Please give us some good news
Posted on April 5th, 2012
LetterƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ toƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ theƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ EditorƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ -By Dr. Mrs. Mareena Thaha Reffai
Today I counted the news items in one of the daily newspaper. ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ For 10 bad news ( theft, murder, cheating etc.) two good news. And those two news are tucked away on the 4th page whereas the first a page glorifies ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ of some murder and mayhem.
Actually we have 20 million people living in this country and does it matter whether a paramour of some cursed woman was attacked ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ by the husband? Is that national news? What aboutƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ millions of women who are chaste and ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ have happy families?
Why shouldƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ the misdemeanor of a few police constables be national news? What about the thousands who stand in sun and rain day in day out and serve the country?
Why is that the stupidity of our politicians always take center stage? If we ignore them, perhaps they will stop acting like clowns wallowing in the lime light given free.
What I mean to say is not that we should ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ not write about ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-juicy newsƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ like these but they should not take center stage nor should be the main bulk. One paper ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ has a columnƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ purely for writing about the crimes taking place in the country on a daily basis. I never even glance at this column for it depresses me on one hand and on the other hand, this is just a miniscule of what is happening in our blessed country. ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Why not have parallel column where people return money found on the roadside, ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ good acts of three wheeler drivers, a concerted effort of a village? Believe me, such things do happen day in day out. Hardly anyone takes notice!
We all know when one keeps hearing about crime, cheating and shameful matters day in day out one tends to get disillusioned and depressed; besides the whole country ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ tends to get desensitized and the youth even will be motivated to try them out for they seem to be happening ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ so frequently( according to the papers!) ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ and no one seems to be bothered by them !
Let us shelve the indecent politicians to the one before last page. Let us glorify good acts which happen daily in our country. Let us give some happiness to the people in the morning. Let us bring back ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ faith to the tired minds of our people.
The news paper can do it.
By Dr. Mrs. Mareena Thaha Reffai
Dehiwela.
April 6th, 2012 at 2:28 am
“does it matter whether a paramour of some cursed woman was attacked by the husband ?”
There goes the extremist Muslim woman again. She is the woman should be attacked by the Saudi husband.
April 6th, 2012 at 4:26 am
Dham, don’t be so unkind and racist to Marina. It is unfair, distasteful and unethical for a learned readership.
April 6th, 2012 at 7:23 am
Mareena you are right to notice that the media seem to be failing in its role to report responsibly. Their actions have a long-range effect on their readership. Responsibility and accountability necessitate the media to be selective in the items and the way they report them.
Not withstanding the above, we all know how the media have been bought over by the LTTE terrorists to propagate their propaganda. Channel 4 is one clear example of this. Their interest is only to make the money, irrespective of the grave consequences such reporting may cause. Impressions created by such reporting is not easily reversible, as same wide publicity can not be given by the affected parties.
Media companies, on the other hand, have to sell their products, and picking the items which are “juicy” helps them to do this. So it would be natural to pick the topics which the readership would want to read. In other words, “bad” news is really “good” news for the media!
So, the only thing one can do as a reader is to be selective in the type of media one chooses. If most readers avoid one paper for example, they would get the message as that would affect their bottom line.
April 6th, 2012 at 3:58 pm
Raj,
Please read
http://www.lankaweb.com/news/items/2010/11/18/let-more-women-come-back-with-nails-in-them-ameen/
As I said , this is a Mulim extremist. If Saudi inhuman uncivilised muslim dogs drive nails to a woman, it is womans fault and it is the government of SL to be blamed, according to this woman.
She is collecting money to serve Muslims only.
April 7th, 2012 at 7:09 am
Media in most countries prints sensational stories, however distasteful. This is what the ‘cheap media’ does – slides on the surface of life events, never looks deeper.
It is true that, as Dr Mareena Reffai states, that millions if not billions all over this world, are living in some peace. That IS the good news !