(FMM/IFEX) – The following is an FMM press release: On May 3, 2003, the day the world marks World Press Freedom Day, the Free Media Movement (FMM) calls on the government to speed up the media reform agenda. The United National Front (UNF) government took office promising a broad democratic reform programme, including media freedom. […]
(FMM/IFEX) – The following is an FMM press release:
On May 3, 2003, the day the world marks World Press Freedom Day, the Free Media Movement (FMM) calls on the government to speed up the media reform agenda.
The United National Front (UNF) government took office promising a broad democratic reform programme, including media freedom. The FMM expresses its satisfaction that some of these promised reforms, especially the repealing of Criminal Defamation Laws, have already been implemented.
While expressing its appreciation for the government’s acceptance of a freedom of information act and noting that discussions between the government on one side and the editors guild and the FMM on the other have reached a final stage, the FMM urges the government to finalise the act on a priority basis.
It is unfortunate that the UNF government of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, just as all previous administrations, has failed to complete investigations and file court action against those who carried out acts of violence against media practitioners.
Perpetrators of a large number of attacks against media personnel, from the murder of Richard De Soyza in 1990 to Nimalarajan in 2000, have not been punished up to now. The FMM urges the government to order the relevant authorities to speed up work on these cases.
The other key issue where no progress has been made is the depolitisisation of the state media. The FMM urges the government to announce, as a short term measure, a system to establish editorial freedom in the state media, and as a long term policy, a programme to convert the state media to public interest media institutions.
On this important day for the media, the FMM urges all democratic political parties and civil society groups to continue their campaign to build a free media culture in the country.
