CODE OF ETHICS A RUSE BY GOVT. TO CONTROL MEDIA: LALKANTHA

In recent times the professional integrity of journalists has been undermined more than any other profession

If the government forces a code of ethics on journalists, inevitably media institutions would have to publish or broadcast the material given to them by the government, charged Chairman of the National Trade Union Centre, K.D. Lalkantha.

He made these remarks while participating in the panel discussion held yesterday, on the code of ethics for media, organized by the Sri Lanka Journalists’ Trade Union. “In recent times the professional integrity of journalists has been undermined more than any other profession. No other profession is faced with abductions, disappearances and forms of harassment for merely engaging in their profession as journalists. The code of conduct for the media is being brought forward to bring about such a situation” said Lalkantha.

Meanwhile Tamil National Alliance MP, M.A Sumanthiran, expressing his views on the subject of media ethics, alleged that media institutions in Sri Lanka have to act in a manner that was favourable to the government to survive in the in- dustry. He said that there should also not be an entity called “state media” as the media should be free and not controlled by the state.

Commenting on the journalists working in the north he pointed out that the Uthayan newspaper and its journalists have been attacked 37 times by armed men to date and the government was yet to apprehend the culprits even though the north is controlled by the armed forces.Former chairman of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce, Chandra Jayaratne speaking at the event said, “The ones who are trying to bring in a code of ethics for media should first put their own houses in order.