DailyMirror
Deputy Chief of Mission of the U.S. Embassy, Valerie Fowler, said that journalists today tend to self-censor their stories as opposed to reporting the truth, as a result of pressure exerted by external forces on the profession.
Speaking at the Graduation ceremony of the Sri Lanka College of Journalism (SLCJ) held yesterday, Ms. Fowler said that this tendency to censor oneself strongly reflects on society and on democracy at large. “Simply using the title ‘journalist’ as a description of the job you do is not enough when engaged in this profession. Journalists are defenders of democratic rights and are watchdogs of the public interest,” she said adding that self-censoring stories could hinder the interest the public has in the paper or media you put out.
Speaking further she said, “As journalists, you are duty-bound to be defenders of democratic rights and values. Media demands that our leaders operate in an environment of transparency and fairness. If not, the media is there to tell the truth and expose injustices, all for the sake of preserving and protecting our rights. This is true in any democratic country.”
She also pointed out that even in her own country journalists sometimes do not have the freedom to investigate certain matters as freely as they wish to. “In the modern era the press has played a critical role as one of the pillars of democracy, the other three being the traditional bodies of government in a democracy, the legislative, judicial and executive,” she said.
Ms. Fowler however said that these challenges faced by journalists will hopefully be temporary and said that she believes the future of journalism in Sri Lanka to be extremely bright because of the people sitting before her today.
USAID, the development arm of the U.S. government, provided scholarships for 26 students to attend the one-year Journalism Diploma Program in 2010. In 2009, USAID provided scholarships to 14 students from the Eastern Province and two students from Moneragala District in the Uva Province.