Press Council gets new Chairman and three board members

The appointment of a new chairperson and three board members to the Sri Lanka Press Council was carried out recently under the leadership of the Minister of Health and Media, Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa, at the Ministry of Media.

Priyan R. Wijebandara was appointed Chairperson of the Sri Lanka Press Council.

Dr. Anushka Kandegama, a sociologist, Mahesha Mudugamuwe, a senior lawyer and media professional, and Devadasan Sendilvelawar, a senior journalist, were also appointed as board members.

Priyan R. Wijebandara, the newly appointed Chairperson of the Sri Lanka Press Council, holds a degree in Political Science from the University of Kelaniya and a Master’s degree in Media Studies from the University of Colombo. He also holds an advanced diploma in English for Administration and Academic Purposes from the University of Colombo and is currently pursuing a diploma in filmmaking at the National Film Corporation. He has served as an external lecturer at the University of Colombo, Sabaragamuwa University, and Peradeniya University. Wijebandara has over 25 years of experience in the print and online media, having worked as a communications specialist and researcher for various projects funded by the World Bank. He is also an award-winning writer and critic.

Dr. Anushka Kandegama, appointed as a board member, is a sociologist who completed her PhD in Social Science at Otago University. She holds additional qualifications in Social Science from the University of Colombo and a Master’s degree in Sociology. Dr. Kandegama has worked as a researcher in peacebuilding and gender studies, and has been an external lecturer at the Sri Lanka Foundation Institute and the Open University of Sri Lanka.

Mahesha Mudugamuwa, an experienced lawyer and media professional, with over a decade of expertise in the field, currently works as a news editor at The Sunday Morning newspaper. She was a journalist at The Island. She has been involved in investigative journalism and news reporting and was selected to represent Sri Lanka in the US International Visitor Leadership Programme (IVLP) in 2024. She has also participated in numerous training programmes in countries such as India, Singapore, Thailand, and Japan. Mudugamuwa’s international experience includes serving as a fellow for media collaboration programmes in Yokohama, Japan, and the Foreign Press Centre Japan (FPCJ) in 2015, where she gained valuable insight into global governance and disaster management.

Devadasan Sendilvelawar, with over three decades of experience in the media industry, serves as the chief editor of Thinakaran Daily and Thinakaran Varamanjari Weekly publications. He has received training in journalism from several countries, including the US, Germany, Hong Kong, India, and Malaysia. Sendilvelawar has also held the position of president of the All Lanka Tamil Media Journalists’ Association and is an accomplished writer and translator.