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HRCSL issues guidelines to electronic media

17 May 2019

The Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka has issued guidelines to be followed by all electronic media institutions. HRCSL Dr. Deepika Udagama issuing a communique to heads of all electronic media yesterday (16) expressing concerns over the Muslim community being unreasonably subject to unsubstantiated suspicion and disrespect, iterated that  it observed the need to be sensitive when broadcasting news. Emphasising on the pivotal role played by the media in building racial and religious co-existence, the communique spells out a set of guidelines which it requested all media institutions  to be sensitive to, during news reporting. The guidelines are as follows:
  1. Avoid broadcasting of news items that promoted hate between communities especially by not using person/s racial and religious background when reporting
  2. Avoid broadcasting rumours as news items
  3. Avoid broadcasting of mentally traumatising images or video footage of horrific incidents such as corpses, weapons, arson, explosions etc  (Focus attention on the trauma caused to children)
  4. Respect the individuals' privacy when search operations carried out by security forces are broadcast
  5. Avoid broadcasting news items relating to the arrest of individuals in a manner that would disrespect the individual and especially their families
  6. Avoid using images and footage that may aggravate the prevailing conditions when using library footage
  7. Not use voice cuts of patients, victims and arrested individuals without their knowledge or consent
  8. Not reporting  news items that would create hate against refugees in transit in Sri Lanka, who are under the protection of international law
 


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