(FMM/IFEX) – The following is an FMM press release: Landmark media charter signed in Colombo In an historic commitment to media reform, five of Sri Lanka’s leading journalist associations have come together to sign a landmark media charter in a joint expression of solidarity. The document, The Media Charter for a Democratic and Pluralist Media […]
(FMM/IFEX) – The following is an FMM press release:
Landmark media charter signed in Colombo
In an historic commitment to media reform, five of Sri Lanka’s leading journalist associations have come together to sign a landmark media charter in a joint expression of solidarity.
The document, The Media Charter for a Democratic and Pluralist Media Culture and Social and Professional Rights for Media and Journalism in Sri Lanka, includes a two-year action plan to campaign for major structural changes to Sri Lankan media and a commitment to editorial independence, ethical conduct, public service values, and the rights and duties of journalists.
The document was signed on Thursday, November 3, at a special ceremony at Colombo’s Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall (BMICH). The signing was witnessed by 137 media personnel, civil society representatives and international observers.
The five associations are the Federation of Media Employees, the Sri Lanka Working Journalists Association, the Sri Lanka Tamil media Alliance, the Sri Lanka Muslim Media Forum and the Free Media Movement. The charter was facilitated by the Centre for Policy Alternatives under the programme of Voices of Reconciliation. The charter has also been endorsed by 29 regional journalist associations and more are expected to support the charter in coming months. The charter is supported by the International Federation of Journalists.
The charter sets out a commitment to the fundamental principles of journalism including the rights and responsibilities of journalists. It goes on to call for the drawing up of codes of ethical conduct, accountable systems for self-regulation by journalists, and the establishment of safeguards for editorial independence.
The document also calls for transparent and open government, demanding that political parties respect the role of the media to report in an independent and critical manner on all aspects of government, as well as the adoption of freedom of information legislation. There should also be urgent reform of the state media sector to remove direct political control over the media and to create a framework of administration, including proper funding, for state-owned media.
The charter also calls for dialogue between media management and journalists associations with the aim of protecting journalists labour rights, guaranteeing non-discrimination, encouraging diversity and providing access to professional training.
Sunanda Deshapriya
Spokesperson
FMM
To read the full text of the charter please visit http://www.freemediasrilanla.org / http://www.cpalanka.org / http://www.ifj-asia.org/
