Media Law Forum

Media Law Forum Strengthens Digital Election Reporting Skills of Derana Media Network Journalists

The Media Law Forum continued its media capacity-building initiatives by conducting a Sinhala-language workshop for journalists attached to the Derana Media Network on April 28, 2026. The programme focused on strengthening professional standards and enhancing digital election reporting skills in the rapidly evolving media environment.

The workshop brought together journalists and digital media professionals from the Derana Media Network to discuss the growing challenges associated with election coverage in the digital era. Special attention was given to the responsibility of media institutions in ensuring transparency, accountability, and public trust during electoral periods.

During the session, participants engaged in discussions on emerging trends, risks, and ethical responsibilities linked to digital journalism in an increasingly polarized and fast-paced information landscape.

Experts from the Media Law Forum facilitated discussions on key topics including the monitoring of campaign finance and political advertising on social media platforms, misinformation, and the ethical use of generative AI in news production. The programme also highlighted the importance of maintaining credibility, impartiality, and accuracy in election-related reporting.

The initiative was co-funded by the European Union and implemented in partnership with Democracy Reporting International and Factum as part of the Media Law Forum’s ongoing efforts to promote digital media integrity and strengthen democratic values across Sri Lanka.

Democracy Reporting International Factum

(AI-generated image for display and illustrative purposes only.)

🕊️ World Press Freedom Day | May 3

A free and independent media is essential for every democracy. Journalists play a vital role in informing the public, questioning power, and protecting truth in society.

Today, we stand for:
✔️ Truth
✔️ Transparency
✔️ Freedom of Expression

Journalists should be able to work without fear, pressure, intimidation, or censorship.

Press freedom is not just a right for journalists — it is a right for every citizen to access accurate and independent information.

On this World Press Freedom Day, let us reaffirm the importance of protecting media freedom and democratic values in Sri Lanka and around the world.

Join our free webinar on Digital Safety, Privacy & Online Freedom with a expert from SLCERT, conducted by Media Law Forum. Learn practical ways to protect yourself in digital spaces and stay secure online.

Key Focus Areas:
* Digital threats & online harassment
* Protecting personal info & online accounts
* Safe social media use & privacy settings
* Reporting cyber incidents & harmful content
* Support & guidance from SLCERT

🗓 11 March 2026 | 🕕 6 PM | 💻 Zoom

Don’t miss this opportunity to stay informed, safe, and empowered online!

Topic: Digital Safety, Privacy & Online Freedom and learn simple ways to protect yourself in digital spaces.
Time: Mar 11, 2026 06:00 PM Colombo
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89797882172?pwd=0VsNvHUW1aIsMHudzSt27tVaEt8Utz.1

Meeting ID: 897 9788 2172
Passcode: 427715

මාධ්‍ය නීති සංසදය විසින් නොමිලේ පවත්වනු ලබන ශ්‍රී ලංකා පරිගණක හදිසි ප්‍රතිචාර සංසදයේ(SLCERT) විශේෂඥයන් සම්පත් දායකත්වය දක්වන, ඩිජිටල් ආරක්ෂාව, පෞද්ගලිකත්වය සහ මාර්ගගත නිදහස පිළිබඳ වැඩමුළුවට සම්බන්ධ වන්න. ඩිජිටල් අවකාශයන් තුළ ඔබව ආරක්ෂා කරගැනීමට සහ මාර්ගගතව ආරක්ෂිතව සිටීමට ප්‍රායෝගික ක්‍රම ඉගෙන ගන්න.

මෙහිදී ප්‍රධාන වශයෙන් අවධානය යොමුකෙරෙන ක්ෂේත්‍ර:
* ඩිජිටල් තර්ජන සහ මාර්ගගත හිරිහැර
* පෞද්ගලික තොරතුරු සහ මාර්ගගත ගිණුම් ආරක්ෂා කිරීම
* ආරක්ෂිතව සමාජ මාධ්‍ය භාවිතය සහ රහස්‍යතා සැකසුම්
* සයිබර් අවකාශයේ අනාරක්ෂිත සිදුවීම් සහ හානිකර අන්තර්ගතයන් වාර්තා කිරීම
* SLCERT වෙතින් සහාය සහ මගපෙන්වීම

டிஜிட்டல் பாதுகாப்பு, தனியுரிமை மற்றும் இணைய சுதந்திரம் குறித்த இலவச இணையவழி கருத்தரங்கு (Webinar)
ஊடக சட்ட மன்றத்தினால் (Media Law Forum) நடத்தப்படும் இக்கருத்தரங்கில், இலங்கை கணினி அவசர தயார்நிலை குழுவின் (SLCERT) நிபுணர்களுடன் இணைந்து கொள்ளுங்கள். டிஜிட்டல் தளங்களில் உங்களை நீங்களே பாதுகாத்துக் கொள்வதற்கான நடைமுறை வழிகளைக் கற்றுக்கொண்டு, இணையத்தில் பாதுகாப்பாக இருங்கள்.
முக்கிய விடயங்கள்:
• டிஜிட்டல் அச்சுறுத்தல்கள் மற்றும் இணையவழி துன்புறுத்தல்கள்.
• தனிப்பட்ட தகவல்கள் மற்றும் இணைய கணக்குகளைப் பாதுகாத்தல்.
• சமூக ஊடகங்களின் பாதுகாப்பான பயன்பாடு மற்றும் தனியுரிமை அமைப்புகள் (Privacy Settings).
• சைபர் சம்பவங்கள் மற்றும் தீங்கு விளைவிக்கும் உள்ளடக்கங்கள் குறித்து புகார் செய்தல்.
• SLCERT நிறுவனத்திடமிருந்து ஆதரவு மற்றும் வழிகாட்டல்களைப் பெறுதல்.

*Instruction for Participants – Tamil Interpretation via Zoom*

The program will be conducted in Sinhala, and Tamil interpretation will be provided through Zoom.

Participants who wish to listen in Tamil can access the interpretation by following these steps:

Join the Zoom meeting using the provided link.

At the bottom of the Zoom window, click the “Interpretation” (globe icon).

Select “Tamil” from the list of available languages.

You will then hear the live Tamil interpretation of the program.

Please ensure that you join the meeting using the Zoom application (desktop or mobile) to access the interpretation feature.

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89797882172?pwd=0VsNvHUW1aIsMHudzSt27tVaEt8Utz.1

Meeting ID: 897 9788 2172
Passcode: 427715