Overview

The Press Complaints Commission of Sri Lanka is an independent body that entertains complaints on editorial content from members of the public and seeks to resolve the dispute through conciliation, mediation or arbitration.

There is no fee involved for this service, and the PCCSL strives to resolve the matter within 30 working days of receiving a complaint. In the three years of its existence the PCCSL has received 395 complaints and resolved 389 to the satisfaction of both parties involved.

Origin

The story of the PCCSL begins with the Colombo Declaration on Press Freedom and Social Responsibility which saw the light of day in 1998. The Declaration's basic premise was that the industry was capable of regulating itself.

Key industry players such as the Newspaper Society of Sri Lanka, The Editor’s Guild of Sri Lanka and the Free Media Movement firmly believed in self-regulation and saw no need for a Government-controlled Press Council. 
Their collective resolve to establish a self-regulatory mechanism for the press led to the birth of the PCCSL in October 2003.