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Ex-BBC correspondent defends speaking to Ranjan
25 Jan, 2020
Former BBC Correspondent Azzam Ameen has defended speaking to Parliamentarian Ranjan Ramanayake over the telephone saying it was part of his profession.
Ameen was forced to resign from the BBC after the BBC was not happy with a leaked telephone conversation involving Ramanayake and the journalist.
In his first public statement since the incident, Ameen said that he moved away from his employment over the incident involving some distorted private telephone conversations which have been made public.
“As a professional journalist, I maintain contacts with key persons of all political parties including elected representatives. I have been speaking to them, often at length, about current issues as part of my professional work. I firmly believe that it helped the public that kept trust in the media organization I worked for, to understand the current issues important to them, political and otherwise. I also have friendships with politicians across the political spectrum but have always kept these friendships separate from my journalism as I have always safeguarded my integrity,” he said.
He said that Parliamentarian Ranjan Ramanayake is among hundreds of political personalities he has stayed in touch with.
“However, I have not done any political interview with him since 2015 for my media reporting or for social media,” he said.
He also said that he deeply appreciated the continued support of his readers and followers, and expressed his sincere gratitude for the solidarity received in this challenging time. (Colombo Gazette)
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