Due to my inquisitiveness, I decided to visit the websites of several Indian major newspapers to read how India’s Sunday papers reported the events that were unfolding in Tamil Nadu. To my utmost surprise I could not locate any article in the major newspapers covering the antics of Tamil Nadu politicians, hyped up the way some of the Sri Lankan Sunday papers did.

The impression one got from reading the Indian newspapers was there was a most cordial and co-operative telephone conversation between President Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. It was stated that President Rajapaksa has given an assurance that all necessary measures have been taken to ensure the safety and the welfare of Tamils in the island nation. Dr. Singh had also stressed the need to ensure the rights and welfare of the Tamil community were not viated in the ongoing hostilities against the LTTE.

The Indian media also mentioned that the Prime Minister had asked President Rajapaksa to instruct the Sri Lanka Navy to desist from firing on Indian fishermen and that two leaders agreed to work on a practical arrangement to prevent such incidents. I could not cite a single article which mentioned the tomfoolery of Tamil Nadu politicians or the line suggested by one Sri Lankan newspaper - the imminent resignation of few Union Ministers, including the Minister of Finance.

I am aware newspapers have got to fill their pages. This can be easily done by making a fly look like an elephant. But the most dangerous part of such journalism is its power of suggestion. Twisted suggestions or slanted news reporting can be highly toxic and could be detrimental to the morale as well as to the planning and progress of our current defence endeavours. I am of the opinion when our country is engaged in eradicating the LTTE terrorist yoke to free part of our citizenry and the land, we cannot adopt a laissez-faire attitude to news reporting. Bitter experience of our history has shown what happened when unwittingly or otherwise, the media had swayed popular sentiment rousing passion in matters of race, language and religion, all of which have been smouldering beneath the surface and which can be easily stoked to boil over.

In Sri Lanka, we require a mass media to reinforce and not undermine national ethos, the cultural values and social attitudes. The mass media should create a mood in which people become keen to acquire knowledge, skills and disciplines of advanced countries which are sine quo non for development. The media must emphasise the importance of education, the need for stability, the work ethic and a sense of commitment. Those constitute the infrastructure for overall development. Science and technology and widespread IT literacy should be at the core of education.

The people have voted the government to improve their lot. The Government in turn must honour the people’s trust and meet their expectations, including querulous interventions of the media, whether local or foreign.

What is wanted is responsible reporting, factual statement of facts and not the slanted views of newspaper tycoons. The reader is today a mature person and he will decide.

The Fourth Estate only reports the facts, the people decide.