SRI LANKA SHOULD HAVE THE RIGHT TO JUDICIAL REVIEW AGAINST BRITISH CHANNEL4TV STATION FOR FALSE NEWS REPORTING.

By Noor Nizam – Sri Lanka Peace Activist and Communication & Multimedia Research Staff – McMaster University, Canada, Sept. 1st., 2009.

The hypocrisy of the British media to use doctored video coverage to bolster its image as a nation free of war crimes and to penalize a sovereign nation just come out of fighting the most ruthless terror organization in the world, to the dock of the international community as killers of innocent persons in custody, by it’s security forces needs attention of people who respect Human Right in reality.

What right has the so-called democratic British TV station Channel4 got to undermine the Sri Lankan government by broadcasting false cellphone video recording of an incident that has already created world attention as a doctored document passed on to journalist Johanath Miller who is supposed to be the foreign affairs correspondent for channel4.

The TV station says that the video was provided to them by the Journalists for Democracy in Sri Lanka ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” comprised of Tamils and Sinhalese who have claimed the footage theyƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢d obtained was filmed in January this year and depicts the extra-judicial execution of Tamils by Sri Lankan government soldiers.

Johnatah Miller states on his World News Blog dated 26/08/09 that –
“Before we went to air, I watched the video with a leading Sri Lankan human rights investigator ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” a Sinhalese himself ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” who provided forensic insights into its authenticity”.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  How dare he bluff the world by such falsehood without naming the so-called Sinhalese human rights investigator.

To the layman, this is dramatic sensational news. But to the academic and professional, this video that was broadcast and the news story are 3rd., grade doctored video footage and cheap unauthenticated news headlines/story, never to be of any professional standard or that which meets the international codes of Journalism.

As in another news publication, the reason for Channel4 to broad cast this news may have been as stated:

“The motive of the telecast by the particular TV channel is blindingly obvious: first of all, it needs stories to be seen as a big player among the TV audience in the UK, having been fed up with itself being in the shadow of the big players like the BSKYB and BBC; secondly, it has an axe to grind with the Government of Sri Lanka, since the unceremonious removal of its television crew in the middle of another questionable venture at the peak of the last phase of the war“.

But the truth of the story is how a reader has proved using his professional knowlege in technically proving the falsehood of this video that the so-called Journalists for Democracy in Sri Lanka has made available to Johanthan Miller and duped him to look the international journalistic fool he is.

Siri Hewa, the former head of CiscoƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s global broadcast and digital video practice, and presently Executive Director at IPTV System, who currently serves as the chief architect of OptusƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ Network Systems Design Broadcast and Satellite TV operation has uncovered evidence of doctoring in the original footage telecast by the Channel 4.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Looking at the footage first thing he found strange was the high quality of the video, lack of cascading effects and motion blur that associate with mobile video coding. He got hold of the original video that was in QuickTime format as well as the other that was in AVI format and decided to put through various analysers to see the origin of the video from the mobile source. Looking at the results, Mr. Siri Hewa states,

“I can say this video never came from a mobile phone, since the original video is of quite high standard and motion vectors were of high quality ( that never come from mobile phone) and I also found that the Tamilnet tried to put this video in 3GPP format which is associated with mobile phones.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ This also give some clues since mobile phones or older got 3GPP format; Being involved with global Broadcast R&G for almost 25 years and Channel 4 used to have good people; it has gone for gutter journalism in recent years. Any sensible broadcast Engineer should have picked up the lack of cascading errors on the video since Channel 4 use Flash format on their web site.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚The statement that the executioners were in Sri Lankan army uniform; and they spoke Sinhala has been highlighted for the need for war crimes investigation against Sri Lanka.

The summing up of Mr. Sri Hewa’s professional analysis isƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  worthy of praise.

“It shows the extent to which the bosses of Channel 4 go in combining malice and ignorance in equal measure”.

To further prove that this video is a false and a doctored production, light intensity reflection analysis studies will clearly indicate that the victims are not of Asian Origin, rather belong to a fair complexion human group. This further contradicts the statement made by Channel4 anhorman presenting the news stating that government troops summaraily executing Tamils. The persons executed are by no means Tamils. With due respect to the Tamil people of the North, the complexion of Tamils is more tan and towards being of dark and not light complexion. The complexion of the soldiers are defenitely dark and the appreances lead to conclusion that they are of a different nationality, not Sri Lankan soldiers.

Further more, there are contradictuions to the sound recordings too. A clear study indicated that there are voice dubbing done on the video production. Leaving aside the professional technical analysis that can be applied, the ordinary mans hearing ability clearly indicates that there are two voice differences in the 2 different videos circulate by Channel4 and NowPublic.com news network, whicvh have different voice recordings.
(Browsaewebsites/videos below for voice differences.)
http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid1184614595?bctid=35256686001

Sri Lankan warcrimes exposed, Warning: Disturbing video!!!

Under the above circumstances, it is proved beyond doubt that the cellphone videos that Channel4 and NowPublic.com have used are false and doctored productions that has been used by Channel4 and Mr. Jonathan Miller to discredit the Security Forces, specially the Sri Lankan Army. The governmentƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  of Sri Lanka should have the right to judicial review against British Channel4 TV station for false news reporting on a soverign state and a member nation of the Commonwealth. The Sri Lankan government of HE. Mahinda Rajapaksa should move the international forum at the forth coming UN general assembly this month for the need for an Internatioanl Court for Journalistic Crimes to punish media organizations like Channel4 TV station and journalists like Mr. Jonathan MillerƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  who publish false and doctored news and videos such as the one broadcasted by Channel4.

Media Organizations and Journalists should not be allowed to be above the rule of law.