It seems that officials in some departments have a problem with the press. They don’t recognize what journalists are doing and treat with contempt what is written in the papers. For them it is all nonsense. These people do not accept any criticism about the performance of their departments. They react with total disregard and disdain to whatever is written by renowned columnists and commentators. They act as if the writings are worthless and do not deserve to be read. Some will even tell you "Let the newspapers write what they want to because nobody reads them."
I am not in a position to defend the role of the press or speak about the importance of what is written in papers that reflect public opinion and tell of public concerns. I simply want to know the secret behind this enmity felt by some for the press. Some officials never read a paper unless they want to read an obituary or see the ads for property for sale. Others open the paper to check the address of an office that provides drivers or maids or when they want to call a pest control company to clean their homes.
It is indeed sad to see every day some officials taking home with them bundles of newspapers which end up as coverings for the dining table or for children to solve cross-word puzzles. Some of these officials do not even know how many papers are published in the country or in which city they are based. Can we expect a believable answer from such officials when asked to comment on something important? Can we expect them to respond at all?
Published 12 July 2002
