PCCSL receives 291 complaints in 2014

PCCSL CEO Sukumar Rockwood reads the CEO’s Report for 2014. Looking on are PCCSL Board of Directors Chairman Kumar Nadesan (left) and Company Secretaries, Corporate Services Executive Farina Raheem

PCCSL CEO Sukumar Rockwood reads the CEO’s Report for 2014. Looking on are members of the PCCSL, including PCCSL Board of Directors Chairman Kumar Nadesan, and Company Secretaries, Corporate Services Executive Farina Raheem

The Press Complaints Commission of Sri Lanka (PCCSL) received 291 complaints last year, hosted an International Conference on ‘Self-Regulation and Ethical Reporting’ and reviewed the Editors’ Code of Professional Practice with inputs from the public, journalists, editors, publishers and academics, the Chief Executive Officer of the PCCSL said in his annual report for 2014.

The report was read out at the Annual General Meeting of the Commission held on 15 July at the Sri Lanka Press Institute auditorium in Colombo.

CEO Sukumar Rockwood further stated that the Sinhala press which comprises 39% of the country’s newspapers attracted the majority of the complaints in 2014. He said that the Commission received the fullest cooperation from editors to resolve these complaints amicably and swiftly.

He said that as many as 323 complaints were resolved by editors providing a Right of Reply to aggrieved parties.

The report stated that four English language newspapers however did not cooperate with the PCCSL, which is a voluntary self-regulatory body of the newspaper industry having the support of the Newspaper Society, Editors’ Guild, Free Media Movement, Working Journalists Association and other media unions.

The CEO’s report said that the PCCSL’s autonomous Dispute Resolution Council headed by former Secretary General of Parliament Nihal Seneviratne met bi-monthly to inquire into complaints that required their attention.

The report also stated that an All Island Essay Competition conducted with the Education Ministry and workshops for provincial journalists on ethical reporting and for government officials and the public on the Editors’ Code were conducted in Colombo, Horana, Jaffna, Matara, Anuradhapura, Galle and Kayts Island.

The CEO’s report states that the PCCSL celebrated its 11th anniversary on 15 October of the year under review.

Lankadeepa Editor Siri Ranasinghe and Sunday Island Editor Manik de Silva were re-elected while Mohanlal Piyadasa, Editorial of Deshaya, was elected to the Board of Directors of the PCCSL by the general membership of the PCCSL at the AGM.

The other members of the Board of Directors representing separate media organisations are Kumar Nadesan (Chairman), Sinha Ratnatunga (Deputy Chairman), Nimal Welgama, M.N. Ameen, Editor of Navamani, M.T.M. Muzammil and B.M. Murshideen.

Ernest and Young, the Auditors of the PCCSL were re-elected Auditors and Corporate Services Ltd., Secretaries of the PCCSL were re-elected Secretary of the Company.

The PCCSL Secretariat includes Kamal Liyanarachchi, Complaints Officer, Sinhala Print and Promotions Officer.