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‘Asian media appear to be weathering storms better than expected’:

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6 years ago

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Experts discuss Covid’s impact on media

The session was co-organized by China Daily, University of International Business and Economics, Shanghai International Studies University and Asia News Network.

SNS: Amid the spread of coronavirus pandemic, which has affected the businesses across the globe, a panel discussion session themed “COVID-19 and Impacts on the Media” was held virtually.

The session was co-organized by China Daily, University of International Business and Economics, Shanghai International Studies University and Asia News Network on Wednesday.

The panellists discussed how reporting strategies and operations of the media have changed amid the COVID19 pandemic.

Mr. Zhou Shuchun, Standing Committee member of the CPPCC National Committee and Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of China Daily, delivered the welcoming remarks.

“Chinese media colleagues have braved hardship and danger to record heart-warming battles to tell the story of China’s fight against the pandemic, which boosted the morale of frontline warriors,” he said.

Later, Dr. John Gong, Professor of Economics, University of International Business and Economics; and Dr. Debao Xiang, Professor of School of Journalism and Communication, Shanghai International Studies University; shared their insights on the topic.

John Gong pointed out that the model of the media is changing. “Now people are more and more receiving messages through relays of information. What this difference makes is that, in order for the message to be relayed, there is a tendency for the message to go extreme. You’re moving into a world where you have those short snackable video clips kinds of product that people tend to use or like to watch. There’s no difference between fact and opinion-editorial,” he said.

“It is now even more difficult for readers to get information that is objective, fact-based. Traditional media need to tighten their seatbelt and stick to what they are doing. If you have to sacrifice your journalistic standard for traffic volume, this is deplorable. The government needs to take actions. I think we have quite a strong government here in China that looks after this disinformation and misinformation,” he added.

Debao Xiang pointed out that the pandemic’s impact on the industry is both negative and positive. “There is a decrease in the average media budget due to the coronavirus. Around 35,000 journalists in the US have been laid off and faced pay cuts amid the pandemic. This is not only influenced by COVID-19 but also the impact of the new technologies. But audience trust for journalists has increased …this is a good phenomenon for the journalism industry,” he said.

Insight Spotlight was followed by a panel discussion which was moderated by Mr. Pana Janviroj, Executive Director, Asia News Network; and Dr. DJ Clark, Multimedia Director, China Daily Asia Pacific.

Prominent leaders from media companies and experts joined the panel discussion. They were: Mr. Zhiming Chen, Deputy Director of International News Department, China Daily; Mr. Choo Joon Kian, Deputy Editor in Chief, Sin Chew Daily; Mr. Philip Golingai, News Editor, The Star; Mr. Ziaul Hoque, News Editor, The Daily Star; Ms. Vivian Hsiao, Reporter, China Post; Mr. Min Thaw Htut, Executive Director, Eleven Media Group; Mr. Nitish Kapoor, ANN Editorial Coordinator, The Statesman; Ms. Juliet Labog-Javellana, Associate Publisher, Philippine Daily Inquirer; and Mr. Ly Tayseng, CEO, Phnom Penh Post, Cambodia. They examined the implications of COVID-19 on the media industry. They discussed the future development of the media industry.

Pana Janviroj pointed out that many Asian media appear to be weathering the storms better than expected. But more importantly there is a consensus from bottom to top of the newsrooms, despite the dwindling resources and advertising revenue plunges, the relentless determination to do their jobs.

“Those are to bring accurate reportings to readers and keep them well informed. The reporters are determined to do their jobs because readers and public at large appreciate their works. The Covid-19 era has endowed long awaited public appreciation of mainstream national media and journalism,” he said.

Zhiming Chen highlighted that technology has played a key role to contain the 2020 virus. “As a news organization with global reach, China Daily is fortunate to have offices and reporters worldwide. This means, during critical moments in COVID-19 coverage, we have nose, eyes, ears on spot. This kind of local presence was invaluable for us,” he said.

Choo Joon Kian said Sin Chew Daily has not laid off or had pay cuts for anyone. The company has officially launched a membership scheme. He said that the number of members has increased to 240,000 and their e-papers have increased by 5 percent. The company plans to set up a paywall on Apple next year.

Philip Golingai said, “For me, with the retrenchment in most of the media organizations in Malaysia and also downsizing and some closures, having at least three to five news organizations is very promising for us. Roughly, that’s the situation for us.”

Ziaul Hoque said the COVID-19’s impact has been unsettling. “Our revenue went down twothirds. There have been job cuts but they are not related to the pandemic. For workload, we have to adapt to these situations because it is the demand of the time. I think it’s a positive thing, in a sense that what we had to do, it expedited the process (to digitalization). We had to remodel business models,” he said.

