Editors Don’t Cry
Lasantha’s old desk in what is now Frederica’s office, from Perambara
Lankaenews quoted Sarath Fonseka as saying “Sunday Leader Editor came and cried before me.” Anyone who knows Frederica Jansz knows that this is absurd. She’s been the leading investigative reporter in a country that kills investigative reporters and took over the Leader immediately after the last editor was shot. She’s a really nice lady, but don’t let that fool you. Frederica Jansz is unbowed and unafraid and hasn’t gone crying before anybody. She just published an article in the Leader explaining what really happened.
This is the story of the story
I then asked him one final question. In relation to claims made both internationally and locally that LTTE surrendees carrying white flags had, instead of being accommodated, been killed. I asked the General what really happened.
In that context Fonseka made the allegation that would later appear in the newspapers.He claimed he had heard that Gotabaya Rajapaksa ordered any surrendering LTTE cadres to be shot, and related the story of Pulidevan and Nadesan’s surrender.
One interesting point was that the this allegation is not that they were executed while surrendering, but simply that Gotabaya ordered this. Anyways, the story blew up and – rather than addressing the issues – the government framed it as an example of Fonseka’s treachery. Listening to his advisers Fonseka tried to clumsily back away and ended up looking both weak and disengenous.
The crucial point is that the story was correct and Fonseka was aware of the form it was coming out in. His erstwhile svengalis like Mangala Samaraweera seem to have some aversion to the truth, without realizing that A) it’s the best weapon Fonseka has and B) the cat is already out of the bag. I recommend reading a full account of the story behind the story.
Indi, previously you said that The Sunday Leader doesnt take editorial lines, but the following article says otherwise:
“In her version of the story published yesterday, Jansz has made some shocking revelations about the conspiracies and the intrigue surrounding this whole sordid episode, the scandalous details of which can be summarised as follows:
1. The management of the Sunday Leader took a policy decision to support the candidacy of General Sarath Fonseka.”
http://www.island.lk/2010/01/04/news2.html
Whilst the Daily Mirror group (and TNL) is owned by Shan Wickremasinghe, Ranil’s brother, and is basically pro-UNP.
I guessed that. The Daily Mirror only seems to cover what Fonseka does, even if its as banal as him going to the loo.
Whimsical, I wouldn’t usually trust the Island to accurately represent facts of this nature.
Whimsical’s other comments also show that he/she has not properly read Jansz’s second article which Indi has referred to (“She just published an article in the Leader explaining what really happened. “) Naturally the Leader wouldn’t want to support a party (apart from being involved in killing their editor0) which is carrying on intimidation against the media. Such a stance is, indeed, unbowed and unafraid.
Um, after reading the The Island’s article I went and read Jansz’s article itself. It’s there, right from the horse’s mouth, so to speak. The Sunday Leader has taken an editorial line in support of Sarath Fonseka. That’s not being unbiased. Like the Daily News it looks like The Sunday Leader is probably only good for wiping one’s butt. The whole interview was set up to bolster Sarath Fonseka, except it blew up and did exactly the opposite.
I guess it looks like Fonseka is a lying sack of shit?
“After the presidential election was formally declared The Sunday Leader’s management made a decision that the paper would at an editorial level broadly throw its weight behind Sarath Fonseka’s campaign.” — Fredericka Jansz
What happened to “unbowed and unafraid”, the slogan The Sunday Leader used to scream at everyone?
Amusing!
These presidential polls are getting juicier by the minute.
i just dont like that he described whatever happened as such. cried? wtf. unprofessional and undiplomatic methinks.
DBS Jeyraj has a very intersting take on this: he blames the Special Forces for the kill/assassinations and that SF knew about it and that Shavindra Silva had nothing to do with it. SF seems to have just wanted to put Gota in the hotspot. Read the whole article here
http://dbsjeyaraj.com/dbsj/archives/1267