About us
Internews, an international media development organization, has been working in Sri Lanka since 2005, providing information services to vulnerable communities and delivering training to both established journalists and young trainees.
Our first project was to establish the Sri Lanka Relief Radio (SLRR) that targeted tsunami-affected communities. From there Internews has developed and implemented a range of projects that supported the media community, especially those who work outside of the capital Colombo.
There is little opportunity for local communities to get news and information about events close to home. Local issues affecting community relations, regional economy and health, peace, democracy, and governance are not covered in the regions, and journalists are rarely able to report in-depth to local audiences on stories that directly affect their lives.
Internews helps local journalists to cover stories about their communities, which helps everyone to understand the issues – and to participate in finding a solution.
Internews has developed several initiatives to support regional media. These include professional training programs, and giving local journalists access to resources so that they can cover issues important to people in their area. Since 2006, Internews has operated Media Houses in the south and east which broadcast weekly radio programs on regional issues. The Media Houses also provide training and support facilities for provincial journalists.
Internews produces weekly and fortnightly news magazines in Sinhala and Tamil, which are distributed across the country. The publications present balanced reporting on social issues of interest to a wide cross-section of the national population.
Internews also responded to humanitarian emergencies by producing a Lifeline information service that engages with vulnerable communities displaced by conflict, informing them of Government and humanitarian assistance available to them, and giving them and others voice to share their views with each other through radio and news inserts.
Internews values building partnerships with local organizations in Sri Lanka. Internews collaborates with and assists in capacity building of local organizations including the Centre for Policy Studies (CPA), Young Asia Television (YATV), and the Sri Lankan Press Institute (SLPI) among others.
For more information on Internews programs in Sri Lanka, please visit the pages under ‘Our Projects‘ to the right. Internews’ activities in Sri Lanka have received support from USAID under OTI, CMM, and OFDA, as well as UNICEF, the European Union (EuropeAid), and the Royal Netherlands Embassy. Internews has international headquarters offices in California, USA as Internews Network and in Paris, France as Internews Europe.
