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Media Ethics And The Government

By Vijitha Herath MP-Sunday, June 16, 2013

Th

e rules or standards governing the conduct of a personor the members of a profession are called ethics. Some

say that ethics are referred concepts that decide right

and wrong. All this point out that ethics is a criterion

that decides a person’s conduct. Ethics are framed

according to religious beliefs, culture and general

acceptance. Despite many ethics have become laws,

what is particular is that they are not forced on anyone

like laws and regulations. These were framed not by

people who thought they had the power to decide for 

others but those groups from various sectors whoconstellated to take common decisions.

Mahinda Rajapaksa government took many decisions for itself after the presidential and general elections

in 2010. The 18th Amendment was adopted making use of the distorted 2/3rd majority in parliament made

up of MPs bought with various privileges, rewards and favours. It was to extend the term of presidency and

to abolish the 17th Amendment that maintained some sort of democracy in the country. ‘Divi Neguma’ pact

was passed so that a Rajapaksa could control millions in ‘Samurdhi’ funds. The authority to detain for 48

hours, which is a compulsory need of an anti-people’s regime for strengthening its suppressive machinery,

was given to the police. A large number of financial bills were passed in a hurry so that it could fill its

coppers by increasing taxes. There are many the government has achieved for itself.

Ignazio Silone in his book “Bread and Wine” states the government has a long hand and a short hand. Thelong hand, which moves everywhere, is to take. The short hand is to give. It extends only to people nearby.

This describes Rajapaksa regime too well. The government that seizes the last cent from the masses

increasing stamp fees, registration fees, fuel prices and increasing electricity tariffs, is aiming to use its

‘long hand’ to grab another. However, the government tries to show that it uses the ‘long hand’ to present

something to others. The people who are aware that they would lose something when the government

extends its ‘long hand’ are scared when they see the ‘long hand’. The government is attempting to grab

media freedom in lieu of individual freedom and regulate the right of the people for information.

The government states this time it has a cake that everyone could enjoy. According to the government its

exercise is to regulate unruly and uncontrollable media. According to the government its exercise is ‘on

behalf of people’s right for information and protect individual rights’. They are very comely words. However,

the sinister need of the government is so large that it cannot be hidden behind these words. The exercise is

indeed to plunder people’s right for information and affirm the freedom the government needs for its

existence. What the government is attempting to do again is to take from the ‘long hand’ and serve itself.

This is why the electricity tariff for consumers who use the least is more than those who use the maximum.

The government that has ministers who pay Rs.1.5 million electricity bills with ministry funds always

serves itself or to the inner circle. As such, what is being attempted to ‘protect’ calling it ‘individual freedom’

is not the freedom of citizens but the freedom and existence of those close to the regime.

The government has tried out various attempts to tame the media. The government was accused of 

A media protest

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torching media institutions such as ‘The Sunday Leader’, ‘Uthayan’ and ‘Sirasa’. It was not the opposition

that was accused of murdering, disappearing, abducting and assaulting journalists. There were also

banning of web sites and increasing registration fees of media institutions. Also, leaders of the government,

owners of media institutions and media chiefs sitting for breakfast, distribution of laptops and the issue of 

vehicle loans were discussed in the media sector as exercises to tame journalists. However, the conduct of 

the media changed as the mask of false amicability of the government was revealed and the real face

became visible. This didn’t go well with the government. The electronic media, newspapers and specially

websites that became popular within a short period were exposing the truth regarding the government. A

good example is the clash between the government and the judiciary regarding the ‘Divi Neguma’ bill. As

such, the government needed a bulldozer operation to crush the media.

It is in such an environment that the government is clamouring that a code of ethics for the media would be

presented to Parliament soon. The public condemnation of the unpleasant telecast by an electronic media

of the incident when Ven. Bowaththe Indraratna Thera committed suicide by setting fire to himself has been

used as an excuse for doing so. Despite it has not been presented to Parliament yet, a code of ethics the

government has said to have compiled has been revealed in the media. It is so complex and detailed that it

is difficult to assume that the code of ethics had been compiled suddenly. Hence, it could be assumed that

the government had been waiting to hunt down the media. The suicide incident is only a pretext. A similar situation was used by the United Front government about one and a half decades ago to bring in

a set of rules to weaken the student movement in universities, which was a headache for the government

using the death of a student called Varaprakash from the Faculty of Engineering at Peradeniya University. It

was claimed that the student died due to ragging. Rajapaksa regime too was expecting such a situation to

take action regarding the media it had failed to tame. It has been named ‘The Code of Media Ethics

prepared by the Ministry of Mass Media and Information’. What is published as its contents is not different

to a bill to suppress the media.

The punishment relevant to the decrees that begin with the words “No publications should be published

which…” (‘should’ is used to express duty or obligation) have not been mentioned yet. The whip crackers

have arrived and the rest of the procession would not be far behind. It is evident the intention of thegovernment is not to introduce a code of ethics for the media but to place barriers for sectors that would

embarrass and make life cumbersome for the government.

The ‘code of ethics’ would prevent the media from publishing anything other than mere day-to-day

incidents. The following ‘proposals’ would confirm this.

(a) No publications should be published which

(b) Contains criticism affecting foreign relations

(d) Contains anything obscene, defamatory, deliberate falsehood and suggestive innuendos and half truths

or wilful omissions

(e) Contains information which could mislead the public

(f) Is likely to encourage or incite violence or contains anything against maintenance of law and order or which may promote anti-national attitudes

(g) Contains anything amounting to contempt of court

(h) Contains materials against the integrity of the Executive, Judiciary and Legislative

These decrees would cast a deep shadow over many sections of the media. Under this the news that ‘The

President intends amending the 13th Amendment to the Constitution’ could be interpreted as material that

“contains criticism affecting foreign relations”. If these new ‘ethics’ were present during the period when the

government was attempting blatantly to repress the judiciary, the media would have to report only regarding

the weather. Now even weather ‘forecasts’ create turmoil in the government and they too would be

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categorized as material that “contains information which could mislead the public”!

The other reason that indicates the government is genuinely not interested in media ethics is the behaviour 

of the state media. May be the Ministry of Media and Information has no time to find out whether the

malicious mud campaigns carried out by this media against the opposition agrees with the code of ethics

the government attempts to advocate.

There is a proverb in Sinhalese language that states only those who maintain good standards should

advise others. This may be regarding the government that expects ethical conduct from the rest of the

media while its media is engaged in mudslinging. The new attempt of the Rajapaksa regime is like a

demonstration on walking straight by crabs.

In addition to rowdy and ruthless behaviour of certain ministers, members of their families and their 

supporters a large number of chairmen, mayors and members are in prison on various charges. However,

the government has not paid any attention to draw up a code of ethics to control the barbaric behaviour of 

its politicians. Those responsible for maintaining this regime could have taught them how to carry out

notorious activities without getting caught.

For, this regime is full of ignominious individuals skilled in underhandedness, deviousness, or deception.

There is no such attempt. What is being attempted is to gag the media that points out these characteristics.

Politicians have become sex offenders. DIGs have become contract killers. Judges have become bribetakers. Anything can happen in the country, which is to be made the ‘Miracle of Asia’ before it finds utopia.

However, all this baboonery is only until the masses realize that the crab walks sideways.