Media Mismanagement of the Sri Lankan Terror Attacks
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By snipping comments made by the Archbishop of Colombo in the aftermath of the attacks on the peaceful Sri Lankan Catholic community, reporters - to use the word loosely - in many mainstream media institutions have carelessly flavoured Archbishop Malcolm Ranjith's comments in ways that skew perception and might lead readers to equate him with the extremists who perpetrated a wanton act of violence on one of the most holy days, if not the most holy day, of the year for Christians.
A local newspaper, not well known for its ability to cover complex (or even simple) matters in a nuanced manner, and to the exclusion of anything else Archbishop Ranjith recently said, published:
The Archbishop of Colombo, Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith, called on Sri Lanka's government to "mercilessly" punish those responsible "because only animals can behave like that."
Accurate, to a degree. The local newspaper report cited above could be read in a way that limits reader understanding of the comments to a mere call for vengeance on the part of Archbishop Ranjith.
The scope of the Archbishop's comments are made clear in a fuller report, linked to below, of the same statement that reminds all that the rule of law must prevail. He calls on the government to exercise its legitimate right and authority to bring to justice those who committed the recent atrocities.
The BBC report linked to above, presents Archbishop Ranjith's response in a much more balanced and sensitive way than the first report cited, and does not limit his comments to an expression of wrath.
Given the severity of the attacks on Catholics and others, Archbishop Ranjith's complete comments convey appropriate sensitivity toward the victims while making clear that righteous indignation is an appropriate response to the animalistic behaviour of those who attacked innocent people at prayer.
After acknowledging the sufferings of his people who were killed, and consoling the families of those lost to terrorist violence, the Archbishop continued:
I would also like to ask the government (of Sri Lanka) to hold a very impartial, strong inquiry and find out who is responsible behind this (terrorist) act and also to punish them mercilessly, because only animals can behave like that. And, I also wish to condemn this act in the strongest possible terms. And, I ask all our Sri Lankan people not to take the law into their own hands and to maintain peace and harmony in this country.
One would hope that, given its eagerness to engage other groups affected by terrorism, our local newspaper might follow up with Christian members of our local Sri Lankan community to understand and convey an important human interest story that merits telling as much as other stories about people, families and friends, impacted by terrorism.
National Post
Warnings about Islamic extremists targeting Christians on Easter Sunday went unheeded, says Sri Lanka health minister
Update:
Suicide bombers who were part of a domestic militant group that might have international ties coordinated and carried out a string of deadly bombings at churches and luxury hotels in Sri Lanka, the country's health minister said Monday.
Seven members of the radical Muslim group National Thowfeek Jamaath killed at least 290 people and injured 500 on Easter Sunday in the South Asian island nation, Health Minister Rajitha Senaratne said.
Two other government ministers also alluded to advance knowledge. Telecommunications Minister Harin Fernando tweeted: “Some intelligence officers were aware of this incidence. Therefore there was a delay in action. Serious action needs to be taken as to why this warning was ignored.” He said his father had heard of a possible attack as well and had warned him not to enter popular churches.
Mano Ganeshan, the minister for national integration, said his security officers had been warned by their division about the possibility that two suicide bombers would target politicians.
Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith, the archbishop of Colombo, said the attacks could have been thwarted.
“We placed our hands on our heads when we came to know that these deaths could have been avoided. Why this was not prevented?” he said.
The coordinated blasts took place in the morning at St. Anthony’s and the Cinnamon Grand, Shangri-La and Kingsbury hotels in Colombo, as well as the two churches outside Colombo. They collapsed ceilings and blew out windows, killing worshippers and hotel guests, and leaving behind scenes of smoke, soot, blood, broken glass, screams and wailing alarms.
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