Daily News Editorial

Challenging future for media

03 May 2017

“Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.”

This is one of the most cherished paragraphs of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the very bedrock of the United Nations. But today, the media is facing a multitude of challenges that can undermine this very concept, from authoritarian regimes to the proliferation of “fake news” on sites such as Facebook. Journalism today is not what it used to be even five years ago – such is the pace of progress – and not always for the better.

The media landscape is changing fast in Sri Lanka and elsewhere. The first challenge was from web-based media, but now social media have changed the way we consume media to the extent that some people depend primarily on them to get their news fix. This has given rise to the phenomenon of “fake news” where false news masquerades as real news, fooling social media users. It is very difficult to regulate these contents, though Google and Facebook have started to crack the whip. In the end, the only answer is good journalism that can counter the untruths out there.

Today, journalists the world over will get an opportunity to ponder these challenges on World Press Freedom Day (WPFD), which is aimed at celebrating the fundamental principles of press freedom; assessing the state of press freedom throughout the world; defending the media from attacks on their independence and paying tribute to journalists who have lost their lives in the line of duty. One hundred journalists were killed last year alone and many others were imprisoned. Yes, every journalist is told that “no story is worth your life” but they will move forward undeterred in the search for truth. Unfortunately, there are many, from Governments to rebel groups, who do not want them to find out the truth.

Releasing their annual Press Freedom Index 2017 on the eve of WPFD, Reporters Sans Frontiers (RSF/Reporters Without Borders) said press freedom has never been as threatened as it is now, in the “new post-truth era of fake news”, strongmen and propaganda. The Index warned of a “tipping point” for journalism. “Attacks on the media have become commonplace and strongmen are on the rise. We have reached the age of post-truth, propaganda, and suppression of freedoms - especially in democracies,” the report said. “Media freedom has never been so threatened.” Syria, where a bloody war has entered its sixth year, was the deadliest country for journalists, according to the watchdog. RSF Secretary General Christophe Deloire said: “The rate at which democracies are approaching the tipping point is alarming for all those who understand that, if media freedom is not secure, then none of the other freedoms can be guaranteed.”

This brings us to the WPFD theme for this year – “Critical Minds for Critical Times: Media’s role in advancing peaceful, just and inclusive societies”. This ties in with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal #16: “Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels”.

The 2017 WPFD is focused on why it is vital to strengthen free and quality journalism to enable the media to effectively contribute to the achievement of SDG 16. Specifically, the media must utilize the interrelationships between freedom of expression, justice for all and the rule of law, peace, and inclusiveness.

This is especially relevant to countries such as Sri Lanka which are emerging from protracted conflicts. The media has a major role to play to promoting peace and reconciliation. Unfortunately, certain media in Sri Lanka are still highly slanted on ethnic and religious lines. This is one challenge that authorities and publishers in Sri Lanka have to address.

In terms of securing press freedom itself, Sri Lanka has made vast strides in a couple of years. It is no secret that pres freedom was at its nadir in Sri Lanka during the years 2005-2014. This period saw the killing of several journalists and abductions and assaults on many others. Following the election of the new Government in 2015, the media regained the freedom it had lost. The Right to Information law, while not specifically aimed at journalists, is another boon for a free press. Investigations are underway into several high profile cases of murders and abductions of journalists, though many feel that the wheels of justice should move faster in these cases.

Despite the visible progress made in terms of media freedom and freedom of expression, Sri Lanka is at 141st place in the RSF Press Freedom Index, (no change from last year) which is certainly not a happy place to be in. (In comparison, Bhutan is at 84, Nepal 100, Maldives 117, Afghanistan 120, India 136, Pakistan 139, Bangladesh 146). The authorities should take any corrective steps that may be necessary to take Sri Lanka to a much higher position in the rankings in 2018.