The Sacred and the Profane
“A tangle within, a tangle without…” Jata Sutta – Samyutta Nikaya In July 2020, Indika Rathnayake, a non-theistic online activist, was summoned to the Organised Crimes Prevention Police Division and questioned for three…
Media and Communications
Data Protection Bill Allows for Violation of Civil Rights
With the misuse of laws, such as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which are aimed at protecting the rights of citizens but are actually used to stifle them,…
Natalie Soysa – A Fierce and Inspiring Activist
Natalie Soysa lived an intensely creative life. She was a writer, a journalist, a photographer and activist and she understood early in her life what many people take decades to fully realise…
Literacy and the Dimensions of the Digital Divide
Literacy rates in Sri Lanka have hovered in the high 90s for the past decade or so, impressive figures no doubt; enough for the country to be publicised in official publications as…
Sowing the Seeds of Conflict: Statement by UN Officials and Independent Experts
Former UN officials and independent experts call on the international community to take immediate steps towards justice and accountability to end Sri Lanka’s cycles of violence. The recently released report on Sri…
Countering Harmful Speech: Why Trust the State?
Words can, and often do, harm others. A society is usually justified in restricting speech that causes harm. The nature and extent of such restrictions depends on the type of harm involved.…
A Crisis in Communications
2020 has been defined by COVID-19; a year in which citizens, governments and medical first-responders found themselves in a whirlwind of unprecedented pandemonium. Adding to the confusion have been patterns of broken…
October – A Bleak Month for Freedom of Expression
Today is the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists October was a bleak month for freedom of expression with four cases of assault against five provincial journalists. All five…
Correct Messaging is Vital to Fight Covid-19
The sudden rise in the number of cases of Covid-19 has caused serious community concerns. Given the devastation that is being caused by the dangerous pandemic, prevention requires even more than eternal…
The End of Free and Fair Elections
The proposed 20th amendment will be the death of free and fair elections in Sri Lanka. The study of political communications and digital propaganda for over a decade leaves no room for…
WhatsApp & Groundviews: The end of updates
Updates over WhatsApp groups, pegged to content published on this site and a plethora of issues related to them, was started in 2016. Started off as groups where all subscribers could exchange…
Radio Ceylon: Reflections on A Non-hegemonic Anchor in the South Asian Soundscape
Image courtesy Vernon Corea blog By Sasanka Perera & Dev Nath Pathak, Department of Sociology, South Asian University, New Delhi Radio, in our view is not merely a matter of technology through…
Freedom of Expression vs. Hate Speech, Fake and Misleading News
Today, 3rd May, is World Press Freedom Day. It is a good day to assess state of Freedom of Expression, and we will focus on importance of ensuring freedom of expression while…
Ekneligoda disappearance – 10 years struggle for truth and justice
Photo by Ishara S.KODIKARA/AFP via Today, 10th January 2020, is 10 years since the disappearance of journalist and cartoonist Prageeth Ekneligoda. It also marks 10 years of struggle for truth and justice…
Is the Deep State Involved? Reflections on the PSC Findings & Implications for the Future
Photograph courtesy We are presently witnessing a whirlwind of activities in the lead up to Presidential Elections due on 16th November with an unprecedented number of candidates and election hype. It was…
