected to it either they were white VANNED or silenced by the mafias.
At least we can raise questions without fear now.
That is the beauty of YAHAPALANAYe
/