Sri Lanka’s Fear Psychosis

Sri Lanka’s Fear Psychosis

Sunday, November 13, 2011

• Sri Lankans across the board, renowned for their friendly smiles and easy ways are too afraid to speak

A Norwegian journalist Correspondent for Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation sat across from me in my office last Tuesday. Norwegian Broadcasting is state owned and the largest media organization in Norway, BUT with absolutely no interference in editorial content.
For a population of 5 million people the network which includes radio and television has an audience of one million.
He was in Sri Lanka to cover issues, on the country post war, which included media freedom.  He too, like all of us in the media, came up against a blank wall when attempting to speak with “people on the street”. Nobody would talk. “I was quite surprised,” he recounted.  A journalist himself, he thought it rare that the public would not talk to journalists.  He was puzzled.Read More »