Press Complaints Commission received 133 complaints in 2016
317 ‘Right of Readers’ complaints published by Editors
The Press Complaints Commission of Sri Lanka (PCCSL) received 133 complaints last year and national newspapers published 317 ‘Right of Readers’ complaints direct from readers to editors under the media’s self-regulatory mechanism, the annual report of the Commission for 2016 states.
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Sukumar Rockwood presenting the report at PCCSL’s Annual General Meeting at the Sri Lanka Press Institute auditorium said that the Sinhala press which comprises 37.2 percent of the country's newspapers attracted a majority of the complaints. He said the commission received the fullest co-operation from editors to resolve these complaints amicably and swiftly.
However the report stated that one Sinhala language and two Tamil language newspapers did not co-operate with the PCCSL, which is a voluntary self-regulatory body of the newspaper industry having the support of the Newspaper Society, Editors' Guild, Free Media Movement, Working Journalists Association and four other media organisations including a trade union. They are the Federation of Media Employees Trade Union, Sri Lanka Muslim Media Forum, Sri Lanka Tamil Media Alliance and the South Asian Free Media Association – Sri Lanka Chapter.
The CEO's report said that the PCCSL's autonomous Dispute Resolution Council headed by the former Secretary General of Parliament Nihal Seneviratne met seven times to inquire into com- plaints that required their attention.
The PCCSL Secretariat conducted a total of 27 meetings with publishers, editors, desk heads, sub editors and reporters. The PCCSL also visited Polonnaruwa, Batticaloa, Vavuniya, Kurunegala, Colombo, Hambantota, Amparai, Jaffna, Gampaha, Galle and Kandy and conducted programmes for provincial correspondents.
It made positive headway by meeting 74 members representing various sections of civil society at 10 meetings. The role of the PCCSL, Rules and Procedures of the PCCSL and the Editors’ Code were explained at these meetings. These programmes were well attended by principals of schools, teachers, government officials, military and police personnel, local government institutions, academics, doctors and the directors of education. They were eager to know more about the PCCSL and how it works, a press release issued after the AGM stated.
In addition, the PCCSL held a series of programmes with zonal directors of education, principals, teachers and students of Government schools imparting practical knowledge of the PCCSL process especially as a socially responsible link between the editors and the public. This was done since the new school curriculum included “Media Studies” in which the PCCSL and the Editors’ Code of Professional Practice are topics at the General Certificate of Education Ordinary and Advanced Level examinations, the release adds.
The PCCSL was established in 2003 as the media industry based self-regulatory body on the basis of the Colombo Declaration on Media Freedom and Social Responsibility of 1998.
Siri Ranasinghe, Editor of the Lankadeepa, N. M. Ameen, Editor of the Nawamani and Mohanlal Piyadasa, Chief Sub Editor of the Deshaya were re-elected by the general membership of the PCCSL to the Board of Directors at the AGM.
The other members of the Board of Directors representing media organisations are Kumar Nadesan (Chairman, nominated by the Sri Lanka Press Institute), Sinha Ratnatunga (Deputy Chairman, nominated by The Editor’s Guild of Sri Lanka), Manik de Silva (nominated by the SLPI), Nimal Welgama (nominated by the Newspaper Society of Sri Lanka), Ananda Jayasekera (nominated by Free Media Movement) and Duminda Sampath (nominated by Sri Lanka Working Journalists Association).
The PCCSL Web Page has received 13,900 hits since it was launched on January 1, 2013. A promotional video about PCCSL is available on its facebook page - Press Complaints Commission of Sri Lanka, the release adds.
Ernest and Young were re-elected as its auditors and Corporate Services (Private) Limited were re-elected secretaries of the company.
The PCCSL Secretariat includes Kamal Liyanarachchi, Complaints Officer, Sinhala Print and Promotions Officer.