-By A Staff Writer
(Lanka-e-News -25.Aug.2025, 11.00 PM) Sri Lanka’s Hiru Media Network, long dogged by controversy over its standards, has once again been accused of publishing a reckless and calculated falsehood—this time targeting Prime Minister Dr Harini Amarasuriya.
On 25 August, the network’s official website, Facebook page and affiliated outlets carried a sensational report alleging that the Prime Minister had secretly visited Colombo National Hospital late at night, alongside Maithri Wickremesinghe, to see former President Ranil Wickremesinghe, currently remanded and receiving treatment under guard.
The story, it turns out, was entirely fabricated.
Within hours, the Prime Minister’s Secretary, Pradeep Saputantri, issued a formal letter to Hiru’s chairman, Reno Silva, describing the report as “completely false, unethical and in violation of basic journalistic standards.” He demanded that the story be immediately corrected across all Hiru platforms.
“The report published on 25 August under the headline ‘Prime Minister Harini visited Ranil with Maithri at midnight’ is categorically false. The Prime Minister has not engaged in any such visit. It is both unethical and against all principles of responsible media to circulate such stories. You are hereby instructed to issue a correction without delay.”
— Extract from the Prime Minister’s Office letter (PMO/SEC/01/Common, 25-08-2025)
Copies of the letter were also sent to the heads of other media institutions as a reminder to avoid publishing such disinformation.
Commentators argue this is no isolated mistake but part of a pattern. Hiru, owned by media baron Reno Silva, has previously faced penalties for serious breaches, including the temporary loss of its broadcasting licence. Critics say the outlet operates less as a newsroom than as a “megaphone for vested interests,” funded by opaque financial networks and weaponised against political opponents.
Lanka e News, in a stinging editorial, accused Hiru of “using the public’s airwaves for black-money propaganda” and warned that such behaviour tramples not only the people’s right to truthful information but also undermines the dignity of the office of Prime Minister, the country’s second citizen.
“This was not an accidental slip. A Prime Minister has an entire media unit for verification. The failure to check facts was deliberate. By fabricating a story of a midnight hospital visit, Hiru has created not only a national but also an international black mark against the Prime Minister,” the editorial said.
The Prime Minister’s Office has so far confined itself to a sternly worded letter and a demand for a public correction. But critics argue that “sevala” press notices—statements denying falsehoods—are not enough.
They point out that the misuse of state-regulated broadcast frequencies, which are licensed on behalf of the public, must carry legal consequences when abused. Otherwise, they argue, networks like Hiru will continue to push the boundaries of disinformation, emboldened by impunity.
Observers also note a gendered dimension. Because Dr Amarasuriya is the country’s female Prime Minister, some say the media treat her with less respect than they would a male counterpart. Publishing an entirely fictitious story of her sneaking into a hospital in the dead of night, critics argue, is symptomatic of this double standard.
The scandal leaves both government and regulators facing a test: will Sri Lanka’s media environment tolerate repeated disinformation, or will there finally be consequences?
For now, the Prime Minister has signalled restraint, demanding only a correction. But the pressure is mounting for stronger action—ranging from fines to licence suspensions—against media outlets that deliberately mislead.
As Lanka e News concluded in its editorial: “This is not merely about the Prime Minister. It is about the sovereignty of the people. Falsehoods of this scale are not just an insult to one individual, but a betrayal of the public’s trust in the nation’s airwaves.”
-By A Staff Writer
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by (2025-08-25 17:33:33)
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