Shiranee Dissanayake’s Blueprint for Media Reform in Sri Lanka
Reclaiming the Fourth Estate
“Dissanayake has experienced a strong sense of purpose in life. You could say that writing this book is her calling in life. Her duty and responsibility. The book is her voice. It is her mission. Will the new government be committed to making way for a democratic press in the interest of the country and its people?
Shiranee Dissanayake is an experienced veteran journalist in Sri Lanka who has great insight and knowledge when it comes to the field of media. She is all ready to launch her book “Catalysing Good Governance Through National Media”, on November 7. This book deals with key issues Sri Lanka is facing today. Does the current media in Sri Lanka serve the purpose for which it exists? What ails the Sri Lankan media today? What role should the media play in the current context of governance, the governors, and the governed? What changes are needed to cure the maladies that afflict the media? The need for a system change for the betterment of the country is being discussed at all levels of society today and it is time for the journalistic community to think seriously about what role they can play in achieving this objective.
She left Rupavahini in 1995 to proceed to Cardiff Wales to do her Masters Degree in Journalism Studies. She joined TV in 1979 when ITN was taken over by the government, and was transferred to work for the newly acquired ITN. When she left Rupavahini in June 1995, she was acting as Director News. Now she is working as a Consultant to the Gamani Corea Foundation, in charge of the Freda Corea Awards project, the theme of which is women’s empowerment.
Most crucial period
In her words, as she sat down to write her book, the world was going through the most crucial period in its history, at the end of which the damage caused to the lives of people and the economies of the world would be devastating, to say the least. “COVID-19 struck Sri Lanka just 4 months after the Gotabaya Rajapaksa regime came into power with an overwhelming majority. But no one guessed that the aftermath of the presidential election would be far worse than that of the COVID-19 pandemic. The catastrophic situation our country was plunged into not long after, changed the whole social, and economic construct of the country as never before,” said Dissanayake
It was against this backdrop that she decided to finally sit down to write her book which she had been contemplating for quite some time. Having joined the field of radio broadcasting at a young age and having moved into television from its inception, she has been privy to the development of TV journalism in Sri Lanka since 1981.
“Being among the batch of pioneers, trained way back in 1980, to take on the duties of the news division of the Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation (SLRC), my first inclination was to document the history of the development of television in Sri Lanka, based on my experiences as a pioneer TV journalist.
However, the unexpected turn of events, following the collapse of the Gotabaya Rajapaksa regime, resulting in the risk of the country being rendered stateless, made me stop to think about what role we as journalists should play to ensure peace, stability, and social security,” explained Dissanayake.
Dissanayake has experienced a strong sense of purpose in life. You could say that writing this book is her calling in life. Her duty and responsibility.The book is her voice. It is her mission. Will the new government be committed to making way for a democratic press in the interest of the country and its people?
Editorial policy
“I was at Rupavahini from the very inception. During my time at Rupavahini I was privy to everything that happened there. How journalism was done, how the people were trained, the editorial policy and the culture. I have firsthand experience. I had the idea of writing a book for a long time. At that time I wanted to write about the history of Rupavahini, how Rupavahini came into being. I, then went abroad and got trained. I got selected by Canadian experts (CIDA) to be trained in all aspects of television production. I was later appointed as a pioneer producer atthe Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation News Division.I did not have time to write the book, so I was contemplating, then somewhere along the line Covid19 came, and the country experienced lockdowns. I started writing the book in 2020.”
Dissanayake pointed out that Sri Lanka is not operating under a normal situation. It is operating under a collapsed economy. It is not normal. “Under a collapsed economy where we are trying to recover and come out of this mess, what is the role of the media? I began to think about this. After former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa was deposed, we came to a stage where we did not have a government. If former president Ranil Wickremesinghe did not take over, god help us! We had that risk of being a non- state. Those risks are also there. The book is about my experiences. What is the role of the media in bringing the country out of this economic mess?They can’t report the way that they used to report. Because they have to think about the country. Journalists have to think in a different way.”
