Serving Sri Lanka

Like the rest of the world the 11th year of the Daily FT has been defined by COVID-19. As Sri Lanka’s first and only newspaper dedicated to financial reporting, challenges have been part and parcel of the Daily FT’s journey, but 2020 brought changes that have been among the hardest yet. 

For years, around the world media has been undergoing seismic changes due to the advent of social media upending traditional revenue streams, people shifting away from mainstream media, proliferation of fake news and the expansion of the attention economy. The increasingly partisan nature of politics and larger challenges to democracy and inclusivity have deepened their tentacles in Sri Lanka as well and many media houses, old and new alike, were already challenged with navigating this often complicated and tricky terrain. 

COVID-19 sweeping into an already struggling sector pushed many employed in the industry to breaking point. In addition to the usual belt-tightening measures, journalists found themselves on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic with few resources to assist them. We found ourselves forced to work in exposed conditions, struggling to dig up untold stories and verify information while maintaining distance and struggling to find new ways to keep governments and other stakeholders accountable in a rapidly changing situation where often the first casualty was transparency.

As an essential service journalists are no strangers to working in high pressure situations. But these often last only a limited period of time. Due to the unique nature of COVID-19, however, this time stretched into long months and media personnel were expected to report to work even during lockdowns and infection spikes. Balancing and keeping part personal and professional spaces grew difficult, especially since layoffs and rosters demanded that a handful of journalists report to work continuously, regardless of their personal concerns. Media is perhaps one of the worst hit by the physical and psychological toll wrought by COVID-19.

Yet through these long months our readers continued to be our strength. Reliable and balanced information is most needed during a crisis and the Daily FT has done its best in attempting to decode and convey the complex set of circumstances emerging in Sri Lanka and around the world. The pandemic was a death rattle for the economy and Daily FT has strived to champion the wins as much as commiserate and find solutions for the struggles. We have continued our efforts to create dialogue and be a bridge between policymakers and the private sector as well as provide a platform for diverse and dissenting views from stakeholders. 

From COVID-19 to constitutional change, 2020 has delivered a gamut of changes that will continue to define our futures for many years to come. The Daily FT continues its duty in recording the first version of these histories and tracking how they evolve as months and years pass by. This is why we are also extremely grateful for the advertisers who, despite their own troubles, have continued to believe in us and support what the Daily FT stands for: inclusive, balanced and diverse dissemination of information.

All of Sri Lanka’s stakeholders, including the public and private sectors, have been forced to re-evaluate their priorities and redouble their efforts during 2020. Daily FT has done the same, but core priorities remain as unchanged and they will take us steadfastly into the next decade of serving Sri Lanka.