The Hon. (Dr.) Nalinda Jayatissa - Minister of Health and Mass Media and Chief Government Whip

¶ 01 Hon. Speaker, in my capacity as Minister in charge of Mass Media, I wish to draw the attention of this House to a lead story in yesterday’s “Aruna” newspaper. You will see the prominence given to it. It states: “Grama Niladhari certificate not enough. To lodge a police complaint, the approval of the Chairman of the Community Police Committee is also required”—emphasized and asserted.

¶ 02 What is the source? None is given. After the Hon. Minister of Public Security made a statement here yesterday, today the paper carries, in a small space on the front page beneath other leads, a supposed correction claiming, “Reference to approval by Security Committee Chairman was what Grama Niladharis said.” That seeks to justify their story, saying a few Grama Niladharis from the Anuradhapura, Eastern Nuwaragam Palatha Division told the reporter “Saliya Kumara Gunasekara,” whose name is given.

¶ 03 I state responsibly that no Grama Niladhari in Anuradhapura’s Nuwaragam Palatha East has said such a thing. They have tried to create turmoil by turning an alleged remark to a provincial reporter into a lead story. “Aruna” has done this before. On 03 January 2025, two days after the launch of “Clean Sri Lanka” by the President, they ran a lead saying even those selling kola kenda and jackfruit on the roadside in Athurugiriya were being prosecuted. We asked: where were such prosecutions? The police denied it. Yet a single person’s claim was made a lead story without verification.

¶ 04 Similarly, in late November each year, they craft stories about Northern commemorations. On 26 November 2024, they ran a front-page box stating that our Minister of Public Security, Ananda Wijepala, had said “No obstacle for LTTE members to commemorate; banners, symbols, photos can be displayed,” when he had said no such thing—aimed at creating communal tension around those dates.

¶ 05 Their TV channel then amplifies these printed stories on morning segments, without sources, causing public unrest. The aim is to provoke ethnic or religious division and disrupt the country’s progress. Their excuse later is that “some regional journalist said so.” That is not journalism. At minimum, they should have verified with the Minister of Public Security, the Defence State Minister, the Ministry Secretary, the Police Spokesman, or a Senior DIG. They did none of that, instead attributing it vaguely to “a Grama Niladhari.”

¶ 06 When complaints are lodged with the CID or the Sri Lanka Press Council or relevant bodies, they cry “media suppression.” This is not suppression; the public has the right to accurate information. Publishing distorted, misleading news is shameful. Media owners may hold any political view, but journalists have a responsibility. Journalists should not feel ashamed to name the institutions they worked for. I therefore draw Parliament’s attention to this matter and state that relevant authorities will take necessary legal action and lodge complaints where appropriate, while protecting media freedom and the public’s right to truthful information.

¶ 07 Thank you.