Chairman, Gamani Corea Foundation, Dr. Lloyd Fernando, had a project called “Innovators Forum”. “He assigned subject experts in various fields like Agriculture, Health, Public Service etc. They prepared ‘issues papers’- what is wrong in each of those sectors. And Dr. Lloyd Fernando wrote the issue paper on good governance. He has a concept. For the country to come out of the economic mess, and for it to go on the road to development, there should be good governance. The reason the country was in the state it was, was because of bad governance. So, Dr. Fernando has this concept. Everyone has been talking about a system change. But no one has come up with a framework for the system change. Dr. Fernando has a certain framework based on good governance. There are several principles on which it has to work, and Dr. Fernando has an understanding on how it can be done. His issues paper is on that. So when I read it, I realised that this is one way that we could go forward. If the powers that be, take it seriously and think of implementing good governance in its real form, then there is hope. But having good governance alone will not do, because there is a role that the media has to play. Media in my opinion has to make sure that the good governance practices are maintained by the government. We cannot do that when we are under the government. At the moment Rupavahini is under the Minister of Information. National television belongs to the people. Not to any person. But it has been used for personal purposes – promoting an image and a government. This is not the role of the National television station. State television is different, and National television is different. This is a gift they got, free of charge from Japan. And if it has to be sold, it is sad. They have been doing it right through. They have been making use of the national television to promote politicians and promote the government. Even if the government is doing something wrong, no one talks about it. And I think we must talk about it, if you are going to put it right. After I read Dr. Fernando’s concept, I thought it was quite good and practical, if it is implemented properly.So, I thought I would write about the role the media can play in maintaining good governance. If President Anura Kumara Dissanayake is sincere about what he is trying to do, he should take notice of this,” explained Dissanayake.
She further added that without keeping the media under the ministry and dictating terms to the journalists on what to write and how to write, the President must make his government practice good governance. “The media has a huge role to play. If the media does not do it correctly, they will end up in hot water in no uncertain terms. If the media does it wrong, the country and the people will suffer. Not the politicians or anybody else.”
Feasible plan
Dr. Fernando made a presentation on his issues paper. Dissanayake attended that presentation. She was quite impressed. She felt it was a feasible plan which could be implemented by the government if they want to bring in good governance. “But that alone won’t do. The media has to see that they are doing it properly. That they stick to the principles of accountability, equity, productivity etc. The media has to monitor and see that they are sticking to it. And if they are not sticking to it, you have to bring it to their notice,” she said.
Chairman, Gamani Corea Foundation, Dr. Lloyd Fernando explained that together we need to help our country go forward.
“This book by Shiranee Dissanayake is very important because she is talking about the role of the media. So her experiences and perspectives are vital here. It is not just about writing papers. It is about doing something that has an impact on the country’s development process. Because here, I am addressing the mindset of the people. It has to be something useful from the point of view of the people themselves, and also from the country’s point of view. The main role of the GCF is to take the message to the people for the sake of development and fair play. But we need to do this in a systematic manner. I have come up with 7 principles of Good Governance. I think people now understand that Good Governance is not just a simple concept. It is not just a moral or ethical message. It is much more than that. I want to cultivate a practical approach. So I have come up with 7 principles, and I think those 7 principles cover everything:Participation, Vision, Equity, Transparency, Accountability, Predictability, and Productivity in governance.
Equity is not equality. You cannot have equality in society because the resources are not spread out equally. Equityis that all the people should have equal opportunity to all the resources that are available. Vision. There should be a collective vision, so people work together with an idea of what to achieve for the country and themselves. All this must lead to Participation. Equity must lead to participation, where everyone has a chance to participate and gain the benefits of participation. To have that participation you need Transparency. Transparency is very important. That must lead to Accountability. There must be accountability to each other. Then we have Predictability. That I also feel is extremely important. All this must lead to Productivity. Productivity gives all the benefits,” explained Dr. Fernando.
COLLABORATION BETWEEN DR. LLOYD FERNANDO AND SHIRANEE DISSANAYAKE
Dr. Lloyd Fernando is talking about a System Change based on Good Governance. When Dissanayake read that, she thought she would include that in her book, and then write on what the media can do to bring about this system change.
THE GAMINI COREA FOUNDATION
The GamaniCorea Foundation (GCF) was established by Deshamanya Dr. GamaniCorea. His vision for the GCF was to develop a research institution that would advance his passion for global economic development, with a particular emphasis on Sri Lanka. “We are extremely honored to be associated with a man of such great stature,” said Dr. Lloyd Fernando.
The book is available for sale at the TheGamaniCorea Foundation.
Ishara Jayawardane
