"A good journalist has qualities such as independence"
‘Siri Asiri’ felicitates Siri Ranasinghe's long career as editor of Lankadeepa
Editor in Chief of the daily Lankadeepa newspaper Siri Ranasinghe who has held the post for 33 consecutive years was felicitated at an event this week, attended by senior journalists, academics and politicians.
The event ‘Sri Asiri’ was held at the Sri Lanka Foundation Institute during on Wednesday, December 20.
The event was attended by two former Presidents, Mahinda Rajapaksa and Maithripala Sirisena, former speaker Karu Jayasuriya and cabinet ministers among others.
Wijeya Newspapers Chairman Ranjit Wijewardene was the Chief Guest.
Maha Nayaka of the Sri Amarapura Dharmarakshita Nikaya Most Venerable Tirikunamale Ananda Thera, Senior Professor Sena Nanayakkara and renowned journalist, poet, literary critic and author Tilakarathna Kuruwita Bandara were among those who addressed the gathering.
Ven Ananda Thera said those who were present had come together for a meritorious ceremony to felicitate Mr Ranasinghe who had been in journalism for over 58 years and held the post of Editor in Chief of the Lankadeepa for 33.
He added that the editor had done yeomen service and the event was organised to felicitate the veteran editor and bestow blessings and well wishes on him.
He said a good journalist should be independent. Mr Ranasinghe was a very independent person. Though he has personal ideologies he never expressed his own ideologies in journalism, the Thera said. His paper can be deemed impartial due to the editorship of Mr Ranasinghe. The paper's impartiality is visible in the news and political write ups as they are well balanced, the Thera said.
He added that Mr Ranasinghe was not enslaved by his feelings and was able to work empirically. He was an accountable editor who was humble enough to listen to people who would point out errors and take action accordingly.
Senior Professor at the Department of Humanities of Rajarata University, Sena Nanayakkara said that Mr Ranasinghe was a dedicated editor who took quick decisions and maintained independency of the paper.
Silumina newspaper former editor Thilakaratne Kuruvita Bandara remarked that holding an editor post consecutively for 33 years is not an easy task.
He said Mr Ranasinghe faced a daily competition to make his paper a victorious one among other papers. "It is not an easy task to create a paper that touches the people’s hearts. He was impartial and well balanced when running the paper,” he added.
Amara Gunasekara, a former principal of Deiyandara National school, where Mr, Ranasinghe had his primary education, spoke of the Editor's gratitude to his old school and village.
Mr Ranasinghe addressing the gathering recalled the journey of how he was appointed to the post of the editor.
“Most of my friends who obtained education along with me applied for ordinary clerk posts by sitting for an exam. I was trying to face the exam to become a clerk. However, my unforgettable teacher Hubert Karunaratne advised me not take the test but asked me to apply for the Vidyodaya University entrance. After I ended my university studies there was an opportunity to join the CTB. However, after seeing an advertisement in the Silumina newspaper. I applied and was recruited as a journalist at Lake House after facing exams and two interviews with Dinamina Editor Mr Wettasinghe and then Chairman Ranjit Wijewardene.
He said he had to leave Lake House in the 1980's due to an incident. At that time a chief editor who was at Lake House S. Subasinghe and Percy Jayamanna were invited Mr Wijewardene to start Wijeya Newspapers. He said a senior journalist Mr Subasinghe had asked him to meet him. "Then I came to Wijaya newspapers and met Mr Subasinghe who was the founding Editor of the Sunday Lankadeepa. He recruited me," Mr. Ranasinghe said.
"However both Mr Subasinghe and Mr. Jayamanne did not stay for long. Then one day Podi Hamuduruwo of Gangaramaya who had studied with me at Vidyodaya University, asked me to take over the editor post at the Sunday Lankadeepa. I asked for a week to think about it and come to a decision. When I asked my colleagues, they said to take over the post. Thereafter I took the post and worked as the editor of the Sunday Lankadeepa.
“Chairman Mr Wijewardene wanted to start a daily Lankadeepa paper and he had asked Mr Lal Jayawardene who should be made the editor of the daily paper, Mr Jayawardene had replied, 'why, there’s Siri he had been handling the Lankadeepa as its Deputy Editor.' After that recommendation I took over the Daily Lankadeepa paper in 1991.”