Special committee to look into professional issues of regional correspondents

President Maithripala Sirisena has given instructions to appoint a special committee to look into the professional issues of regional news correspondents of media institutions and to submit recommendations regarding solutions to these issues.   

This committee will comprise the Director General of the Government Information Department, an Additional Secretary to the Ministry of Mass Media and Commissioner General of Labour, the President said, adding that the report of this committee should be submitted to him within three months.

He gave these instructions during a special meeting held at the Presidential Secretariat yesterday regarding prevailing professional issues of regional media correspondents.

During this meeting special attention was drawn to the salaries and allowances given to regional news correspondents and also paid attention to other difficulties faced by them in news reporting.

The facts included in the letter presented to the President at the sixth convention of the Media Employees’ Trade Union Federation were also discussed in detail.

State Minister Eran Wickramaratne, Secretary to the President Austin Fernando, Secretary of the Ministry of Finance and Mass Media Dr. R.H.S. Samarathunga, the Director General of the Government Information Department Sudarshana Gunawardhane, Commissioner General of Labour A. Wimalaweera, President of the Media Employees Trade Union Federation Karunaratne Gamage, General Secretary Dharmasiri Lankapeli and others participated in this meeting.