Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and Opposition Leader Nimal Siripala de Silva

By Jayashika Padmasiri

Opposition Leader Nimal Siripala de Silva yesterday said that the media had to practice responsibility and self-censorship with its reporting. 

He said that this was not seen in recent media reports highlighting allegations that former President Mahinda Rajapaksa and his family siphoned billions of public funds into foreign banks. He labelled such coverage defamatory.

Addressing the National Summit on Media Reforms, Silva said: “So is that what one calls responsible reporting? After the news was published or aired by media institutions, the damage caused to that person’s reputation was irreversible. By saying this I’m not taking anybody’s side or representing anybody, I’m just saying that when the media is reporting they should not leave space for defamation to take place and adopt self-censorship and responsibility.”

Commenting further, the Opposition Leader pointed out that both the Government and private media organisations had their own agendas. He said that Sri Lanka should create a good media culture and introduce a media mechanism which was unique to the country, one which protected journalists and was suitable for the country. 

“We have to create a good media culture in our country and form better journalists, better media owners and institutions because otherwise journalists will be trampled by owners,” Silva said.  

 Pic by Shantha Ratnayake

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PM to appoint commission to probe journalists’ disappearances

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday revealed that a commission would be appointed to examine the cases of missing journalists. 

He also pointed out that the media was in a better situation now than it was during the rule of the previous regime.  

Wickremesinghe made these comments at the National Summit on Media Reforms held in Colombo yesterday. Addressing the gathering he explained: “Unlike during the previous Government, today the media has more freedom and there is no white van culture existing in our country today. Journalists were harassed during that period.  Some were killed and some fled the country. Prageeth Eknaligoda disappeared and media institutions were attacked. “However, today that era has come to an end and change has taken place in the country. We will appoint a commission to look into the cases of disappeared journalists.”

He added that he and his Cabinet of Ministers would give their full support to the protection of the media. (JP)