Vivian Hsiao said she saw a bump in the number of readers in the beginning. “When covering the COVID-19 pandemic, our readers really needed to know what’s going on. I think the responsibility of the media increased greatly this year, but we have to be careful in covering the pandemic and provide accurate information because we wanted to give our readers the current information. But we also wanted to avoid creating unnecessary panic among them as well,” she said.

Min Thaw Htut said revenues from print advertising have declined. But that decline has been covered by digital investments. “Even though our core content is news, we have also diversified our content. The main lesson I have learnt is that we have to remain trustworthy, reliable and independent to do our main core functions. The other thing that we have to be mindful about is that the attention for eyeballs is very competitive. How do we survive this? It’s by creating good quality news,” he said.

Nitish Kapoor said revenue was going down at the start of the pandemic. “But with an increase in internet users, we have gained revenue. Eventually, we’ll get long-term benefits for sure. It will surely come back to us,” he said.

Juliet Labog-Javellana pointed out that one of the positive impacts of COVID-19 for the media is it provided the impetus to accelerate digital transformation and innovation. “So what the Inquirer did was to move quickly to different platforms like we hosted more than a dozen webinars; print journalists went into podcast….we published newsletters. Because most of our staff are working from home so maybe the big challenge during this pandemic is that media’s access to government officials has been limited because there are no face-to-face press conferences. Officials can mute you online. There’s no opportunity to grill officials. The Inquirer had to leverage our credibility to counter the ‘disinfodemic’ about COVID-19 which posed a danger to people’s lives,” she said.

Ly Tayseng said, “This year, we didn’t have to retrench staff. This year, our advertising for printed media was reduced by 30 percent, but our subscription number has remained the same. Our digital revenue is increasing, but it is not significant. If the advertising revenue keeps dropping, I think there may be an impact for next year.”

Founded in 1981, China Daily covers 33 million readers and users worldwide through diversified platforms, including newspapers, websites, and mobiles and social media.

The number of China Daily’s followers has now reached 55 million on Weibo, 9.5 million on the WeChat Blog platform, 99 million on Facebook and another 4.39 million on Twitter.

The China Daily Asia Leadership Roundtable is a by-invitation network of movers and shakers in Asia, providing platforms for focused dialogue, issue investigation and possible collective action on strategic issues relating to Asia’s economic, business and social development.


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US embassy won’t comment on IGP’s probe into joint drug raid

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8 hours ago

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2026/09/17

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Drugs taken into custody (pic courtesy US Embassy)

… America-Pakistan developed required ‘intel’ for operation

By Shamindra Ferdinando

The US Embassy in Colombo declined to comment on a special police probe into the recent narcotics detection, jointly made at the China-managed Colombo International Container Terminal (CICT) by the US Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) New Delhi Country Office and Sri Lanka Police..

US Embassy spokesperson said that the mission wouldn’t add to their press release, issued on 2 Sept., in the immediate aftermath of the raid.

Police Headquarters, on 11 Sept., declared that the Central Crime Investigation Bureau (CCIB) was conducting investigations into the recovery of 473 kg of Crystal Methamphetamine (‘Ice’). Police never acknowledged the role played by the US in the operation.

According to Police Headquarters, on a directive given by IGP Priyantha Weerasooriya, the Special Investigation Unit has launched an internal probe into, what it called, shortcomings and irregularities in the Colombo Port raid.

The Island:

Have you (relevant US authorities) received an update of Sri Lanka’s investigations from the Police?

US Embassy:

U.S. and Sri Lankan law enforcement authorities maintain close and ongoing cooperation on counternarcotics matters, including the exchange of information that helps both countries combat transnational drug trafficking. We don’t have anything further to share on communications with Sri Lankan authorities beyond what we’ve already said publicly about the successful operation.

The Island:

Did the Police seek clarification regarding DEA, New Delhi Country Office role in the successful raid?

US Embassy:

As the Embassy noted publicly following the seizure, cooperation with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration contributed to the Sri Lanka Police Narcotics Bureau’s successful seizure of approximately 463 kilograms of methamphetamine at the Port of Colombo.

The seizure demonstrates the value of close U.S.-Sri Lankan cooperation in disrupting transnational narcotics trafficking.

The Island:

Before we raised this issue were you aware of the internal investigation into the drug bust which was also raised in Parliament last week?

The US Embassy:

We don’t have anything further to share beyond what we’ve already said publicly about the successful operation.

Our focus remains on the strong U.S.-Sri Lanka law enforcement partnership and the concrete results our cooperation can deliver—disrupting transnational criminal organisations, cutting off the profits that fuel illicit drug trafficking, and protecting our citizens from the dangers of narcotrafficking.

The US Embassy attributed the success of the counternarcotics operation to the US-Sri Lanka partnership

The US Embassy statement, dated 2 Sept: The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) New Delhi Country Office and Sri Lanka’s Police Narcotics Bureau (PNB) conducted a successful joint operation disrupting a Pakistan-based narcotrafficking network attempting to smuggle crystal methamphetamine through Sri Lanka to international markets.

