Young journalists could play vital role in SAARC development - Media Secretary

by Ananda KANNANGARA

Secretary, Mass Media and Information Ministry, Charitha Herath yesterday highlighted the valuable service rendered by the media when reporting events and said that they could play a major role in the development of social, cultural and economic sectors.

He was speaking at the inauguration of the SAARC Media Internship Program (SMIP) for Young Journalists/Media Personnel in Colombo yesterday. Director, SAARC Information Centre Laxmi Bilash Koirala, officials of the Media Ministry and other dignitaries were also present.Herath mentioned the defeat of the 30-year terrorism due to the far-sighted vision of President Mahinda Rajapaksa and reminded the media to focus more attention on the country’s development activities to wipe out the next challenge of eradicating poverty.

He said it was a pleasure to see representatives of different SAARC countries at the workshop, working to provide a platform to young media professionals of the region to interact on the various aspects of media in terms of effective public communication.

The SAARC Media Internship Program is an intensive one week internship for young journalists and officers of government media, who are interested in specialising in SAARC reporting with particular commitment to social, cultural, economic and infrastructure issues. Director, SAARC Information Centre, Laxmi Bilash Koirala urged all media personalities to play a positive and effective role in the development activities in the region.

The SAARC Media Internship Program would be organised in all SAARC countries on a rotational basis, as recommended by the Governing Board of the SAARC Information Centre.