Verité Media and Politics presents proposal for ethical reporting on women

Friday, 7 November 2025 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

From left: Mass Media Deputy Minister Kaushalya Ariyarathne, Verité Media and Politics Head Deepanjalie Abeywardana, French Embassy in Sri Lanka and the Maldives Cultural Counsellor Olivia Bellemere, Verité Media and Politics Team Leader Mahoshadi Peiris, and Program Lead Rochel Canagasabey – Photo credit: Ministry of Mass Media

Mass Media Deputy Minister receives recommendations to improve media guidelines

Verité Media and Politics, via its Ethics Eye platform, has handed over recommendations to Mass Media Deputy Minister Kaushalya Ariyarathne, proposing a national media guideline on ethical reporting on women and girl-children.

To align with the Government’s mandate to reform media ethics and international best practices, the proposal recommends two immediate actions:

New guidelines: Draft and adopt a survivor-centred national media guideline and encourage adoption by mainstream and digital outlets.
National training: Allocate funds in the 2026 Budget to support trainings and build capacity on the guidelines.

The proposal was developed in partnership with the French Embassy in Sri Lanka and the Maldives to promote ethical media standards concerning women and girl-children. It was handed over to the Deputy Minister on Tuesday (4) by Verité Media and Politics Head Deepanjalie Abeywardana and its Team Leader and Program Lead Mahoshadi Peiris and Rochel Canagasabey.

This effort draws on the long-running contribution of the Ethics Eye platform. For nearly a decade, Ethics Eye has monitored Sinhala-language media and documented persistent patterns of problematic coverage which normalise violence, reinforce harmful stereotypes, and deter survivors from seeking justice.