‘Government policy is not to neglect any journalist’
‘The government under leadership of the President has been
maintaining cordial relations with media irrespective of any political
discrimination and a variety of programmes are being implemented by the
Mass Media and Information Ministry to create journalists equipped with
higher professional competency, Mass Media and Information Ministry
Secretary Dr. Charitha Herath said.
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Dr.
Charitha Herath |
The Ministry Secretary pointed out that the ministry has been
implementing programmes such as awarding educational scholarships for
journalists, providing concessionary loans to purchase media equipment,
providing loans to journalists to purchase motor vehicles, training of
regional media personnel and facilitating media personnel for easy
access to gather and disseminate information.
He expressed these views attending the workshop on “Empowering
Regional Journalists for National Development” organized by the Sri
Lankan branch of the South Asian Free Media Association as Chief Guest.
He said, national development could only be realized through regional
development and the journalist should be the leader of the process of
empowering the community to direct the country towards national
development.
‘The role played by the regional journalists in this endeavour is
commendable. It is the regional journalist who identifies the regional
development requirements and witnesses the transformation in the lives
of the public through the realization of the requirements.
‘However, the significance of development news in the national
newspapers has been relatively decreased, stated the Secretary while
emphasizing the importance of space for development news as well as
constructive criticisms in national newspapers.
‘In the present era where the country has been directed towards an
accelerated development path, the timely need for empowering the
regional journalists is more significant than ever.
The Secretary expressed that it is not the policy of the government
to neglect any journalist either at the regional or the national level
and further added to that training programmes are being implemented
aimed at the development of professional competency of the regional
journalists and various other programmes are being implemented to
facilitate the journalist.
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