Reporting Sensitive Incidents: Dr. Pradeep Weerasinghe Says Privacy Of Victims Must Be Protected

September 15, 2015

Speaking on internationally recognized media ethics on reporting crimes and other sensitive incidents, Head of the Department of Mass Media, University of Colombo, Dr. Pradeep N. Weerasinghe, said that media should not reveal certain details on the identity and privacy of victims.

Especially when it comes to a matter which deals with sexual harassment, abuses and rapes, media should be more careful about reporting them because revealing too much personal details about victims could cause unnecessary trouble to their families and other close parties, he said.

Dr. Weerasinghe, who also serves as the Chairman of National Secretariat for Media Reforms, said that a ‘professional media involvement’ cannot be seen in Sri Lanka. Media agencies only try to market and hit their news items without considering social responsibility and ethics, he said.

Dr. Weerasignhe further asserted that by using attractive words and headlines to report such stories, media is making them a part of day-to-day lives of the general public. After becoming more and more familiar to crimes and other brutal incidents, people will not care about them anymore, he said.

He also pointed out that the lack of sensitivity of the general public will make the problem worse.

Moreover, in Sri Lanka there is no proper legal system to take actions against media which violates the privacy and human rights of an individual, he explained. The Press Complaints Commission of Sri Lanka does not have legal powers and the general public is largely unaware of such institutions, he pointed out.

Furthermore, Dr. Weerasinghe added that there is no institution to moderate the electronic media in the country.