Let the local discussion be your lodestar
Image via Having been in the Washington D.C. area for a fair amount of time and having read a few of the really good contributions to the most recent series, I got…
Media and Communications
Empathetic Media: Covering death with sensitivity
I’m here to speak to you today on a topic that, for me, has deep personal significance. It was quite a difficult decision for me to speak to you all today. In…
Ten Years: On populism and counterfeit democracy
Ten years surviving a tempestuous period of contemporary Sri Lankan political, economic and social change, as an English language electronic platform introducing the most modern forms of communication is surely an accomplishment…
Continued impunity: Journalist killings unresolved in 2016
In 2016, Sri Lanka was removed from the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) Impunity Index. Each year, CPJ reviews countries for a 10-year period. If there are five or more unsolved cases, the…
The Road to Nandikadal and the struggle for the military history of the Ealam war
Sri Lanka’s separatist war was one of the longest insurgencies of modern times. It was also one of the most destructive insurgencies in the region, causing the deaths of tens of thousands…
Some thoughts on ‘Close to the Bone’
‘Close to the Bone’, billed as a theatrical collaboration between Arun Welandawe-Prematilleke and Isuru Kumarasinghe, was part of Colomboscope 2016 and held at the Presidential Suite, Cinnamon Lakeside. Almost exactly three years…
No Internet Please, We’re Sri Lankan!
That is what a retired professor of mass communications told me publicly at a university media conference four years ago. I was a bit taken aback as he had no clinical training…
Submission by Hashtag Generation to the Consultation Task Force on Reconciliation Mechanisms
Photo courtesy Consultation Task Force Thank you very for hosting us this evening at this consultation on reconciliation mechanisms. Meaningfully consulting young people is imperative to ensure the legitimacy of any transitional…
Unethical media practices by Neth FM
Photo courtesy On June 14th, 2016 the ‘’ news programme on Neth FM sought to discuss the construction of a mosque at Sri Maha Vihara Road, Kalubowila, Dehiwela. We reproduce below a…
Submission to Consultation Task Force on Reconciliation Mechanisms
Photo Amantha Perera/IRIN @groundviews making a submission before CTF at today's consultation with media orgs #srilanka #lka #pubconsl pic.twitter.com/MKhkfMzhre — (Former) CTF on Reconciliation Mechanisms (@ctfsl) June 28, 2016 , were invited…
The Complexity of Loss
Troubled by the burgeoning demands for accountability, the erstwhile Rajapaksa-government developed a homogenous narrative about how to respond to the cries of the war’s victims for truth and justice. Promoted as a…
How Does Our Media Cover Tragedy? An Open Letter to Sri Lankan Media Establishments
Photo Courtesy of The Massimo Group On 25 April 2016, two 19 year-old women were fatally hit by a train while attempting to cross a railway track in Dehiwala. The tragic incident…
Towards True Freedom of Expression
Former editor in chief of the Nation in Thailand, Kavi Chongkittavorn received an unexpected scoop when visiting Sri Lanka in the 1990s. The source – Minister of Foreign Affairs Lakshman Kadirgamar, who…
Remembering Sivaram (Taraki)
Image courtesy Today’s event focuses on one man. Today morning, there was a protest in Colombo, organized by a coalition of media freedom groups and others, demanding accountability for Sivaram’s murder. It…
LAUNCH: The new Groundviews
Since its launch in 2006, has consistently set the bar for the design and functionality of news websites in Sri Lanka. After launching the country’s first iOS news app as far back as 2011, we…