RTI grants media freedom: President

By Chamodi Gunawardana

The Right to Information (RTI) Act will ensure a better mass media culture full of freedom in Sri Lanka said President Maithripala Sirisena yesterday.

Gracing an occasion organised by the University Mass Communication Teachers’ Association (UMTA) to celebrate the World Press Freedom Day, President Sirisena said he believes the RTI Act will definitely be passed by Parliament with a majority.

“We have put our fullest effort to build higher freedom for mass media as a Government and the RTI Act will be its biggest outcome. The Bill will be tabled as soon as possible,” he noted.

President Sirisena claimed news feeds of most private media institutions were dependant on the opinion of the owner and not the journalist adding that it was an impediment to the public receiving accurate information.

“Nowadays, owners of private media institutions are more powerful than politicians. Most Sri Lankan journalists will not be able to reveal the truth because of the interference of those owners,” the President stated.

He added that the main responsibility of a journalist was to work independently and conscientiously to provide right information to the public.

President Sirisena further said that the state-owned and private media institutions should not misuse the freedom of the media to deliver whatever they want.

“Due to the development of technology, social media has become a huge information hub among the youth. However, it has the power to tarnish the image of prominent persons in the country,” he claimed.

President Sirisena also commented about the propaganda disseminated via social media regarding him, stating that he will never take it seriously.