Friday Apr 25, 2025
Friday Apr 25, 2025
Friday, 25 April 2025 05:01 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
Sri Lanka’s first-ever Media Festival will kick off today and continue tomorrow in Colombo, with a good blend of top Indian and local experts providing key insights.
The Indian media industry personalities who are flying down exclusively are well-known TV journalist Palki Sharma, New Delhi-based World Is One News (WION) Editor Sidhant Sibal, India Today Group Chief Synergy Officer Shailesh Shekhar, and media research guru and TAM Media Research India CEO L.V. Krishnan. They will be joined by several top Sri Lankan media industry personalities as well during the full day sessions tomorrow.
The inauguration will be today at 5 p.m. at the Upper Crystal Ballroom, Taj Samudra Colombo, and full day sessions are to be held tomorrow from 9 a.m. onwards.
The chief organiser of the Media Fest 2025 is the Sri Lanka-India Media Friendship Association (SLIMFA), inaugurated in May 2024 to strengthen media ties between Sri Lanka and India. Since its inception, the Association has conducted multiple initiatives, including panel discussions and roundtables, focusing on key media-related topics.
At tonight’s inauguration, the Chief Guest will be Mass Media and Health Minister and Chief Government Whip Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa, whilst Guest of Honour will be Acting Indian High Commissioner Dr. Satyanjal Pandey. A Fireside Chat titled ‘A Celebration of Collaborative Media’ will be held involving SLIMFA President Nisthar Cassim and Media Fest 2025 Festival Director Santosh Menon.
Under the theme ‘Navigating the New Media Landscape Together,’ the Media Fest 2025 will explore contemporary media trends and innovations. Key focus areas include AI in journalism, mobile journalism, media monetisation, data journalism, disinformation and fact-checking, content creation, podcasts, and audio journalism. It will feature keynotes, panel discussions, and breakout sessions and networking opportunities, providing a unique platform for professional development and fostering collaboration between media professionals from Sri Lanka and India.
Saturday’s sessions will be kicked off by First Post Managing Editor Palki Sharma with her keynote on “Challenges and Opportunities for Media in South Asia: The Power of Collaborative Journalism.”
The first panel discussion, titled “AI and Journalism: Integrating Technology for Impactful Journalism,” will see keynote by Shailesh Shekhar and feature Dialog Axiata PLC Group Chief Analytics and AI Officer Dr. Romesh Ranawana and Journalist/TV Derana Manager – Current Affairs Kalindu Karunaratne as panellists. It will be moderated by News Wire Editor Kalani Kumarasinghe.
The first of the breakout sessions, “Mobile Journalism Masterclass,” will feature Sidhant Sibal and MOJOnews.lk Consultant and MOJO Trainer Ruwan Bogamuwa.
The festival also includes a “Data Storytelling Workshop” by data journalism trainer Shihar Aneez and senior journalist and consultant Shehan Baranage.
Post-lunch sessions will kick off with a panel discussion titled “Building Media Trust in the Era of Disinformation and Content Manipulation,” with panellists being Palki Sharma, Verité Research Head – Media Research Deepanjalie Abeywardena, Centre for Investigative Reporting Co-Founder/Director Dilrukshi Handunnetti, and Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation Deputy Director Foreign News and English News Prasad Kaushalya Dodangodage. It will be moderated by AFP Bureau Chief for Maldives and Sri Lanka Amal Jayasinghe.
Thereafter, a breakout session on “Social Media Content Strategy” will be led by Newswire Co-Founder/CEO Umair Wolid and Co-Founder Azzam Ameen. The other breakout session will be “Podcasting and Audio Journalism” by Shailesh Shekhar and Vlog Sri Lanka CEO Bruno Diwakara.
The festival will conclude with a session on “The Future of Sri Lanka Media: Shared Opportunities and Monetisation” led by L.V. Krishnan, followed by a panel discussion involving Ada Derana 24 Director Yuwaraj Athukorala and Santosh Menon, moderated by Nisthar Cassim.
The Media Fest’s Platinum Sponsor is UltraTech Cement, and Gold Sponsors Lanka IOC PLC and India External Affairs Ministry’s Economic Diplomacy Division. SriLankan Airlines is the Official Travel Partner and Taj Samudra the Hospitality Partner, Outdoor Partner Richardson and Creative Partner Triad. Gift partners are Spa Ceylon and Dilmah Tea.
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