Media seminar told: Impartial coverage essential during elections

BY E. WEERAPPERUMA

THE State media is committed to ensure balance reportage and we would see that equal opportunity is given in media reporting in accordance with the directives of President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga who is also the Minister of Media, Deputy Media Minister Cegu Issadeen said.

Addressing a group of journalists who were at a workshop on "Balanced Election Reporting" organised by the South Asian Free Media Association (SAFMA) Colombo Chapter, supported by the Press Complaint Commission of Sri Lanka(PCCSL), held at the Colombo Continental Hotel on Thursday, the Deputy Minister said that the candidates put forward by the two main parties have special qualities of their own and whoever elected by the people to run the country, would be burdened in presenting an acceptable solution to the ethnic issue.

"We are a free people. We live in a free and democratic country. We should give equal opportunity to all candidates at the Presidential election. The two main parties have put forward their respective candidates.

The country looks for their solutions to problems. In reporting, it is the duty of all media to give unbiased and balanced reportage and let the people decide. Our President is keen to see that both are given equal opportunity.

Your contribution as Media, is of great importance and your coming together to ensure balanced and impartial reporting is a welcome. You have set an example to be emulated by others," Deputy Minister Issadeen said. Former Higher Education Minister and UNP MP for Kegalle district

Kabeer Hashim expressing his confidence in the media fraternity said the media would ensure free and fair, unbiased reporting at the forthcoming Presidential election.

He stressed the importance of media being fair, not only by the candidates contesting but also by the people who would decide the fate of this country.

A memorandum prepared by the participants at the Workshop was handed over to Deputy Minister Cegu Issadeen representing the UPFA candidate and MP Kabeer Hashim representing the UNP candidate.

The journalists in handing over the Memorandum requested the two representatives to hand over the Memorandum to the respective candidates for their perusal and observances.

The Memorandum handed over to the UPFA and UNP representative had highlighted six main areas such as Professional Commitment, Responsibilities of the Journalists, Responsibilities of the media proprietors, Responsibilities of the Candidates and Supporting groups in relation to the media, Responsibilities of the Elections Commissioner and Media Rights and facilities.

The Memorandum prepared by the journalists stated that they remain committed to the basic professional tenets of responsible reportage of facts relating to the elections, so that the voter is provided with a reliable and comprehensive understanding of the national issues and priorities at stake, in the elections; to be accurate and avoid distortions, imbalances; not fall prey to vested interests and be manipulated for personal political agenda and to uphold and strengthen the Press Complaints Commission of Sri Lanka as the mechanism for the implementation of voluntary self regulation by the media.

They also called upon the Candidates and their supporting groups to respect the professional commitment of the media in their service as communicators to the voting citizens of this country.

They also wanted the spokesmen of the respective political parties to be competent persons in relevant subjects.

Drawing attention to the media rights and facilities, the Memorandum has emphasised the importance of establishing a " Journalist Solidarity Fund" to help journalists who become victims as a result of they trying to maintain their professional integrity and has observed the need to safeguard journalists from unfair public labelling as political sympathizers.

The Workshop also opined that the media proprietors ensure that journalists' reporting content remains true to the public interest and are not tailored to serve purely vested interests of the owners of the respective media institutions.

The journalists who attended the workshop included representative from Environment Journalist Forum, Muslim Media Forum, Free Media Movement, Working Journalists Association and Tamil Media Alliance along with print and electronic media representatives of the respective media institutions.