ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the largely bi-partisan agenda for media reform set out by Sri Lankan civil society over the past 20 years and early progress in restoring media freedoms. It also looks at issues of media ownership, which remain problematic in Sri Lanka as in other South Asian countries. The chapter reviews developments in the recognition of gender issues in the Sri Lankan media, both in content and in recruitment to the profession. It also examines Sri Lankan experience of community radio, lessons to be learnt in this field from its South Asian neighbours and the regulatory challenges presented by the growth of new media. The chapter concludes with an assessment of the role of media in governance in Sri Lanka and other Commonwealth countries and the important role that civil society must continue to play in completing the process of reform.
