Study of Media in the North-East of Sri Lanka

This mapping of media in the North-East of Sri Lanka was commissioned by International Media Support (IMS), Denmark and conducted by the Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA), Colombo, Sri Lanka. In May and June 2003, two researchers (the authors) interviewed 18 media personnel and civil society activists in an effort to "buttress moves on the ground to develop great inter-ethnic and communal understanding, thereby leading to a media cultural in Sri Lanka which does not forget its social responsibility." In the past 2 decades, Sri Lanka has spent more than US$850 million per year on the war effort, and has deployed more than 100,000 troops to fight the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). According to figures quoted in the article, it was estimated that by 1998 650,000 people were displaced, 250,000 emigrated, 50,000 were housed in basic welfare centres, and 64,000 were killed.

In general, there are 8 newspaper publishing houses that publish 12 weekly newspapers in Colombo. There are 13 private FM radio stations broadcasting in 3 languages, in addition to the state-owned system of a national service and 4 regional and 4 community outlets. There are 3 state TV channels and 6 private ones, including one that is broadcast in Tamil. There are 8 Internet service providers, which mainly serve Colombo. There is also access to BBC newscast, satellite, and limited cable. The LTTE has its own media structure, which includes a radio station (Voice of the Tigers radio), a small newspaper, a video production unit, and a website.

Deshapriya and Hattotuwa claim that the media fails to adhere "to the internationally basic standards of accuracy, impartiality and responsibility". Most of the estimated 2,500-3,000 journalists in Sri Lanka have had limited or no professional training. Few organisations, the authors, say, have training programmes in-house. Journalists are poorly paid; most of those who have sought training and who speak or write English find employment in the more highly paid fields of advertising, public relations, or government communications. Standards - including basic skills, enterprise, dedication, and sense of public service - are low.

The authors first consider indigenous papers: "some Sinhala papers have been categorized as 'pro-war' meaning anti-Tamil, anti-Muslim, anti-negotiations and anti the government which favours negotiations...[s]imilarly on the Tamil side..." Cross-cultural reporting by the indigenous papers, the authors say, is "almost non-existent". Apparently, military censors banned reporting from the LTTE-controlled area, leaving most Sri Lankans in the dark about the reality of the war.

In terms of mainstream media, Lake House, which the authors say is perceived to be the propaganda arm of the incumbent government, publishes newspapers in all 3 languages (Sinhalese, Tamil, and English). Other mainstream media outlets have been established as commercial ventures, but none has survived as an independent venture (due, perhaps, to partisan agendas). The authors report that governments "have used security and anti-terrorism legislation to suppress pursuit of information critical of the government or the military". There is no access-to-information legislation yet.

Interspersed with summaries and excerpts from each of the 18 interviews, the authors then explore the state of the media in more detail - first in the Northern, and then in the Eastern provinces. They also examine LTTE media. Finally, they present a set of recommendations.

Click here for the full report in PDF format.

Click here for a summary of the report in PDF format.