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Wednesday, 14 March 2012

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ABC of prudent journalism

Not many have openly fought against corruption and lived to tell the tale another day. While many stand deaf and turn a blind eye on corruption, he wages his lone battle. He is rebellious and fearless and would go great extremes to raise his voice against such injustices.

Victor Ivan.
Picture by Ranjith Asanka

Unwavering fearlessness enables him to withstand taunting storms that come his way. However there is more to him than sheer boldness. He is a master tactician and is wise enough to know when to deliver the killer punch. “I love chess. When I play a game of chess, I do not hesitate to make bold moves irrespective of the risk involved in it, but boldness alone is not enough. You have to be prudent and be mindful about the consequences,” he says.

He has his critics as well. Some say his battles against former president Chandrika Kumarathunge and Chief Justice Sarath N. Silva were all done to fulfill his hidden motives.

He is a hero with underhand motives, they say. Still none of such prejudiced criticisms can undo his services and if not for his revelations, such misdemeanor would have forever gone unnoticed to the public eye.

His books varying from controversial ‘Queen of Deceit’, ‘Unfinished Struggle’ ‘Paradise in tears’, ‘Revolt in Temple’ to ‘Innocence of the Pen Questioned’ expose hair-splitting revelations about corruption that plague the country. The senior journalist and the editor in chief of Ravaya newspaper, ‘Victor Ivan’, a controversial figure in Sri Lankan media field faces this week’s Encounter of the Week.

Q: After serving your prison sentence during 1971 insurrection times, you shifted away from violence and carried out your struggle through journalism, what made you move away from violence?

A: The aftermath of 1971 insurrection caused me to be critical about my own-self. I was once a follower of Marx; I felt it was the right way. But as I probed into my dilemma, I realized that Gandhi’s way is much better and I wanted to create a change without using violence. I felt force and violence are not effective means of getting through to people, that is why I took the route of journalism. I felt the need to educate people and I felt journalism was still a strong medium to carry out my struggle.

Q: In a country like Sri Lanka, how hard is it for a journalist to stay independent?

A: First of all, journalists should feel the need to stay independent. The independence is not something that should be provided by law or the government; the journalists themselves should feel the burning desire to feel proud about the work that they do and be independent to the extent that they can.

Even if you are working for a government institution there is an extent that you can feel free. You should use that leverage to the full and learn how to stay within these limitations, as you wage your battle.

Q: Don’t you feel that the journalism culture is dying in Sri Lanka?

A: Journalist plays a vital role in reforming the society. They should possess the intellectual capacity to perceive things in a realistic perspective and they should be able to recreate that image on the reader’s mind. The journalist is like a tutor to the society. A good journalist should be able to educate the society.

They should help people to expand their thinking horizons. Sadly however, the problem is that most journalists do not possess these qualities and because of that society has transformed in to a huge mess. The fact is that if the tutor who teaches the society does not possess necessary qualifications, the society invariably suffers. Most media people in Sri Lanka are not trained on the subject; the thirst for reading and urge to chase after stories are lacking in them.

Q: How should journalists work towards such a change?

A: They don’t necessarily have to look for a regime change or be hell-bent on overthrowing the government as such, but they should work with responsibility, they should provide fair criticisms and they should address both physical and spiritual development of the society.

Q: You have written books against powerful figures in Sri Lankan history such as Chandrika Kumarathunge and Sarath N. Silva, how hard was it to openly write against people with such power?

A: When publishing a controversial book you always have to think about challenges that may arouse from such a publication. For instance, when I published my critical book, ‘The Unfinished Struggle’ Sarath N Silva was still holding his post as the Chief Justice. The book revealed the naked truth of what goes beneath the crooked doors of Sri Lankan judiciary.

So when I published the book, I had to prepare myself for all the challenges that came with it.

I had to think whether he would use his power to stop the publication or whether he would use his power to harass me, etc. If I didn’t take the necessary precautions and just put it in to print, I would have been finished.

Q: Do you think it is ethical to publicly expose people in that manner?

A: I don’t think ethics have anything to do with it.

Q: Sarath N. Silva was in the panel that convicted you to prison during 1971 insurrection times; did you use your writing as a medium to carry out your own personal vendetta?

A: No I did not. There were other judges in that panel who later helped me a lot with my cases.

Sarath N Silva’s case was a by-product of another case. It started with allegations we made against a magistrate called Lenin Rathtnayaka. However as we delved deeper in to the case we were able to unravel more hideous things about Sri Lankan judiciary.

Q: Can you recall the first ever such fearless article that you have written for a paper, how hard was it initially?

A: The first time is always the hardest. You have to learn it. You need to learn how to be fearless.

You need great courage and boldness initially to put your words in to print.

But after a while you get used to it and with time even relevant parties get used to your constant attacks.

I wrote the first article while I was in prison during insurrection times. I used a pseudonym.

The article was about how prison officials used violence to torture prison inmates.

They had a special form of punishment called ‘pooriyal’ where all the prison officials get together to torture prisoners; I was once part of such torture and I decided to write about it to the Aththa newspaper, which was perhaps the first such article I have written.

Q: In your book, ‘Innocence of the Pen Questioned’, you say that while presenting their facts, journalists should always look to be prudent, what do you mean by that?

A: You have to act only after making appropriate logical and in-depth analysis of facts.

I was always careful to be prudent enough on occasion when I was compelled to be bold. For instance, Lasaantha Wickramathunga was a bold journalist, he would not have been become a dead hero, if he had displayed as much prudence as his boldness.

Q: What are challenges that an investigative journalist face when probing in to such grave issues?

A: In a country like Sri Lanka, the journalists are compelled to swim in rivers filled with crocodiles.

Therefore, it is essential that they posses the capability to swim without being caught by such blood-thirsty, carnivorous figures.

If I remained solely as a bold person, by now I may have either be in a graveyard or in a prison.

I was able to avoid being a victim because I was prudent enough to take adequate precautions.

Q: In your field of work it is normal to feel intimidated by the presence of people with power, did they ever try to intervene or did you receive any threats, as you delve deeper in to controversial issues?

A: Yes threats have always been there, we should know how to deal with such threats. Some people deal with such scenarios in a very stupid manner.

For instance I have never written about people in the underworld, because I don’t know how to deal with them.

Journalists should not be stupid enough to carve out their own death. If you want to write about them, use a different name, pseudonym.

Q: Do you think that the advent of internet and other technological gimmicks have weakened the effectiveness of paper newspapers and magazine?

A: I don’t think that internet or e-books will completely replace paper newspapers and magazines.

It is very true that internet, phones and TV play a major role in bringing news instantaneously to people.

But such news reports only reveal the surface story. As long as Newspapers provide readers with analytical, investigative articles, there will always be a market for newspapers.

Q: Why haven’t you tried writing fiction?

A: Most of my works have been experiments. For twenty five years I have been doing experiments with my writings. I haven’t tried writing fiction.

All of my books are based on real incidents and proven facts, the readers like that style; they say they have lot to learn from my books.

 

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