Embattled Media: On A Unique Book & A Seminal Launching Event

By Chaminda Weerawardhana –October 27, 2015

Dr. Chaminda Weerawardhana

The book Embattled Media: Evolution, Governance and Reform in Sri Lanka(ISBN: 978-93-515-0062-9), edited by Dr William Crawley, David Page andKishali Pinto-Jayawardena, was launched at the Senate House of the University of London on 20th October 2015. The launch involved an all-day conference, rich in contributions on a range of issues, from governance and media law reform in Sri Lanka, free speech jurisprudence in India, jurisdictional and political constraints to media freedom, teaching media, to donor behaviour with regards to media interaction. The event brought together senior academics and professionals, including past and present officials of the Commonwealth Secretariat and professional bodies attached to the Commonwealth, including the Commonwealth Lawyers’ Associationand the Commonwealth Journalists’ Association.

The presentation by Kishali Pinto-Jayawardena, entitled Governance and Media Law Reform in Sri Lanka involved a trenchant analysis of persistent threats to media freedom, and issues pertaining to jurisprudence in this sensitive area. Using many examples from past and ongoing cases such as Shreya Singhal v. Union of India, Lawrence Liang’s excellent presentation dealt with the complex interrelationship between media freedom, liberal democracy and vital human rights issues.

The panel on media policy and governance in the Commonwealth included Victoria Holdsworth, head of Media at the Commonwealth Secretariat’s Communication Division, who strongly emphasised the Secretariat’s commitment to promoting civil society activism standing up for media freedom. This presentation was complemented by that of Mark Stephens CBE, past President of the Commonwealth Lawyers Association, who engaged in a comparative and retrospective evocation of policy and jurisprudence-related challenges to the free press across the Commonwealth. Dr Lawrence McNamara, of the Bingham Centre for the Rule of Law, reflected upon the broader significance of the Latimer House principles in ensuring media freedom and executive accountability across the Commonwealth.                  Read More