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Overview/Brief History
The Press Complaints Commission of Sri Lanka (PCCSL) is a voluntary self-regulatory mechanism inaugurated on October 15, 2003 by the media industry following an international conference whose outcome was the Colombo Declaration on Press Freedom and Social Responsibility of 1998 and re-visited in 2008.
The international seminar held in Colombo in 1998 was organized by Newspaper Society of Sri Lanka, The Editors' Guild of Sri Lanka and the Free Media Movement in association with the Sri Lanka Working Journalists Association, the World Association of Newspapers, the Commonwealth Press Union, the International Press Institute, Article 19 and the Media Institute of Southern Africa.
It works on the principles of conciliation, mediation and arbitration under the Arbitration Act No 11 of 1995. The High Court of Colombo is empowered to enforce an arbitration award made under the Act; in the event a newspaper fails to publish the decision of the Dispute Resolution Council of the PCCSL should a complainant wish to pursue a case where the editor is not abiding by the arbitral decision.
Vision And Mission
Vision
To provide an effective mechanism to readers in resolving complaints fast, free and fair and to promote good professional practices.
Mission
To be the leader in Self-Regulation in Sri Lanka and the South Asia Region.
Board of Directors 2017/18
- Mr. Kumar Nadesan (Chairman, nominee of SLPI)
- Mr. Sinha Ratnatunga (nominee of the Editors’ Guild of Sri Lanka)
- Mr. Manik de Silva (nominees of the SLPI)
- Mr. Nimal Welgama (nominee of the Newspaper Society of Sri Lanka)
- Mr. N. M. Ameen (Elected at AGM)
- Mr. Siri Ranasinghe (Elected at AGM)
- Mr. Mohanlal Piyadasa (Elected at AGM)
- Anandha Jayasekera (Nominee FMM)
- Mr.Duminda Sampath (Nominee SLWJA)
- Mr. Nihal Seneviratne (Chairman)
- Dr. Devanesan Nesiah
- Mr. Javid Yusuf
- Mr. Dion Schoorman
- Mr. Lucille Wijewardene
- Mr. Siri Ranasinghe
- Mr. Daya Lankapura
- Mr. Pramod de Silva
- Mrs. Gnana Moonesinghe
- Mr.P. Balasingham
- Miss. Malini Govinnage