The Sri Lanka Press Institute has called on the government to withdraw the proposed Sri Lanka Professional Journalists Chartered Institute Bill and instead initiate a genuine, inclusive dialogue involving all relevant stakeholders.
In a press release issued on July 20, the Institute noted that major media organizations—including the Sri Lanka Newspaper Publishers Association, the Editors’ Guild of Sri Lanka, the Sri Lanka Professional Journalists’ Association, the Free Media Movement, the Muslim Media Forum, the Tamil Media Alliance, the Media Workers’ Trade Unions Federation, and the Sri Lanka Branch of the South Asian Media Association—have formally expressed their opposition to the bill.
According to the statement, the central concern raised by these organizations is that the bill has been introduced with direct government involvement. They point out that professional bodies such as the Sri Lanka Institute of Engineers and the Sri Lanka Institute of Architects were conceptualized and drafted by the respective professional communities themselves before being enacted by Parliament. In contrast, the proposed chartered institute for journalists has been developed as a government‑led initiative, despite clear objections from media stakeholders.
The Institute emphasized that standards for the journalism profession must be grounded in self‑regulation rather than imposed through ministerial oversight. It further noted that if the government’s intention is to strengthen media professionalism, an alternative approach could be to provide financial support to the Sri Lanka College of Journalism, which has been training journalists for more than two decades.
The Sri Lanka Press Institute and its affiliated organizations therefore urge the government to withdraw the proposed bill and commence a meaningful consultation process that safeguards media independence and freedom within a democratic framework. The statement also highlights that the Institute has proposed an alternative model—the Sri Lanka Media Commission—based on principles of self‑regulation and co‑regulation, rather than ministerial control.
PRESS RELEASE
Colombo, Sri Lanka — 20th July 2026
SLPI CONCERNED OVER THE PROPOSED CHARTERED INSTITUTE OF MEDIA PROFESSIONALS OF SRI LANKA
The Sri Lanka Press Institute (SLPI), and its constituent partners, the Newspaper Society of Sri Lanka (NSSL), The Editors’Guild of Sri Lanka (TEGOSL), the Free Media Movement (FMM), the Sri Lanka Working Journalists Association (SLWJA) together with its affiliated organizations, the Muslim Media Forum (MMF), the Tamil Media Alliance (TMA), The Federation of Media Employees Trade Union (FMETU), the South Asia Free Media Association – SL Chapter (SAFMA) object the proposed Chartered Institute of Media Professionals of Sri Lanka (CIMP) Bill.
Our primary objection stems from the government-led nature of this initiative. History shows that robust professional bodies, such as the Institute of Engineers and the Sri Lanka Institute of Architects, were founded and drafted by the professionals themselves before being incorporated by Parliament. In contrast, the CIMP is a state-driven project ordered to be published by the Minister of Health and Mass Media despite objections raised by media’s professional bodies. We view this as an attempt to impose a state-managed regulatory framework upon a profession that must remain independent of government inteference to function effectively.
The SLPI, its constituents and affiliated organizations maintain that professional media standards must be self-regulated in principle and led by the media community, not mandated by law under ministerial oversight. The SLPI has presented an alternative mechanism, viz., the Sri Lanka Media Commission (SLMC), based on co-regulatory and self-regulatory principles, which improves professionalism. In addition, the Sri Lanka College of Journalism, which is recognised by the media industry for training journalists for more than two decades, could also be an alternative way of building relevant journalism standards with government financial support if it intends to genuinely promote media professionalism. We call upon the government to withdraw this Bill and engage in a genuine dialogue with stakeholders that respects the autonomy and freedom of the media in a democracy