{"id":220870,"date":"2021-07-17T10:40:35","date_gmt":"2021-07-17T05:10:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/?p=220870"},"modified":"2021-07-29T12:48:03","modified_gmt":"2021-07-29T07:18:03","slug":"as-gotas-goebbels-varuni-seeks-to-extend-iron-grip-on-media-to-facebook-and-twitter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/as-gotas-goebbels-varuni-seeks-to-extend-iron-grip-on-media-to-facebook-and-twitter\/","title":{"rendered":"As Gota’s Goebbels, Varuni Seeks To Extend Iron Grip On Media To Facebook And Twitter"},"content":{"rendered":"

Varuni Amunugama<\/a> <\/span>dreams of shutting down Sri Lanka\u2019s social media platforms because the traditional print and broadcast media pay absolute obeisance to the politically powerful media tycoon and partner at Triad, media observers noted after she forced a newspaper to publish a right of response<\/a><\/span> to an Editorial on 14th<\/sup> July 2021.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Varuni | Source: @FernandoVaruni\/Twitter<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cThe time has come to stand up to cyber-bullying. I believe my stand will auger well for all social media users because a few bullies will not be able to over shout and intimidate those with opposing viewpoints in the future,\u201d Amunugama said in her right of reply.<\/p>\n

Her response was issued in tandem with Nimal Perera<\/a><\/span>, a corrupt businessman and stock market manipulator implicated in the Airbus procurement scandal<\/a><\/span> and money laundering in connection with the Krrish Deal<\/a><\/span>. The pair have faced strong criticism on Twitter over their public remarks and bullying tactics to curtail the freedom of speech of some users of the platform, by calling up parents and employers. Many of these young social media users have been intimidated into deleting their tweets regarding Perera\u2019s involvement in the Airbus corruption scandal and issuing apologies. Returning to Twitter after a long hiatus, Amunugama slammed users as \u201cTwitter Maggots\u201d and accused them of \u201cpatriotic paralysis\u201d for daring to criticize her interview with host Alanki.<\/p>\n

Despite these efforts the Twittersphere has remained fired up and relentless in its mocking criticism of Amunugama and Perera. Perera has since \u201ctaken a break\u201d from Twitter and made his account private. Sources said the duo were incensed that they have failed to crackdown on the criticism on the social media platform.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople like Varuni Amunugama and Nimal Perera command unstinted loyalty in the mainstream press because Amunugama holds all the trump cards by virtue of being Managing Director at Triad. Newspapers and TV channels that stray out of line could face a sudden drop in advertising, if Triad advises their clients to stop advertising with a particular outfit in retaliation. But what they have found is that this strategy doesn\u2019t quite work on social media because most people active there are free agents,\u201d a media analyst who did not wish to be named told Colombo Telegraph. \u201cTherefore now they are resorting to threats about legal action and Varuni is claiming that her fundamental rights have been violated. FRs can only be violated by state actors, not social media users,\u201d the analyst explained.<\/p>\n

Ironically, Amunugama\u2019s reply to the editorial published on Cyberbullying in Daily FT came out the same day that the women\u2019s newspaper Dharanee<\/em> that she owns was embroiled in controversy over the unauthorised publication pictures from cartoonist Shanika Somatilake<\/a><\/span> social media as part of an article penned by Keele University Professor of Psychiatry Athula Sumathipala, implying the artiste was \u201cmentally ill.\u201d Sumathipala is also an editorial member of Royal College of Psychiatrists Magazine. Despite multiple complaints to the University, Keele University is yet to respond to the article penned by a faculty member castigating women for posting photos in swimwear on their social media profiles. (Complaints should be addressed to the Communications Department news@keele.ac.uk)<\/em><\/p>\n