The 'SLIMFA Media Conference 2026' was held recently, organised by the Sri Lanka-India Media Friendship Association with the aim of further strengthening cooperation, professional relations, and knowledge exchange in the media sector between Sri Lanka and India.
Organised annually by the Sri Lanka-India Media Friendship Association, this media conference is held as the second phase this time, and its main objective is to develop cooperation between media professionals of the two countries, exchange experiences, and build new ideas and understandings about the changing media environment. Minister of Health and Mass Media Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa and Deputy Minister of Mass Media Dr. Kaushalya Ariyarathne joined this occasion.
The Sri Lanka-India Media Friendship Association created an important platform that strengthens knowledge, experience, and professional relations between journalists and media professionals of the two countries within a short period of two years, Minister Nalinda Jayatissa stated.
The Minister also mentioned that the theme of this year's media conference, "Maintaining Relevance in a Changing World," well represents the reality faced by the current media sector, and stated that the pattern of people embracing information is changing rapidly due to artificial intelligence, digital technology, and social media, and nowadays the audience is not only a party that receives news but turned into a party that investigates, verifies, and in some instances contributes to creating news.
However, amidst all these changes, people still expect accurate, fair, independent, and responsible information from the media, the Minister emphasised, noting that within the current background where misinformation and misleading information spread across the world in a very short time, the responsibility of professional journalism increased further, and therefore credibility is the main asset of media institutions.
A large number of leading journalists, editors, heads of media institutions, digital media creators, academics, professionals in the media sector, as well as students engaged in media studies from Sri Lanka and India participated in this conference held under the theme "Maintaining Relevance in a Changing World."
An opportunity was provided here to exchange broad ideas and experiences regarding the changing media environment, new technological trends, and the direction of future media, and this conference widely discussed artificial intelligence (AI), digital transformation, changes in audience behavior, media credibility, verification of true information, and future media practice.
At a time when the media sector undergoes a technological transformation, attention focused here on the need to face new challenges while protecting accuracy, independence, responsibility, and public trust.
Organised annually by the Sri Lanka-India Media Friendship Association, this media conference is held as the second phase this time, and its main objective is to develop cooperation between media professionals of the two countries, exchange experiences, and build new ideas and understandings about the changing media environment. Minister of Health and Mass Media Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa and Deputy Minister of Mass Media Dr. Kaushalya Ariyarathne joined this occasion.
The Sri Lanka-India Media Friendship Association created an important platform that strengthens knowledge, experience, and professional relations between journalists and media professionals of the two countries within a short period of two years, Minister Nalinda Jayatissa stated.
The Minister also mentioned that the theme of this year's media conference, "Maintaining Relevance in a Changing World," well represents the reality faced by the current media sector, and stated that the pattern of people embracing information is changing rapidly due to artificial intelligence, digital technology, and social media, and nowadays the audience is not only a party that receives news but turned into a party that investigates, verifies, and in some instances contributes to creating news.
However, amidst all these changes, people still expect accurate, fair, independent, and responsible information from the media, the Minister emphasised, noting that within the current background where misinformation and misleading information spread across the world in a very short time, the responsibility of professional journalism increased further, and therefore credibility is the main asset of media institutions.
A large number of leading journalists, editors, heads of media institutions, digital media creators, academics, professionals in the media sector, as well as students engaged in media studies from Sri Lanka and India participated in this conference held under the theme "Maintaining Relevance in a Changing World."
An opportunity was provided here to exchange broad ideas and experiences regarding the changing media environment, new technological trends, and the direction of future media, and this conference widely discussed artificial intelligence (AI), digital transformation, changes in audience behavior, media credibility, verification of true information, and future media practice.
At a time when the media sector undergoes a technological transformation, attention focused here on the need to face new challenges while protecting accuracy, independence, responsibility, and public trust.
