Remembering Richard Boyle
September 25 was the first anniversary of the death of the writer Richard Boyle at the age of 72. Richard was a prolific writer, perhaps best remembered for the multiple articles he…
Media and Communications
No Presidential Candidate Has Pledged to Repeal the Online Safety Act
The presidential election is just six days away. It is said that three candidates are leading among the contenders – Anura Dissanayake, Ranil Wickremesinghe and Sajith Premadasa. All three claim that they…
An Incumbency Bias: Mainstream Media’s Election Coverage on Twitter
Based on my previous study of looking at how Sri Lankan partisans on Twitter perceived their favoured presidential candidate, and opponents, I wanted to establish how mainstream media (MSM) accounts on the…
Media During Elections: Watchdogs or Wheeler-Dealers?
With a record number of candidates (38) contesting Sri Lanka’s presidential election, voters are yet to witness what new stories (and old stories) these 38 players bring to the table. After all, from…
Social Media Declaration: Paving the Way for Ethical Use of Media
An updated version of the Social Media Declaration (SMD), which was formulated by a group of civil society and media organisations in 2019, was launched in Colombo. The declaration is a significant…
Digital Sovereignty Within the Context of the Personal Data Protection Act
Sri Lanka has been forefront in the South Asian region in the battle of technology and innovation. While protecting the privacy and data flow across online, it passed the Personal Data Protection…
Shared Encounters from Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Thailand
In a world where narratives of conflict and division dominate, the International Centre for Ethnic Studies (ICES) offers a refreshing perspective through its latest project, Shared Encounters. This semi-academic book, along with…
The Passing of R. Sampanthan MP: Snapshots from a Divided Country
R. Sampanthan MP passed away on June 30, 2024. He was 91. Sampanthan was a venerable statesman, and veteran Tamil politician. His passing marks the end of an era. As journalist Meera Srinivasan…
The War Against Words
Had writer V.V. Ganeshananthan lived in Jaffna instead of New York, she would have been summoned by Sri Lanka’s Counter Terrorism Investigative Division (CTID) and grilled for a couple of hours over…
Under Threat: Minority Journalists in South Asia
In 2021 Ajay Lalwani, a local news correspondent for an Urdu language newspaper, was sitting in a barber shop in Sukkur, Pakistan. Some gunmen drove by and opened fire, striking Lalwani in…
Fifth Estate: Paradoxes of Digital Power
World audiences remain riveted to phone, computer and television screens, shocked as we all are by the bloody carnality of the war in Palestine, the graphic horror gripping attention by its lurid…
The Perilous State of Freedom of Expression
World Press Freedom Day is observed on May 3 to remind the world that freedom of the press and freedom of expression are fundamental human rights. Many journalists have died or are…
A Mural for Women Journalists from the Fearless Collective
Although Sri Lanka has had its fair share of women editors and journalists for many decades, some who ventured into areas of conflict around the country, the image of a journalist is…
The Rise of the Panopticon State
“Hence the major effect of the Panopticon: to induce in the inmate a state of conscious and permanent visibility that assures the automatic functioning of power.” Michel Foucault Although now contested, news…
The Online Safety Bill: A Trojan Horse
On September 18, 2023, the Government of Sri Lanka published a Bill titled “Online Safety” and this was subsequently tabled in parliament on October 3. The Bill aims to establish an Online…
