After the dragon has been slain
The Dragon, a drama written by the late Russian playwright Eugene Schwartz, is a modern day political fairytale. It tells the story of Lancelot, who on his quest to slay the dragon,…
Media and Communications
Lisa Kois’s film The Art of Forgetting – A Review
During this year’s Vesak week in Sri Lanka, Buddhists celebrated the birth, life and death of their Lord. Principles were recalled: that it is a bad thing to drink alcohol, to eat…
The brutality of our times: After the Delgoda massacre
The recent massacre of a family in Delgoda gripped the attention of the media recently. Reports today indicate that several houses of those suspected to be behind the massacre were torched by…
Pressing for change
The general consensus at this year’s World Press Freedom Day celebrations was that there was, in fact, very little to celebrate. Instead, it was brought home once again how reporters, journalists and…
Darfur vs. Sri Lanka
Click here for a larger version. Graphed from data on Reuters Alertnet, the chart above covers the period from 21.9.2006 to 10.5.2007. It’s an wretched contest to be in, but over the…
Right to Information and Good Governance: Linkages and Challenges
“Freedom of information is a fundamental human right and … the touchstone of all the freedoms to which the United Nations is consecrated.†– UN General Assembly Resolution 59(I), 1946 – In…
Protecting the spectrum for media freedom
Nalaka Gunawardene is a science writer and media watcher. He writes a blog on media and society. This article is adapted and expanded from the author’s panel remarks made during the OUR…