It has been reported that Sri Lanka’s most circulated English daily – the Daily Mirror has threatened its Jaffna corespondents into boycotting a protest organized in Jaffna against the harassment of seven journalists earlier this week by the military.
Ranjith Wijewardene (Chairman of Wijeya Newspapers) with other members of the Newspaper Society Sri Lanka
A news item published in weekly Sinhala newspaper Ravaya, has reported that two journalists from Jaffna who contribute to Daily Mirror had refused to attend the protest that was organized on July 31 to express objection to the harassment faced by seven journalists as they had been informed by Human Resources Department personnel of DM to participate at the risk of losing their jobs.
The article that had also quoted Jaffna Press Club Advisor R. Dayabaran who had stated the two journalists who were threatened of being sacked if they participated in the protest on Thursday were among the seven journalists who were harassed by the military last Saturday night.
The vehicle in which the group of journalists were traveling had been stopped and searched at the Omanthai checkpoint on Saturday night while they were en-route to Colombo after which, they were detained under charges of possessing marijuana and interrogated for over six hours. The journalists have directly accused the military of planting the marijuana in the vehicle in order to sabotage their participation in the workshop. However, no investigation has been carried out by the Police over the accusations by journalists and had even refused to accept the complaint.
Victor Singam / August 2, 2014
The courage of the 7 journalists needs to be admired. It is those in the military who fabricated false charges against the journalists who should be arrested. The war on the democratic rights of people continues to be waged by the Rajapakse regime and it’s cohorts
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REW / August 2, 2014
Time to discontinue the Daily Mirror
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Ravana / August 2, 2014
Its high time to boycott this spineless daily.
Has Mara brought the company from Wijewardena people?
Cant the journalists question MP Ruwan Wijewardena about this in public when they get an opportunity? There is not a single media against the regime in the country except for few E Media.
Without CT and other very few E media we all will know absolutely nothing about this regime and its atrocities thus compelled to believe its bogus development.
Gonraja is still hero among some village idiots purely because of this one reason – NO Media Freedom.
This is where RW is too weak where he tries show too much a democratic leader. Absolute rubbish! TNL and Vijaya publications is an enemy of UNP.
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Amarasiri / August 2, 2014
Just short circuit the Building Just like the No Limit Panadura Store using calling it a electrical Fire or boycott or by other means.
Shill newspapers like Daily Mirror is NOT needed.
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mike / August 3, 2014
@ Amarasiri
“Shill newspapers like Daily Mirror is NOT needed” … and that goes for Chimpika Liyanarachchichi too!
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ela kolla / August 4, 2014
This comment was removed by a moderator because it didn’t abide by our Comment policy.For more detail see our Comment policy https://www.colombotelegraph.com/index.php/comments-policy-2/
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Native Vedda / August 2, 2014
Banda
Here goes freedom of speech up in flames.
Or is it bonfire of the vanities, in this case media freedom?
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Kabi / August 2, 2014
These Newspaper Editors Eat, Drink and Sleep with the Government. Then how can you expect to behave differently?
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Peace Lover / August 2, 2014
well all i can say is that Champuke has done his homework well!
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ajith / August 2, 2014
It is now becoming that none of the English papers coming from Sri Lanka are free from freedom of speech. They are either afraid to face the threat from Gotapaya and Mahinda or they are part of Sinhala Buddhist Fundamentalism.
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justice / August 2, 2014
This means that the Daily Mirror management is under intimidation by the military.
The militarisation of the north is now being extended down south too.
The media need to be muzzled in view of the pending provincial council, parliamentary and presidential elections.
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aratai / August 2, 2014
.
People should discontinue daily mirror, not just the people even the writers who contribute.
:-)
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D R Wijewardena / August 2, 2014
Haha Ranjith Wijewardena running with the rabbit. ( Press Freedom ) and running with hounds ( Censors ) ?
All this time we were led to believe it was Champika the editor who was doing this.She was merely Wijewardene’s tool it seems.
Another ,similar role, is the one played by that monkey looking Shan Wickremasinhe at TNL.
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Rajash / August 3, 2014
In this age of international and social media every individual is a journalist and the whole world get instant news via upload to the social,media. Even commentators and political observers take to social media and blogs to express their views and opinion. GOSL need to realise this. Muzzling the press is not going to work any more.
Time to ditch DM and DN
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Sengodan. M / August 3, 2014
It is time that Tamils boycott the Daily Mirror!
Sengodan. M
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Nishan / August 3, 2014
This the problem in Sri Lanka. Because the Wijewardene’s are trying to run the paper hands off civlized way and not interfere with day to day operations the paper is leaning to the government because of a bad choice of editor.
If they start to interfere peopple will accuse them of running a UNP propoganda paper. So what to do?
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manel fonseka / August 3, 2014
For over a year now the Daily Mirror has rejected (censorship?)my comments on its articles. The most recent one was on Ameen Izadeen’s about David (Dawood) & Goliath (Israel):
“Every day I ask myself: WHAT can I DO?
I cannot bear to see this carnage go on day after day.
The installation of the Zionist state is one of the greatest crimes of the 20th c.”
Why was it rejected? Is it because editorial policy favours Israel or is it because about 2 years ago I had the temerity to complain to the Features editor when my name was subscribed to a comment about the bid for the Commonwealth Games that I did not write. The Mirror had compiled a feature comprising readers’s comments on the bid. I blogged a rather mild dissent but found I had been made the author of a much longer blog which was in language I wouldnt have used. My emailed complaint and request for a correction fell on deaf ears, but ever since, my blogs have been rejected. I have basically stopped blogging to the DM but couldnt resist in this latest instance.
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BBS Rep / August 4, 2014
Surviving as a real journalist in a quasi dictatorship is not an easy task.
My heart goes out to these journalists who wish to maintain a modicum of journalistic decency. They have no other means other than working for media owners, who are bound hand and feet to the ruling Junta if they are to put rice and curry in front of family.
What a sad state of affairs.
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Saman Wijesiri / August 4, 2014
Please don’t blame Chairman Ranjit Wijewardene for the sins being committed by certain editors of the Wijeya group. All journalists working now and have worked at the WNL know that Mr.Ranjit Wijewardene is a gentleman and never interferes with editorial matters.The founding editor of the Daily Mirror Lalith Allahakoon with great efforts and with the blessings of the Chairman built up the image of the Daily Mirror as an independent and impartial newspaper. It looks that Lalith’s efforts have now gone down the drain!
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Aman Faris / August 4, 2014
Yes, Indeed Lalith Alahakoon, Keith Noyahr, Ameen Izzadeen among other made the Daily Mirror famous. The latter two would rewrite Champika Liyanarachi’s articles as a way to boost her reputation.
But today the paper is virtually in the hands of the JHU. Many are the days we see JHU’s Patali Champika Liyanarachi’s mug shot in the DM. One day there were 4 shots of this racist in just one single issue. Now Champika and Champika are on intimate terms as we read in CT some weeks ago.
The usual mantra the journalists are afraid of Gota is nonsense. How come Vicor Ivan gets away? The Daily Mirror is the mouthpiece of the JHU.
And as a consequence quite naturally, Daily Mirror has an anti minorities bias which became painfully obvious when it took five days to report the carnage in Aluthgama and when it did it only concentrated on the Sinhala Buddhist who had unfortunately suffered. Not a mention was made about the Muslims who were at the victims.
The Muslims have called for a boycott of the Daily Mirror and it would be nice if all could join in.
Aman
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