Ministerial sub-committee to be appointed on establishing Electronic Media Regulatory Authority

Cabinet has approved the proposal by the Minister of Mass Media to appoint a Ministerial sub-committee to submit recommendations for the setting up of an Electronic Media Regulatory Authority Act in Sri Lanka.

The government says that currently there are no fundamental laws to regulate the content on television, radio and new media in Sri Lanka, adding that sometimes various parties confront a variety of problems in issuing licenses to such media and while broadcasting audio-visual content by such media.

Recently, various problems have arisen in the country due to the unethical way certain media are promoting hateful ideas among the people, the government said further in its statement.

Accordingly, a proposal was put forward with the intention of introducing a new Broadcasting Law to create a media culture that is accountable to the public and to introduce a code of conduct for the electronic media, while protecting the utmost freedom of speech and expression and taking into account the ongoing changes in technology as well as legal fields.

The  Cabinet of Ministers, taking into account the proposal made by the minister, decided to appoint a Cabinet sub-committee chaired by the Minister of  Justice, Prison Affairs and Constitutional Reforms to submit appropriate recommendations for this.