Part of the challenge of declaration like these – which may be useful for journalists in Sri Lanka for all I know – is that in the present political climate, they can be perceived to be supporting media that in its pursuit of professionalism, supports the voices of terrorism. For instance, I think balanced journalism requires all voices to be featured, or as many possible, but with this government against media giving voice to the LTTE, the Weligama Declaration may be still born.
Also not sure how many journalists actually ascribe to these principles? They are certainly good and need to be welcomed, but how much of awareness building goes on in the industry?
Not a journalist, so anyone out there who can tell us what it’s like being one and pursuing professional development models on the lines of this Declaration?
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