Editorials involved in vitriolic personal attacks – especially on the Second Citizen!

The Editorial of Ceylon Today a few days ago, November 14^th to be exact titled, “Ranil an imminent danger to free media” http://www.ceylontoday.lk/e-paper.html (on page 6 after you go to the 14/11/12 date and click on that date in Archives)  is just a completely uncalled for personal attack without any understanding of the reason for RW questioning the need for some journalistic self control on reporting, of a responsible press. It has nothing AT ALL to do with an attack on the Freedom of the Press which he like most people in this country value immensely.

I will not go into the content, except for the reader to go on line and read it for him/herself. It was an editorial unbecoming of a sane and objective editor. This from a paper that has steam rolled journalistic ethics to pulp, and then tries to pontificate about Free Media!

When you have NO free media in Sri Lanka, which has been forced by the actions of this Government to practice self-censorship just for survival, it is mighty uppity of a new paper, which has made a name for itself by being one that practices personal vitriolic attacks against the Leader of the Opposition, to use the power of the editorial to sling mud at a perfectly sensible point.

Why the editorial starts with the composition of the PSC and the lack of caliber of the UNP nominees and then goes into the attack is itself mischievous as the former content has nothing to do with the substance of the editorial.

I hope the editor will tender an apology after an objective analysis is done on it by uninterested independent party. The editor’s bias and hate for the UNP leader does not allow him to cast aspersions on his character.

Using the Mont Pelerin Society membership that backs the causes of the Freedom of Expression, to then say RW is a hypocrite is very disingenuous, as the circumstances and comments are non related.

There IS NO QUESTION that SL journalists have not respected objective journalistic values in reporting on the Impeachment motion currently being debated within the PSC’s and therefore who better than the Second Citizen of the land to point this out to these sorry excuses of a FOURTH ESTATE.