Wanders a bit, but not bad

In today's technologically connected world, it is hard to find a newspaper that only covers local news. Journalism becomes rigid and stale if it only comes from one source. In order to connect the global community, international stories must be as available as local stories. In the article, In Sri Lankan Politics, not even an opposition astrologer is safe by Emily Wax of the Washington Post, Sri Lankan officials prosecuted an astrologer for predicting the death of the president. This may seem bizarre to Americans, but astrologers are regarded with high esteem in Sri Lanka. Not many important decisions are made without their consultation. Chandrasiri Bandara made the prediction and now predicts his own death approaching before the year 2012. Bandara is the nation's most popular astrologer and his prediction could be the equivalent of inciting a riot. The Sri Lankan government fears that bad things are more likely to happen because he has put the idea out there. Wax used this article to discuss Bandara, but also seemed to put heavy focus on Sri Lankan politics. After the defeat of the Tamil Tigers, a Sri Lankan terrorist group, President Rajapaksa has been accused of many things including: corruption, nepotism, and imposing a dictatorship. The only man right now capable of opposing Rajapaksa is Gen. Sarath Fonseka, who led the armies against the Tamil Tigers. The nation is split and every voice, especially those of astrologers, is heavily scrutinized by the Sri Lankan people and their government.

I like how Wax used the current state of the Sri Lankan government to supplement the astrologer story, but I do not like that the politics took away from the story. If Wax really wanted to talk about the sensitivity of the Sri Lankan government, she needed to portray that better in the lead. Wax then could have used the astrologer story to supplement the report. I suppose the title may not have been as catchy, but I think it is better than diverting half the article away from the highlighted story and into a seemingly separate issue.