|
|
 |
 |
 |
| Wednesday, 13 October 2004 |
 |
|
 |
Politics | |
| News Business Features Editorial Security Politics World Letters Sports Obituaries
| Ample room for different points of view in media - Dr. Amunugama by Florence Wickramage Modern technology has created a dilemma in journalism not only in Sri Lanka but in the whole world. With television channels giving the news first newspapers have fallen to the position of reporting late news, said Finance Minister Dr. Sarath Amunugama recently. Dr. Amunugama further added "One of the worst things that I can see in our media in the region is that people are sitting on the news. When the news comes from the correspondents, Editorial staff is sitting on the news - they don't act immediately". One of the cardinal principles in journalism is that the news as against the views should be very fast. Dr. Sarath Amunugama as Chief Guest was addressing the 49th anniversary celebrations of the Sri Lanka Press Association held last Saturday at Hotel Ranmuthu in Colombo. Veteran Journalist Vikram Rao was the Guest of Honour and Patron Sri Lanka Press Association D.F. Kariyakarawana presided at the Anniversary celebrations. Dr. Amunugama observed that during the earlier days there were Editorial Conferences where they look at all the competition - compare the stories that had been missed and then take the reporter in charge to task. Such urgency was not there now. He also said that the media means diversity and that there was room for different points of view. "It means that the power to present only one point of view will not be in keeping with the best traditions of the media". Speaking further he said that there was a big problem in Journalism today mainly due to modern technology which has become a dilemma not only in Sri Lanka but in the whole world. "Due to television news the reports print media that which we have already seen on TV but I am sorry to say in the national languages it is even worse," the Minister said. With regard to commentary reporting Dr. Amunugama said English newspapers and Indian newspapers were simply fantastic. Expressing his appreciation at the presence of a delegation of Indian Journalists at the meeting, Dr. Amunugama said that "India has been our closest neighbour and our dearest friend. India and Sri Lanka both share in the democratic tradition of Journalism and that in India we have a very good example of different views at the national level, regional level and State level and also village level - a whole level of media freedom in that country". Sri Lanka had a lot to learn from India. A delegation of 24 Journalists from India led by Internationally renowned veteran Journalist Vikram Rao was in the island on the invitation of the Sri Lanka Press Association (SLPA) and its Patron D.F. Kariyakarawana. The Anniversary celebrations included the handing over of Certificates to students of the Media College run by the SLPA, launching of books by an Indian and Sri Lankan Journalists and the election of office-bearers for the next year. |
|
News | Business | Features
| Editorial | Security
Produced by Lake House |
