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The media and political agendas

The responsible use of media freedom continues to be the number one issue facing all sections of this country's media.

While, as Media and Information Minister Mangala Samaraweera recently pointed out at the launching of the 3rd Asia-Pacific Institute for Broadcasting Development General Conference, "there is hardly any legislative restraint" on the local media, it is an open question whether all sections of the media use the freedom at their disposal in a socially responsible manner.

The gross abuse rather than the constructive use of media freedom could be seen in the way some sections of the media currently treat national issues, such as the ethnic conflict.

Daily, the public is exposed to a splurge of comments on this question in the "mainstream media", but the bulk of such commentary tends to mislead and confuse, rather than guide and enlighten the reader on the issues at hand.

For instance, it has almost become habitual in some sections of the press to denigrate the interim government concept as a stepping stone to a separate state in the North-East.

However, the fact is that earnest negotiations between the Government and the LTTE need to be launched as soon as possible and nothing which is likely to figure in such talks could be subjected to prior media speculation and hypothesising if objectivity is to be one's guide.

Nevertheless, the creation of groundless public fears continues in these sections of the media - all in the name of "freedom".

While media freedom, correctly understood, involves the balanced presentation of different and even opposing points of view on the same issue or development, this is usually not the norm which is adhered to by those sections of the media which claim to be "free".

A perusal of the daily coverage of developments in the "free media", thus, betrays a glaring bias against the Government and a relatively uncritical partiality towards the opposition.

This tendency gives credence to Minister Samaraweera's observation that the expression of views in these jaundiced sections of the media "have often fallen in line with the agenda of political parties".

How satisfactorily, then, are the so called independent media measuring up to their self-professed ideals? The general public of this country is perceptive enough to arrive at the correct inferences on these issues.

On the other hard, as the Minister points out, the State-owned media couldn't be abused to "advance the political agendas of the party in power".

If this happens, the State media wouldn't be faring any better than the so-called free media. But the State media are obliged to support the Government in the fulfilment of the mandate given to it by the people. For, in any functional democracy, the will of the people reigns supreme.

Accordingly, it would be the duty of the State media - for instance - to foster communal harmony and support government efforts to resolve the ethnic issue peacefully.

It could be argued that the privately-owned media are free to back the political party of their choice in the furtherance of its agenda, but they clearly couldn't claim to be "free" while thus compromising their integrity.

Of men and (snake) wine

Readers of Thursday's edition of the Daily News would no doubt have experienced a creepy feeling seeing our front page picture of three jars full of snakes dunked in some solution.

The 'snake wine' was seized by the Airport customs from a Sri Lankan passenger returning from Vietnam. A similar detection was made by Airport customs as far back as 1990 - only that the jars contained iguanas.

Both reptilian concoctions had one thing in common. They were claimed to be aphrodisiacs - a tonic enhancing male sexual drive.

The origins of Aphrodisiacs we are told goes back a long way into history to times of ancient Rome and Greece in an era of debauchery and licentious revelry. There are accounts of how the ancient kings took some libido enhancing magic potions.

There were also various elixirs for maintaining youth and also extending longevity coming down the ages whose effectiveness is vouched to even this day.

There is no account of any person coming forward to vouch for the efficacy of this latest wonder potion - at least publicly. We already have patented "performance" enhancing drugs like Viagra in the market which have led to the death of some overzealous men.

Significantly the latest concoction emanates from Vietnam which is in a region famous for occult practices. So much so it would be not out of place to suggest here that "snake wine" would be in ready circulation in exotic Bangkok and other capitals of the world.

All this leads to one fundamental question. Does a male need an extra catalyst to enhance his libido? There are those who would argue that modern day tensions diminish male vitality requiring them to resort to a supplementary source to recharge the batteries, so to speak.

It would be interesting to hear what all this mumbo jumbo would evoke among our older folk. They would likely say "we did not need any supplements - we turned to love, the most vital tonic ever invented".

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