News
Norway extends support for SLPI activities
View(s):The agreement was signed by the Norwegian Ambassador in Sri Lanka Thorbjorn Gaustadsaether and SLPI Chairman Kumar Nadesan recently in Colombo, in recognition of the SLPI’s work in the field of media freedom and social development, a news release from the SLPI states.
The Norwegian government, along with the Swedish and Danish governments, the US and UK governments and UNESCO has been one of the long time financial supporters of the activities of the SLPI, the industry-based organisation managed by the Newspaper Society of Sri Lanka, The Editors’ Guild of Sri Lanka, the Free Media Movement and the Sri Lanka Working Journalists Association, affiliated with the Federation of Media Workers Trade Unions, the Sri Lanka Chapter of the South Asian Free Media Association, Tamil Media Forum and Muslim Media Forum.
According to the news release, the latest grant is broadly for SLPI to provide for the creation of a conducive environment for Freedom of Expression, especially through the Right to Information Act; to promote the Code of Professional Practice (The Editors’ Code) of The Editors’ Guild of Sri Lanka in the newsrooms and among provincial correspondents; and for the promotion of professionalism among journalists in Sri Lanka.
The SLPI is the umbrella organization of the Press Complaints Commission of Sri Lanka, the self-regulatory industry based mechanism responsible for promoting The Editors’ Code, and the Sri Lanka College of Journalism which conducts Diploma and mid-career courses in Journalism.
SLPI holds RTI sessions in Kandy  The Sri Lanka Press Institute (SLPI) trainer Kamal Liyanarachchi conducting a session on Right to Information law (RTI) to a group of Sinhala media journalists in Kandy.  The Sri Lanka Press Institute (SLPI) trainer Mathuri Maharan conducting a training on Right to Information law (RTI) to a group of Tamil media journalists in Kandy |
| 5-Member RTI Commission finally in place Appointments to the five-member Right to Information (RTI) Commission were completed this week with the appointment of two new members, in retired Justice of the Court of Appeal A.W.A. Salam (Bar Association nominee) and Dr Selvi Thiruchandran (civil society nominee). They received their letters of appointment from President Maithripala Sirisena on Thursday at the Presidential Secretariat. The other Commission members are former civil servant Mahinda Gammanpila (Chairman), Attorneys-at-Law S.G. Punchihewa (civil society nominee) and Kishali Pinto-Jayawardena (nominee of the Editors’ Guild of Sri Lanka, the Newspaper Society of Sri Lanka, the Free Media Movement, the Sri Lanka Working Journalists’ Association and the Sri Lanka Press Institute). The Commission is the main overseeing body monitoring the performance of public authorities and information officers under the Act, as well as making recommendations for reform. It can directly prosecute in the Magistrate’s Court with stiff sentences and fines liable to be imposed on offenders. The Act’s reach is wide, going beyond government bodies and includes companies in which the State has a controlling interest, as well as non-governmental organisations, in so far as the information sought relates to services rendered to the public. The new RTI law comes into operation on February 4, 2017. |