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C'
wealth slams State media While pointing the finger firmly at the State media - both print and electronic - in particular, the Group's report does not exonerate the privately-owned media from bias, either. But its strictures are aimed mainly at the State media and in particular an English language newspaper run by a State-controlled institution. "Sri Lankan media at its best is an impressive combination of wit and wisdom, with some especially good writing in the Sunday papers. But at its worst - for example in the main English language State newspaper - it descends not only to deplorable levels of propaganda but to outright disinformation," the report states. "Most news reports-and their headlines - strongly favoured one party or another. Direct speech was reported in markedly different styles in order to boost or undermine the credibility of the speaker while pretending to neutrality. Similarly, vocabulary was adjusted according to the subject. Crucial stories and facts were omitted," the Observers remarked. But its most stinging comment was reserved for cooked up stories by the State media. "Worse still," the Observer Group states, "some stories were total fabrications. One NGO made a formal complaint when a State newspaper presented fabricated survey 'results' supposedly obtained from the public by the NGO. It emerged that the questions had never been asked, let alone answered in the way the newspaper claimed. There was a clear political purpose, since the fabricated survey results suggested that the President was more popular than the Prime Minister and was more likely to win the General Election." "The Group was particularly concerned the State media should act this way," the report states. The Commonwealth Observers regarded the State media as having a special responsibility to be fair and balanced, especially in view of its authority and reach. "It regretted the absence of such balance during the campaign period," it concluded. But all was not bleak for the Sri Lankan media in the eyes of the Observer Group. "There was some balanced journalism during the campaign period. A number of editors and journalists fought hard to maintain high standards in the face of intimidation, threats and violence, all of which increased as the General Election drew near" it said. But, states the Observers, much of the media failed to provide either the information or the objectivity which is required by voters in a pre-election period. The worst examples of such abuse, it says, occurred in the State newspapers and it was left to a handful of privately-owned media to help the electorate in reaching free and informed choices through the provision of accessible, accurate, timely and impartial news and analyses. The
report also says that With regard to future elections, the Observers urge that the Competent Authority which the Elections Commissioner is empowered to establish to regulate the State broadcast media, be in place on the day the election is declared, that it should embrace all State media - print as well as broadcast - and that the election management body be provided with stronger powers to ensure adherence to the Guidelines for the media. "This is all the more important in view of the absence of any body for the general regulation of the media" the report said. LTTE
slated for intimidation Observing that the general election in general was conducted in conditions that were politically free, such freedom was obviously lacking in the North - and to a lesser degree in the East - because of LTTE intimidation and control that denied the people a political choice. "The Group's own observations and reports from voters, political parties and non-governmental organisations indicated that in the North, particularly in LTTE-controlled areas, only the TNA could campaign and canvass, either directly or by arrangement with the LTTE. Evidence of TNA campaigning included posters at village centres and road junctions, as well as within the LTTE security zone at the border of the LTTE-controlled area" the report said. "In the Jaffna area the Group observed that the campaign was heavily skewed in the TNA's favour. Opposition party candidates alleged that their campaigning had been reduced to handing out leaflets door-to-door" it said. The Observers say that in some places in the North and East the level of threat - and the corresponding inhibition on open campaigning - was such that some political parties requested police protection. The report states that in the North all the polling stations observed were staffed with two TNA agents, while agents for the other parties were absent or few and far between. The Observer Group says it was told that LTTE intimidation had made it difficult for other parties to recruit agents. |
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