Amid an intensifying civil war, the Sri Lankan defence authorities have set out tough new guidelines for the media, which amount to de facto censorship of reporting on military activities.
In a letter issued to all news organisations on September 28, Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse called for all coverage to be submitted to the Media Centre for National Security (MCNS) for vetting.
“Any news gathered by your institution through your own sources with regard to national security and defense should be subjected to clarification and confirmation from the MCNS in order to ensure that correct information is published, telecast or broadcast,” the directive stated. The defence secretary is the brother of President Mahinda Rajapakse, who is defence minister and commander in chief.
The letter insisted that the measure was to “ensure that all national security and defense related news are disseminated to local and international media promptly and accurately without censorship”.
Government defence spokesman Keheliya Rambukwella, who heads the MCNS, met media chiefs on September 28 to explain the new directive.
He asked the media to “obtain information related to national security and defence related news through the MCNS or authorised officials”. Action was needed, he said, “following the publication of contradictory media reports in the recent past”.
None of the media outlets have objected to the new measures. The only criticism raised by the Sunday Times was that there was one rule for the local media and another for the international press.
None of the major political parties, all of which back the military action against the LTTE, have criticised the directive or defended freedom of the press.
Speaking to media heads on August 16, President Rajapakse called for “responsible reporting” on issues of national security and support for the war. The meeting was called after military chiefs complained that the media was “helping LTTE terrorists” by failing to completely toe the line laid down by defence spokesmen.
(edited)
