Sri Lankan Statesman Mr. Milinda Rajapaksha Visits KIIT School of Mass Communication

At an interactive session with the students of KIIT School of Mass Communication (KSMC), supported by the KIIT International Relations Office, Mr. Milinda Rajapaksha, Director, Media Centre for National Development, Colombo, Sri Lanka spoke at length about the recent crisis aggravated by the power and dangers of social media and warned the budding future communicators to be careful of fake news and misinformation.

At the onset, Dr. Rajeev Kumar Panda, Course Coordinator, KSMC warmly welcomed and introduced Mr. Milinda, a member of the Colombo Municipal Council. In his opening remarks, he made particular mention of the ties between Sri Lanka and India. He also expressed interest in future collaborations between KSMC with universities in Sri Lanka.

Mr. Milinda, who also has been the official spokesperson of the former President of Sri Lanka, Mr. Gotabaya Rajapakshe, spoke about the new era of digital journalism reflecting on the recent Sri Lanka crisis. He talked about crisis management and emphasized the nuances of checking fake news and the methodology of doing the same. He spoke at length about the deep Indo-Sri Lanka relationship.

The talk was followed by a question and answer session. Mr. Milinda talked about the immense contribution and support of India toward Sri Lanka. He said that India is the elephant in the room. No one can afford to ignore it. But for India to be a true world power, it needs peaceful and friendly neighbours.

Dr. Bidu Bhusan Dash, Assistant Professor pointed out the century-old relationship of Odisha with Sri Lanka in his vote of thanks. The session was attended by Bachelors and Masters Mass Communication students and faculty members.