Joint statement by Int'l Media Assessment Mission :
Positive changes in media freedom hailed
The International Media Assessment Mission that visited Sri Lanka
from May 8 to 14 to assess the media freedom situation in the country,
has welcomed "the important positive changes in media freedom since the
new government came to power on January 8". The International Mission
was represented by Article 19, Centre for Law and Democracy (CLD),
International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), International Media
Support (IMS), Open Society Foundations (OSF), South Asia Media
Solidarity Network (SAMSN) and UNESCO, with support from Sri Lanka Press
Institute (SLPI).
The Mission said in a statement that "these include steps to end the
climate of threats against and pressure on media outlets and
journalists, the unblocking of websites, moves to provide legal
protection for the right to information, an invitation to exiled
journalists to return to Sri Lanka and the allocation of relatively
greater editorial freedom to the State media".
The statement added: "At the same time, as was acknowledged by the
government leaders that we met during the mission, much needs to be done
to ensure that the overall environment for the media respects
international standards regarding the right to freedom of expression and
provides a strong basis for the growth of a robust, diverse and
professional media in Sri Lanka. "The Mission heard about excessive
politicisation of much of the media - private and State - and about the
lack of editorial freedom experienced by editors and working
journalists.
There is also a serious challenge in terms of professional standards
in the media, with issues of qualifications of journalists, the quality
of academic training programs and the availability of quality ongoing
training opportunities for journalists. "This is exacerbated by low
wages and poor working conditions and benefits for many journalists,
obstruction of the right to join trade unions, weak systems for
promoting and supporting ethical standards and ethnic divisions in the
media, including instances of negative reporting and a culture of
'communalism'.
The Mission also heard that while physical threats to journalists
have diminished in the last four months it is important to address the
high levels of impunity regarding the killing and disappearance of media
workers, and physical threats remain a problem in the North and East of
Sri Lanka where many journalists continue to feel at risk and insecure.
These factors threaten to undermine seriously the ability of the
media to perform its role as watchdog of government and powerful
societal actors, and to inform the public."
The Mission has
recommended :
1. Comprehensive legislation on broadcasting should be adopted in
line with international guarantees of freedom of expression.
This should provide for, among other things, proper planning in
relation to the frequencies allocated to broadcasting, including during
the digital transition, an independent body to regulate broadcasting, a
three-tier system of broadcasting which recognises public, commercial
and community broadcasters, and obligations on broadcasters to be
balanced and impartial in their coverage of politics and other matters
of public concern.
2. The three State broadcasters - the Sri Lanka Rupavahini
Corporation
(SLRC), the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC) and the
Independent Television Network (ITN) - should be transformed into
independent public service broadcasters which enjoy editorial
independence, have a clear mandate to serve the public and benefit from
public funding which does not compromise their independence.
3. Measures should be taken to ensure that the State print media
group - Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Limited (ANC) - is also able to
operate independently of government and to enjoy editorial freedom. A
broad public consultation should be held to determine the most
appropriate way to do this.
4. A right to information law, giving individuals a right to access
information held by public authorities and other bodies which are funded
or controlled by public authorities, which is in line with international
standards, should be adopted and then implemented properly.
5. An independent Commission of Inquiry should be created with a
mandate and adequate powers to investigate past killings of, threats to,
disappearances of and other attacks on journalists, media workers and
media outlets, with a view to ensuring that those responsible are
prosecuted and that appropriate compensation is paid to the victims and
their families.
6. The Press Council Act should be repealed and the
government-controlled Press Council should be abolished. Steps should be
taken to ensure that there is an independent and effective system to
address complaints regarding the professional conduct of both the print
and broadcast sectors.
7. Media owners should recognise and support journalists' and media
workers' right to form unions to negotiate and advocate on behalf of
their members.
8. A broad, multi-stakeholder consultation should be held to identify
needs in the area of professionalization of journalists and media
workers, and this should be followed up by a series of concrete actions
to deliver on those needs.
9. Civil and criminal law restrictions on media content should be
reviewed so as to bring them line with international standards regarding
freedom of expression.
Among other things, the Prevention of Terrorism Act should be
repealed and replaced with carefully tailored legislation which strikes
an appropriate balance between respecting freedom of expression and the
need to address terrorism, and the rules on contempt of court should be
codified through the adoption of legislation on this matter. |