‘There’s a right to disagree but not to insult’:

Govt stresses value-based media practice

Strong foundation towards new media culture:

Disna MUDALIGE

The government always respects the right to disapprove, disagree and completely reject an opinion but nobody has the right to insult another, said Mass Media and Information Minister Keheliya Rambukwella.

He was speaking at a ceremony held at the ministry premises yesterday to hand over registration licences to 27 websites under the government’s new requirement to register all websites that report information and incidents related to Sri Lanka.

The minister observed that this initiative would be a strong foundation towards a new media culture in Sri Lanka. He also requested web site operators and owners to take up this move in the right spirit adding that general freedom of media is not curbed by it. He observed that the government has always maintained cordial relations with media organizations. He noted that the ministry has to play a pivotal role in balancing media freedom and ethics of media.

He said that the government always respects different political opinions and upholds the view that every individual has the right to express their affiliation with the political ideologies and policies they prefer. “However we must be able to respond and reply when it comes to issues which affect the country. As the Media Ministry we also have a responsibility to take steps for false or misinterpreted facts upon the complaints made to us by any affected party,” he said.

Minister Rambukwella observed that the government could not fulfill this task properly during the past years since the operators of some of these web sites were not known and the government had no means to trace them. He noted that therefore this initiative was a long overdue step which had been essential. The minister also noted that web sites have caused serious issues in many countries in recent history and one certain country which continuously speaks about media freedom and human rights took measures to ban 25 websites following the controversial issue of the wikileaks website.

Mass Media and Information Ministry Secretary W B Ganegala said that so far the ministry has informed 81 web site operators to get registered with the ministry, but 17 of them have not done so as yet.

He also said that the applications of 18 web sites were incomplete and therefore applicants were informed to submit them once again with the necessary data.