- A Perspective from Investigative Journalists
(Lanka-e-News -25.Oct.2024, 11.10 pm) “National Security” is a powerful political tool capable of bringing down a government. In Sri Lanka, however, regardless of the truth or source behind related incidents, national security has often been misused as a shallow political slogan.
It is no secret that national security has been used as a tactic to create fear, control people, manipulate them into supporting governments, or even repress those misled, stained by the sacrifice of the people. Both the public and the current government are well aware of this history.
Two weeks ago, the government took extensive security measures in response to intelligence suggesting a potential attack on Israeli tourists in Sri Lanka. Some media outlets, ignoring their responsibility towards national security, have published sensationalized, politically charged stories that aim to create misconceptions about the government.
Information about threats to Israeli citizens or assets worldwide had been circulating for months, especially after Israel launched ground attacks in Gaza. This news was covered internationally and had been a recurring headline in local media as well. Recently, the story of a potential attack on Arugam Bay, or other tourist regions in Sri Lanka, was reported as an alarming development even after the government had implemented significant security measures based on its intelligence.
Despite having information on the tightened security in these areas, no media outlets questioned the police spokesperson or the Minister of Public Security about these measures. The U.S. embassy issued a travel advisory to its citizens, yet media reporting on this advisory also failed to seek government comment. This raises questions about a possible underlying political agenda behind the media’s reporting.
As an organization, we observe three main goals behind this coverage: first, to criticize the government for allegedly failing to ensure public safety; second, to trap the ruling party’s campaign in a national security debate with only 22 days left until the general election; and third, to discourage tourists from visiting Sri Lanka as the season approaches, affecting national revenue.
In a media briefing on October 24, Public Security Minister Vijitha Herath commented that some journalists sensationalize these sensitive security issues with “extreme hype,” neglecting their responsibility towards the nation’s security and instead politicizing the matter. We see this less as a mistake by journalists and more as a return to old habits.
We urge Sri Lankan journalists to remember that, as media professionals, their duty to the country goes beyond political affiliations. As people who are closely familiar with the pain caused by past abuses of national security for political gain, journalists have the power to help prevent similar incidents.
In observing this recent media coverage, we note that some media and political entities appear more focused on using national security as a convenient point of attack against the government rather than treating it with national responsibility. To these media, we stress a key point:
Attempting to revive outdated political tactics is a sign of failing politics. Furthermore, rehashing old intelligence as news provides only short-lived propaganda advantages, as evidenced by the recent claims of an attack threat on the Arugam Bay tourist area.
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by (2024-10-25 18:26:56)
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