World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers writes to President

The World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA) has written to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa urging him to promote self-regulation in the media.

Following is the letter written by WAN-IFRA CEO Vincent Peyregne.

We congratulate you on your election as President of Sri Lanka with an overwhelming mandate from its citizens.

We have noted with interest several meetings you had with newspaper and other media heads and your assurances to them that there are no threats to media and they have the freedom to write factually.

As the largest newspaper organisation in the world with an international membership of more than

3,000 media institutions, we welcome your statements of assurances of media freedom as enshrined and guaranteed by Article 14(1)(A) in the Constitution of Sri Lanka which as stated: “Gives every citizen the freedom of speech and expression including publications.”

We may point out that in the free world, democratic Governments have permitted newspapers to be regulated on the principles of self-regulation rather than on statutory laws like the Press Council Act, which includes a provision to jail publishers and editors.

We hope you will support the concept of self-regulation in Sri Lanka.

We wish you a successful tenure during your Presidency.

WAN-IFRA’s mission is to protect the rights of journalists and publishers around the world to operate independent media. We provide our members with expertise and services to innovate and prosper in a digital world and perform their crucial role in society.

With formal representative status at the United Nations, UNESCO and the Council of Europe, it derives its authority from its global network of leading news publishing companies and technology entrepreneurs, and its legitimacy from its 80 national association members representing 18,000 publications in 120 countries.