Acting on intelligence developed by DEA’s Foreign Counterparts Unit Pakistan Anti-Narcotics Force Special Investigations Cell between August 14–29 on suspicious maritime containers moving from Pakistan to Colombo, PNB seized approximately 463 kg of crystal methamphetamine with a street value of $21 million, concealed in bath towels, and arrested several suspects, including Pakistani nationals. This operation underscores the strength of the U.S.-Sri Lanka partnership in dismantling transnational criminal organisations that fund terrorism and threaten communities in both our countries. This cooperation builds on long-standing training and technical assistance provided through the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) to the Sri Lanka Police and Customs. The United States remains committed to working with Sri Lanka and regional partners to aggressively pursue transnational criminal organizations, deny them the revenue from illicit drug trafficking, and protect our citizens from the dangers of narcotrafficking.”

SLPP National Organiser Namal Rajapaksa, in Parliament, raised questions about the internal investigation into the raid. However, Rajapaksa, too, hasn’t mentioned the US role in the operation. The Special Investigation Unit has recorded a statement from Senior DIG Ranmal Kodituwakku regarding the Colombo Port raid.

MP Rajapaksa questioned the rationale behind questioning the officer who led the raid against the backdrop of controversial releasing of 323 containers from the Colombo Port in January 2025. The failure to question those responsible for the releasing of 323 containers indicated who was behind that operation, MP Rajapaksa told Parliament.

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Gnanasara Thera declares outside High Court that he wouldn’t flee

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8 hours ago

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2026/09/17

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Gnanasara Thera

Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) General Secretary Ven. Galagodaaththe Gnanasara Thera appeared before the Colombo High Court yesterday in a case filed by the Attorney General over statements allegedly insulting Islam.

The case was taken up before Colombo High Court Judge Buddhika C. Ragala, who ordered that it be called again on September 30.

His appearance came six days after the Supreme Court invalidated the presidential pardon granted to Gnanasara Thera by former President Maithripala Sirisena in 2019.

Speaking to journalists outside the court, Gnanasara Thera said he was prepared to face the legal process and would abide by the law, rejecting reports that he had gone into hiding following the Supreme Court judgment.

“It is the weak who disappear and flee. We worked for the country and are facing the consequences for that. We are not afraid and will not flee,” he said, noting that he would surrender to the court and face whatever legal consequences following the Supreme Court decision.

The Supreme Court, on September 10, ruled that the presidential pardon granted to Gnanasara Thera by Sirisena was invalid. The judgment followed fundamental rights petitions challenging the legality of the pardon. A three-judge bench, comprising Justices Janak de Silva, Sobhitha Rajakaruna and Sampath Abeykoon, delivered the ruling.

Gnanasara Thera was convicted by the Court of Appeal in 2018 for contempt of court and sentenced to a total of 19 years’ imprisonment to run concurrently as six years. The conviction related to his conduct during proceedings at the Homagama Magistrate’s Court concerning the disappearance of Prageeth Eknaligoda.

He was released from Welikada Prison on May 23, 2019, after then President Maithripala Sirisena had granted him a presidential pardon.

The Supreme Court found the pardon to be arbitrary and invalid in law, following its consideration of the petitions challenging the exercise of the presidential power of clemency.

Meanwhile, police have said they are awaiting the Supreme Court judgment before determining what further action should be taken following the invalidation of the pardon.

The proceedings before the Colombo High Court yesterday are separate from the contempt of court case that resulted in the six-year sentence. They concern alleged statements made by Gnanasara Thera regarding Islam.

In June this year, the Colombo High Court rejected an appeal by Gnanasara Thera against a nine-month prison sentence imposed by the Colombo Magistrate’s Court in connection with statements made at a 2016 media briefing that were found to have disrupted religious coexistence.

The latest High Court proceedings, therefore, form part of separate legal action concerning his alleged remarks about Islam, while the Supreme Court ruling relates specifically to the legality of the 2019 presidential pardon granted in connection with his contempt of court conviction.

The case before the Colombo High Court will be called again on September 30.

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Namal further remanded

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8 hours ago

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2026/09/17

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MP Namal Rajapaksa being taken out from the Colombo Fort Magistrate’s court yesterday

Colombo Fort Magistrate Pasan Amarasena yesterday (16) ordered SLPP National Organiser Namal Rajapaksa, MP, to be further remanded, until September 23. The Magistrate issued the order when Rajapaksa was produced before the court as a suspect in an investigation into an alleged USD 2 million bribe case connected to the acquisition of aircraft for SriLankan Airlines.

The Magistrate issued the order following the submissions made by Deputy Solicitor General Janaka Bandara, appearing on behalf of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID).

President’s Counsel Anil Silva, along with other attorneys representing Rajapaksa, also made submissions before the court.

The Magistrate also announced that a decision on Rajapaksa’s bail application would be announced on 23 September.

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