Reply To:
Name - Reply Comment
Last Updated : 2023-10-01 13:41:00
Sun, 01 Oct 2023 Today's Paper
Election Commission has said it will censor the political coverage of a state-owned TV station after accusing it of bias against the former president's brother, who is running in the country's upcoming presidential election, the AFP reported.
The unprecedented move came after the Independent Television Network (ITN) aired a programme alleging loyalists to the previous government had thwarted a corruption probe into the family of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa.
The channel will be banned from showing political content from Monday without the commission's approval, Chairman Mahinda Deshapriya said.
"ITN cannot broadcast any political content without clearing with the Election Commission until the conclusion of the election on November 16," said a letter sent from Deshapriya to the network late on Saturday and seen by AFP news agency.
The letter also said that any live events filmed by the station must be shown to the commission for approval before being transmitted.
It is the first time that a Sri Lankan election chief has censored a TV station.
The commission said it had received many complaints about other channels campaigning for Rajapaksa without declaring their bias, but could not take action as these were all private networks.
The election has attracted a record 35 candidates, with nearly 16 million people eligible to vote. Last week, the commission said it was working with Facebook to take down posts that defamed election candidates.
Pathum Monday, 04 November 2019 09:01 AM
Where was he, when the same
Add comment
Comments will be edited (grammar, spelling and slang) and authorized at the discretion of Daily Mirror online. The website also has the right not to publish selected comments.
Reply To:
Name - Reply Comment
In recent times, the skies above SriLankan Airlines, the national carrier of
The country’s health sector has recently witnessed allegations of massive c
Having passed the Sri Lanka Education Administrative Service Exam in 1988, Mr
History was made on July 26, 2023, when Sri Lanka-born Gary Anandasangaree wa
9 minute ago
29 Sep 2023