අරගලය සම්බන්ධ පුවත් වාර්තාකරණ සහ මාධ්‍ය ආචාර ධර්ම

Abstract

During the month of July 2022, several newspapers and tv primetime news telecasts covered the political crisis in Sri Lanka, where different media outlets adopted different framings and varied in their coverage of the ‘aragalaya’(struggle). On July 09, Derana, Hiru, Rupavahini, Sirasa ,ITN, Swarnavahini and Siyatha featured the attacks on several journalists by the police in front of prime minister Wickremesinghe’s personal residence in their main headlines. Whilst Rupavahini, ITN, Siyatha and Swarnawahini mentioned that journalists from the Sirasa tv channel was attacked, Derana mentioned that a journalist from the Derana tv channel was attacked. Hiru and Sirasa did not mention the media outlets the relevant journalists worked for. On July 11, two articles published in Aruna and Dinamina reported the torching of prime minister Wickremesinghe’s personal residence. Whilst Aruna depicted those responsible as people engaged in ‘aragalaya’ (struggle), Dinamina depicted them as ‘a group of gangsters’. On July 12, Lankadeepa, Mawbima, Dinamina, Ada, Divaina and Aruna featured extracts from the special statement by prime minister Wickremesinghe in their headlines. Whilst Lankadeepa, Mawbima, Divaina and Aruna featured his comments on the torching of his private residence in their headlines, Ada and Dinamina featured his comments on an all-party government. On July 13 and 14, Ceylon Today, The Morning, Daily Mirror, Daily News, The Island, Aljazeera, CNN, Dinamina, Divaina, Lankadeepa, Mawbima, Ada and Aruna reported the news of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa leaving the country. Whilst Ceylon Today, Daily Mirror, Daily News, The Island, Dinamina, Divaina, Lankadeepa and Mawbima referred to his leaving as ‘taking refuge’, ‘a sojourn’ and ‘a leaving’, Aljazeera, CNN and Ada noted that he ‘fled’ the country. Aruna focused on the opposition he faced in Maldives in its headline. On July 22, Derana, Hiru, ITN, Rupavahini, Sirasa, Swarnavahini, and Siyatha featured the removal of the protesters from Presidential Secretariat by the military in their main headlines. Whilst Swarnawahini, Siyatha, Hiru, Derana and ITN depicted those who were removed from the Secretariat as those who were engaged in the ‘aragalaya’ (struggle), Sirasa referred to them as the ‘public’ and Rupavahini depicted them as those who were engaged in an ‘unauthorised protest’. Siyatha portrayed the removal as a ‘savage attack’ against the ‘aragalaya’ (struggle) of love.