{"id":45643,"date":"2012-06-18T07:34:04","date_gmt":"2012-06-18T07:34:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/?p=45643"},"modified":"2012-06-22T04:54:51","modified_gmt":"2012-06-22T04:54:51","slug":"why-is-the-fmm-silent-about-ceylon-today","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/why-is-the-fmm-silent-about-ceylon-today\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Is The FMM Silent About ‘Ceylon Today’?"},"content":{"rendered":"

By<\/strong>\u00a0Malinda Seneviratne<\/a>\u00a0–<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Malinda Seneviratne<\/p><\/div>\n

Recent events at \u2018Ceylon Today\u2019 have made waves in media circles.\u00a0\u00a0First and foremost, as a member of the small but vibrant English newspaper fraternity, \u2018The Nation\u2019 sincerely hopes that the newspaper will survive these hiccups and go from strength to strength in playing its part in the larger role of keeping the public informed and those acting against the public interest on their toes.\u00a0\u00a0That said, we believe it is incumbent on us to offer comment on the implications of the said developments for media freedom and the rights of journalists.<\/p>\n

It is solely up to the management of media institutions to do what is believed to be reasonable and necessary in terms of stated mandates, hopefully without compromising general as well as specific ethics pertaining to freedom of expression.\u00a0\u00a0Reports in this regard clearly indicate that the Editor in Chief cum Director-Editorial Lalith Alahakoon was asked to resign for not toeing the line.<\/p>\n

Now there are lines and lines and many kinds of \u2018toeing\u2019; all newspapers have owners and they do set the boundaries.\u00a0\u00a0They hire, they fire.\u00a0\u00a0Part of the deal.\u00a0\u00a0Legal.\u00a0\u00a0The deal however does not include \u2018shabbiness of treatment\u2019, especially to a very senior journalist and a man who helped launch three newspapers, \u2018The Nation\u2019 included.\u00a0\u00a0The prompt resignation of some senior journalists (including winners of awards for journalistic excellence) following the above directive shows loyalty to their chief (not necessarily a bad thing) and moreover amounts to a privileging of principle over personal gain (laudable).<\/p>\n

Time tells a lot of things and we reiterate the hope that Ceylon Today recovers from these multiple blows.\u00a0\u00a0More seriously though is the conspicuous silence of the Free Media Movement on these developments.<\/p>\n

There are pertinent facts which may have had a bearing on the FMM\u2019s silence.\u00a0\u00a0First, the new No 1 (for all intents and purposes) at Ceylon Today, was a former Secretary of the FMM and was recently appointed as a Trustee.\u00a0She has, like the current Convenor of the FMM, Sharmini Boyle, worked closely with NGOs.\u00a0\u00a0Secondly, Sunil Jayasekera, the current Secretary of the FMM was (perhaps still is?) in the pay of the paper\u2019s proprietor.<\/p>\n

More seriously, the FMM has been consistent in its call for editorial independence.\u00a0\u00a0The FMM has conducted programmes on public service journalism with other media organizations where subjects such as \u2018Editorial independence\u2019, \u2018Owners\u2019 Rights and Editors\u2019 Rights\u2019, \u2018Solidarity Among Journalists\u2019 etc\u00a0\u00a0were taught\/discussed.<\/p>\n

Sharmini Boyle, when asked to comment, said \u2018We haven\u2019t discussed the matter yet\u2019.\u00a0\u00a0Sita Ranjani, another FMM activist and office-bearer who offers opinions on all things under the sun passed the buck to Sunil Jayasekera whose phone was (conveniently?) switched off.<\/p>\n

The FMM has issues and it\u2019s been well documented.\u00a0\u00a0One of the founder members and long-time Convenors, Sunanda Deshapriya was asked to resign from the Centre for Policy Alternatives for perpetrating fraud. His dubious handling of FMM funds warranted an audit query which he has deliberately sabotaged by refusing to furnish relevant project documents.\u00a0\u00a0The FMM later acknowledged that comprehensive investigation was necessary but said that the Rs. 1 million this would cost was beyond their means.\u00a0\u00a0I even offered to find the Rs. 1 million for this, but the FMM said nothing.<\/p>\n

\u2018Saying nothing\u2019 is not what the FMM does.\u00a0\u00a0\u2018Saying nothing\u2019 is awkward after all for an outfit that advocates media freedom and posits itself as a champion of freedom of expression.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The FMM is \u2018saying nothing\u2019 here, which means that the FMM is an organization that really can\u2019t handle inconveniences.<\/p>\n

This is about journalists.\u00a0\u00a0It is about editorial independence.\u00a0\u00a0It is about rights.\u00a0\u00a0It is about transparency.\u00a0\u00a0It is about accountability (as per the FMM\u2019s mission-vision statements).\u00a0\u00a0The FMM has a history of voicing opinion on all things right and wrong in the country, but they\u2019ve kept mum here.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0It can\u2019t be \u2018some\u2019 rights.\u00a0\u00a0It can\u2019t be \u2018some people\u2019s rights only\u2019.\u00a0\u00a0If that were the case, the FMM might as well close shop.<\/p>\n

Whether all of the above is relevant to what\u2019s happened and is happening at Ceylon Today will remain a mystery until the FMM spokespersons opens their eyes and mouths.<\/p>\n

Until then, the silence will tell its own story.\u00a0\u00a0Rather, it will confirm an old story about the FMM. It\u2019s called \u2018Not what it claims to be\u2019.<\/p>\n

I want \u2018CeylonToday\u2019 to survive these upheavals.\u00a0\u00a0I want more papers on the streets and less journalists on the streets.\u00a0\u00a0That, in the final instance, does more for media freedom than two-bit activists whose silence is up for purchase.<\/p>\n

*’Malinda Seneviratne is the Chief Editor of ‘The Nation’; his articles are posted on his blog:www.malindawords.blogspot.com<\/wbr><\/a>.’<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[…]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22,"featured_media":44732,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,46,8],"tags":[2748,2749,2747,2750,2751],"class_list":["post-45643","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-colombotelegraph","category-constitutional-reforms","category-editorial","tag-ceylon-today-editor-resigned-latest","tag-ceylon-today-editor-resigned-news","tag-ceylon-today-news","tag-editorial-independence","tag-free-media-movement-and-double-talks"],"yoast_head":"\nWhy Is The FMM Silent About 'Ceylon Today'? - Colombo Telegraph<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/why-is-the-fmm-silent-about-ceylon-today\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Why Is The FMM Silent About 'Ceylon Today'? 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