President Gotabaya assures non-interfere with media freedom during tenure

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa addressing a gathering of heads of media institutions assured that media freedom would not be hindered during his tenure.

President Rajapaksa said opportunities are available for any reasonable criticism while adding that that he expects every media institute to fulfill its obligation towards the country while engaging in favourable media reporting to uphold the country’s reputation.

President made these observations during a meeting held at the Presidential Secretariat this afternoon (Dec 12).

"People of this country elected me to the office of the President with great expectations. Enhancing the efficiency of politicians and public officials, elimination of corruption and the economic development are some of the priorities among them. As such I expect the fullest support and cooperation of media towards achieving these objectives", the President said.

Further the President said a positive image of the country is imperative in order to attract investments and build economic cooperation at an international level.

The media has a wider responsibility in building a good image of the country, the President pointed out.
In addition, Mr Rajapaksa  appreciated how media reacted and reported about the incidents related to the Swiss Embassy employee.

President expressed his regret over the attempts by international media channels to give undue publicity to this incident and pointed out that media in this country have the ability to counter such false propaganda.