COLOMBO : he OzLanka Journalists’ Consortium officially launched its international digital news platform www.ozlankanews.com at a special ceremony held at Cinnamon Life at City of Dreams last weekend. The portal was ceremonially inaugurated by Mr. Matthew Duckworth, High Commissioner for Australia in Sri Lanka in the presence of media professionals, diplomats, and invited guests.
Speaking at the launch event Australian High Commissioner in Sri Lanka told that he needed to debunk some unhelpful news that was circulating online here in Sri Lanka about Australia raising traveller risk ratings for Sri Lanka. He said the news was completely incorrect and it was misleading but misrepresenting this story online can lead to misunderstanding intent. He was concerned that it can undermine trust, cause suspicion, affect tourist travel as much as it can affect the government’s plan for growth in Australian arrivals. Duckworth said serious measures is taken by the high commission to prevent this and he also questions the respective media to respond where it happened.
High Commissioner Duckworth pointed out that story sharing between Australia and Sri Lanka were very strong over the past 70 – 80 years. It was the groundwork that laid for the close connections that we enjoy today. “I think that has kept the relationship so, and it’s this legacy that is continuing through the launch of this initiative today”.
He said OzLanka initiative follows a proud tradition of cooperation and partnership between Australia and Sri Lankan media and tourism. “As the High Commissioner here a big part of my role is framing the narrative for our two countries to understand each other. Sharing stories between our communities matters for how we perceive each other and that’s just as important for government as it is for the broader population, as it is for people playing sports, as it is for people wanting to go on a holiday, as it is for people just wanting to understand the world around us.
Australian High Commissioner noted that Australian citizen Clifford Dodge, back in the 1950s following his appointment as the commercial service director, trained the first generation of Sri Lankan broadcast journalists and I think that is the work, we started in bringing our professional medias together as OzLanka re-launched today.
Further speaking at the event, High Commissioner Matthew Duckworth highlighted the importance of strengthening communication and media collaboration between the two nations, noting that initiatives such as OzLankaNews play an important role in building mutual understanding and information exchange.
Secretary of OzLanka Journalists Consortium Anusha Maureen, stated that the platform is designed to become a trusted source for international audiences interested in developments in Sri Lanka and Australia, while also creating opportunities for journalists, media professionals, and contributors to share stories that connect communities across borders.
She said that OzLankaNews aims to serve as a dynamic digital media platform connecting international audiences, focusing on education, business, culture, tourism, and diaspora affairs providing reliable news, analysis, marking a beginning of a new digital bridge for news and dialogue between the two countries.
Kamal Munasinghe, Senior Vice President of Cinnamon Hotels and GM of Cinnamon Life, Suresh Abbas, General Manager, Galle Face Hotel also addressed the gathering while former diplomat Sunil De Silva, Private Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs Vijitha Herath, Anuruddha Lokuhapuarchchi, Director International Media and Strategic Communications, Presidential Secretariat, Maryam Piracha, MDF Country Director, Sri Lanka, Sandi Seneviratne. Director, Australian Trade & Investment Commission (Austrade) Sri Lanka and Chandra Wickramasinghe, Chairman/Managing Director Thema Collection were among the distinguished guests.
The launch event graciously hosted by Cinnamon Life, City of Dreams Colombo brought together members of the media, representatives from the Sri Lanka government and diplomats, and local and International professionals from the private sector.
