A research in the United States of America last year had showed that it was journalists and politicians who were the least trusted by the public, Finance and Media Minister Mangala Samaraweera said yesterday.
He said the most trusted were the nursing staff and teachers."I believe that the results would be the same if a similar research was conducted in Sri Lanka,” Samaraweera said addressing Communication and Media Studies teachers in schools in the southern province.
The workshop was organised by the Sri Lanka Press Council.
“I don’t need to explain why politicians are at the bottom the list of the professions trusted by the public but I was wondering why journalists were in the same boat! It is my thinking that journalists lost public trust because through the years more and more journalists have been twisting news items as well as producing fake news.
When people realise that the news item they see or read is not the real truth there will be stage at which they will not trust journalists and media”
“A few years ago it was revealed that it was Sri Lankans that had searched the word ‘sex’ on Google the most.
It is not possible to block any website completely as they can be viewed through proxy sites. As teachers you have a great responsibility to educate our younger generation to accept what is right and reject what is wrong and also develop self-regulation.”
MP Buddika Pathirana, Government Information Director General Sudarshana Gunawardena, Sri Lanka Press Council Chairman Bandula Wellala and other officials attended the launch of the workshop held at Pearl Cliff Hotel in Matara.