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Minister Dullas laments credibility deficiency in media world over

By Saman Indrajith
Mass Media Minister Dullas Alahapperuma says the media all over the world are facing the issue of credibility deficiency.
Addressing a ceremony to mark the 67th anniversary of the Sri Lanka Press Association at the Sri Lanka Foundation recently, the Minister said that credibility loss was not a problem limited to one or two countries.
“Credibility of the media is at question owing to three main issues among others. Not only as the Minister of Mass Media but also as a citizen I see these three causes that harm the credibility of the media. Integrity of the media is lost when the journalists are compelled to stand for the whims and fancies of the media ownership. This is a problem faced not only by the state-owned media but also by the privately-owned media. The former may try to uphold the government in power whether it is blue, green or red while the latter try to defend the interests of their owners, or to stand for the political and business interests or image causing the loss of balance. The second cause of losing credibility is encroachment of privacy of persons by the media. This is a main reason behind people questioning the credibility of the media all over the world. The third reason is reporting news based on attitudes, hypotheses and hunches rather than facts. When the foundation for news is not facts but the attitudes dished out as news, the media loses people’s respect. These are the three main reasons for the loss of integrity of the media globally.
“My stand could be countered by showing ratings and circulation figures. But, you have to remember that people’s trust or respect can never be measured by the rating cards or circulation figures. You cannot match economic assumptions with the aspects of the media. The rationale of economics is primarily based on supply and demand theory which cannot be generalized to be applied for the media culture. Those are two different things. One may say that they have the highest ratings and highest circulation but that does not mean they command the respect of their viewers or the readers. The media industry today is facing a crisis because of the attempts to mix it with the needs of supply and demand. In that sense, the media profession and political profession are both the same because the Constitution may have a clause stating that such an institution is supreme, the people would not accept it so. People know that the constitution says so but they do not accept it as a supreme institute or respect it for that. There is a huge difference between respect and fear. I was once a journalist, now my profession is politics. What I have observed is that both in these two professions have mixed up the connotations of respect and fear. People may have fear for the politicians but not respect. Some people have fear for the media, but the media should never misunderstand that fear as respect which should be earned and comes not from the same path of the fear. For example, circulations of newspapers have decreased world over. It is common truth for all the papers including the New York Times to the newspapers in Sri Lanka. Yet, there is no decrease in respect for the print media,” the minister said, adding that maintaining that respect is of utmost importance.
“That cannot be achieved by the laws, rules and regulations. It cannot be achieved by censorship. Every government that attempted to control the media using coercive methods has ended up in the dustbins of history,” Minister Alahapperuma said.
Minister Alahappermua was the Chief Guest at the 67th anniversary convention of the Sri Lanka Press Association (SLPA). Five senior journalists, Sunil Daya De Alwis, Sarath Cooray, Arthur U. Amarasena, Chandrika Wijesundara and A.C De Silva, were felicitated at this ceremony for their service to journalism in Sri Lanka.
President of the Association, Silumina Editor-in-Chief Dharman Wickramaratne, Patron of the Association, Muditha Kariyakarawana and General Secretary of the Association Kurulu Kariyakarawana were also present.
News
Numerous Clean Sri Lanka initiatives were implemented in Anuradhapura during Poson week

Aligned with the 2025 National Poson Festival, the Clean Sri Lanka Secretariat spearheaded several environmentally conscious initiatives during Poson Week, including maintaining cleanliness in areas surrounding the Atamasthana (Eight Sacred Places). Key waste management measures included the establishment of permanent, covered enclosures for biodegradable and non-biodegradable waste receptacles near the Atamasthana and Mihintale. Dedicated plastic bottle collection bins were strategically placed alongside general waste bins and in collaboration with Ceypetco, discarded barrels were repurposed as waste containers.
Significant support came from sponsors including the Irrigation Department, ARPICO, Rambewa Mechanical Engineering Works, the Cargills and Keells Group (for plastic containers), Coca-Cola Beverages Sri Lanka (for plastic collection bins), and Ceypetco and the Sri Lanka Army (for waste bins).
Additional safety and awareness initiatives included placing waste bins near bathing areas and bridges adjacent to major reservoirs (Tissa Wewa, Basawakkulama Wewa, Nuwara Wewa, Mahakanadarawa Wewa, Nachchaduwa Wewa, Bulankulama Wewa and Kunchikulama Wewa) to reduce littering. Warning signs were installed at hazardous locations and lifesaving personnel and naval craft were deployed during the Poson Week.
Waste bins for bridge areas were supplied by Phoenix Industries and ARPICO, while informational signage around the Sacred City was sponsored by AIA, Ceylinco and Sri Lanka Insurance. Overall coordination was managed by the Anuradhapura Municipal Commissioner.
A Clean Sri Lanka coordination centre established within the Poson Zone facilitated awareness programmes for schoolchildren and the general public on themes such as environmental stewardship and intergenerational responsibility. These efforts involved Provincial and District Secretaries and institutions including the Post-Harvest Technology Institute. Additional programmes were held targeting public officials and citizens focused on national food security, financial literacy and ethical public service.
Environmental sustainability projects carried out during the week included canal cleaning in collaboration with the Irrigation Department, Provincial Irrigation Department and the Department of Agrarian Development and a tree-planting initiative titled “Environmental Security” in partnership with the Forest Conservation Department and school communities.
Personality development and leadership workshops were also conducted. A full-day session was held on 7 June 2025 at St. Thomas’ College, Anuradhapura (7:30 AM to 7:30 PM), sponsored by Perera & Sons, the Anuradhapura Lions Club and the Dream Force Sri Lanka Society. Similar workshops were conducted at Maithripala Senanayake Vidyalaya and Swarnamali Balika Vidyalaya.
On 11 June 2025, a morning awareness session for rural farmers was held, covering Post-Harvest Technology (presented by C.R. Gunawardana, National Post-Harvest Management Institute) and Financial Management (presented by Duminda Disanayake, Central Bank of Sri Lanka), featuring a special address by MP Susantha Kumara Navaratne.
On the morning of 12 June 2025, the Clean Sri Lanka Secretariat and the Anuradhapura Municipal Council jointly conducted a waste removal drive at the Basawakkulama Wewa tank bund, extracting plastic, polythene and other refuse. Participants included venerable monks from the Sri Lanka Bhikkhu University Bhikkhu Student Association, Anuradhapura Mayor N. Karunaratne, the Association President and lay devotees. That afternoon, the Secretariat’s Music Therapy programme began at the Surapura Open Air Theatre, Anuradhapura, attended by over a thousand personnel from the armed forces, police, Civil Security Department and state institutions.
A special lecture was also delivered by Clinical Psychologist Dr. Madhura Gunawardana.
[PMD]
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Workshop on the use of AI to enhance the efficiency and productivity of the public service

A special workshop on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to transform the public service into a more productive and efficient entity was held on Sunday (15) at Temple Trees.
Titled “AI for Transforming Public Service,” the workshop was attended by officials of the Presidential Secretariat. It aimed to serve as an initial orientation for a major government initiative, the digitalization of the public service, by raising awareness and preparing officials, while also fostering a positive perception of artificial intelligence within the public sector.
Dr. Hans Wijesuriya, Senior Advisor to the President on the Digital Economy, delivered the keynote address. Sanjaya Karunaseena, Executive Director of the Information and Communication Technology Agency (ICTA) of Sri Lanka, also presented a brief address. Subsequently, Harsha Purasinghe and Samisa Abeysinghe, board members of ICTA, conducted awareness sessions incorporating practical demonstrations.
The event was also attended by the Secretary to the President Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake, Senior Additional Secretary to the President Roshan Gamage and several other senior officials from the Presidential Secretariat.
News
SC appointment: AKD withdraws his nominee, SJB to raise issue in House

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has withdrawn the nomination of Court of Appeal Judge M. T. Mohamed Lafar to the Supreme Court, amidst an intense controversy in legal circles over the nomination at issue even before the occurrence of a vacancy in the apex court. The matter would be raised in Parliament, SJB lawmaker Dayasiri Jayaskera said.
President Dissanayake owed the country an explanation as to why that nomination was made in such a hurry, Jayasekera said. “President Dissanayake is believed to have sent Lafar’s nomination to the Constitutional Council on 9 June, before he left for Germany on an official tour,” he said.
Speaker Dr. Jagath Wickremaratne heads the 10-member CC.
Former Minister Jayasekera said that he was aware of the decision to withdraw Lafar’s nomination.
Speaker’s Office sources told The Island that they couldn’t comment on the issue without consulting the Speaker. Sources in the Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) said that a couple of judicial appointments were due soon and the BASL’s official comment could be made available once it studied the developments.
Other sources said that the President intended to fill the vacancy to be created by justice Gamini Amarasekera’s retirement, on 20 June, with Lafar, who is the current President of the Court of Appeal. However, Lafar is to retire on 18 June, after having reached the retirement age on 18 June, sources said.
Justice Minister Harshana Nanayakkara and Leader of the House Bimal Rathnayake couldn’t be contacted for comment.In terms of the Constitution, the President has to consult the Chief Justice regarding nominations before they are forwarded to the CC.
MP Jayasekera said that he would seek the government parliamentary group response to the Supreme Court matter. The NPP, having accused all previous governments of wrongdoings, couldn’t be allowed to manipulate judicial appointments, he added. (SF)
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