Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Internships at Groundviews
Internships at Groundviews
Groundviews
Internships
1
2010
-‐
2011
Groundviews
overview
Short
description
of
the
site
Sri
Lanka's
first
and
award
winning
citizens
journalism
website
uses
a
range
of
literary
styles
and
media
-‐
from
prose
and
poetry
to
satire,
photos,
podcasts
and
video
to
amplify
critical
perspectives
on
culture,
humanitarianism,
media
freedom,
human
rights,
peace
and
democratic
governance.
Long
description
of
the
site
Groundviews
was
launched
in
November
2006
and
is
the
first
citizen
journalism
website
in
Sri
Lanka.
The
central
idea
was
to
use
a
blog
to
publish
compelling
content
in
the
form
of
text,
audio,
video
and
photos
in
English,
Sinhala
and
Tamil.
The
strategy
was
to
raise
awareness
of
the
blog
virally.
Key
authors
were
asked
to
contribute
pithy
and
provocative
articles
that
pushed
the
boundaries
of
polity
and
traditional
media
and
forced
readers
to
think
outside
their
comfort
zones.
Measures
were
taken
to
register
the
site
outside
of
Sri
Lanka
in
light
of
the
repressive
regime
in
the
country
that
could
take
steps
to
block
the
website.
The
target
audience
of
the
site
were
identified
as
Sri
Lankan
policymakers
based
in
Colombo,
traditional
media
and
journalists,
civil
society
actors,
human
rights
activists
as
well
as
2nd
and
3rd
generation
diaspora
(youth).
Fortnightly
email
updates
on
new
content
are
sent
to
over
9,000
email
addresses
of
key
local
and
international
civil
society
organisations,
human
rights
activists
and
journalists.
Detailed
guidelines
governing
the
expression
and
publication
of
content
on
the
site,
the
first
on
any
online
media
website
in
Sri
Lanka,
were
drawn
up
at
the
time
of
the
site’s
launch.
These
guidelines
allowed
for
progressive
communication
on
highly
contentious
and
emotional
issues.
Given
the
huge
erosion
of
human
rights
and
the
culture
of
abductions
and
murder,
the
safety
of
contributors
was
secured
to
the
extent
possible
by
anonymous
postings
that
are
editorially
vetted.
Given
the
unprecedented
violence
directed
against
independent
traditional
print
and
electronic
media,
the
Internet
and
web
became
the
primary
means
through
which
civil
society
found
expression
during
the
years
of
heightened
war
in
Sri
Lanka.
Groundviews
now
gets
around
2,000+
pageviews
a
day
to
its
site,
over
1,800
fans
on
its
Facebook
page,
and
over
800
followers
on
Twitter.
In
December
2007
the
site
was
awarded
an
Award
of
Excellence
in
New
Communications
from
the
Society
for
New
Communications
Research
(SNCR)
based
in
Boston.
"Groundviews
exemplifies
the
mission
of
this
awards
program:
the
successful
and
innovative
use
of
new
communications
solutions
and
social
media
practices
to
enhance
communications
and
relationships"
commented
Mike
Manuel,
SNCR
Best
Practices
Committee
Chairman1.
Groundviews
is
the
only
citizen
journalism
website
in
Sri
Lanka
to
be
directly
indexed
on
Google
News
and
ranked
Number
1
on
Google
itself
by
keyword.
Articles
on
the
site
are
regularly
republished
in
other
local
media,
including
media
websites
such
as
InfoLanka
News,
Tamil
Canadian
and
Tamilnet.
These
articles
have
exposed
rights
abuses,
the
absence
of
ethics
in
traditional
media
and
the
growing
democratic
deficit
in
Sri
Lanka.
Leading
journalists
and
civil
society
activists
have
sent
in
content
to
be
featured
on
the
site
and
we
are
the
only
website
in
Sri
Lanka
that
regularly
features
human
interest
stories
from
Internally
Displaced
Persons
(IDPs)
and
refugees
from
the
embattled
regions
of
the
country.
The
respect
for
and
recognition
of
for
insightful,
sui
generis
and
courageous
content
on
the
site
is
well
established
amongst
key
stakeholders
in
media,
polity
and
society
in
Sri
Lanka.
1
http://www.groundviews.org/2007/12/05/groundviews-‐wins-‐2007-‐award-‐of-‐excellence-‐in-‐new-‐communications-‐
from-‐society-‐for-‐new-‐communications-‐research
Groundviews
Internships
2
2010
-‐
2011
Key
stories
1. Publication
of
Winning
the
War,
Winning
the
Peace,
an
article
by
Dayan
Jayatilleke,
Sri
Lanka’s
hawkish
Representative
to
the
United
Nations
in
Geneva
in
July
2008.
Dayan
subsequently
became
one
of
the
best
read
and
most
commented
on
authors
on
Groundviews.
His
engagement
on
the
site
with
critical
commentary
was
the
ONLY
example,
in
any
media
local
or
international,
of
a
highly
placed
official
of
the
Rajapakse
regime
engaging
in
debates
with
the
public
on
issues
related
to
human
rights,
war
crimes,
genocide,
governance
and
humanitarian
aid.
2. In
March
2009,
the
widow
of
Lasantha
Wickremetunge
(the
most
senior
journalist
to
be
assassinated
in
Sri
Lanka
in
January
2008)
wrote
in
desperation
to
Groundviews
to
publish
a
letter
to
the
Inspector
General
of
Police
on
the
death
of
her
husband.
Groundviews
was
told
that
no
newspaper
in
Sri
Lanka
was
willing
to
carry
this
letter
in
full.
See
http://www.groundviews.org/2009/03/26/is-‐the-‐president-‐hiding-‐lasantha-‐
wickremetunges-‐killers
3. Groundviews
was
the
only
voice
to
critique
a
reference
from
Wikipedia
used
by
the
Sunday
Times,
a
leading
newspaper,
to
buttress
a
case
for
the
alleged
pro-‐LTTE
bias
of
Canadian
Liberal
MP
Bob
Rae,
deported
from
Sri
Lanka
after
first
being
issued
a
visa
to
enter.
It
is
now
used
by
journalism
schools
in
Sri
Lanka
as
a
case
study
in
the
study
of
online
sourcing.
See
http://www.groundviews.org/2009/06/14/bob-‐rae-‐the-‐sunday-‐times-‐and-‐wikipedia
4. In
one
of
the
most
under-‐reporting
yet
compelling
humanitarian
news
in
post-‐war
Sri
Lanka,
Groundviews
was
the
first
and
only
media
site
to
report
on
the
flooding
in
IDP
camps
in
2009.
We
also
published
the
first
images,
taken
secretively
from
a
mobile
phone,
of
the
devastation
on
account
of
the
flooding
in
the
IDP
camps
–
images
the
government
of
Sri
Lanka
does
not
want
the
world
to
see.
See
the
following
stories
for
details
of
coverage
and
comparisons
with
mainstream
media:
1. http://www.groundviews.org/2009/08/14/breaking-‐news-‐idps-‐in-‐zone-‐3-‐and-‐4-‐in-‐
menik-‐camp-‐affected-‐by-‐flooding/
2. http://www.groundviews.org/2009/08/15/first-‐images-‐the-‐flooding-‐in-‐menik-‐camp-‐
and-‐the-‐increasingly-‐dire-‐situation-‐for-‐idps
3. http://www.groundviews.org/2009/08/16/update-‐on-‐menik-‐camp-‐flooding-‐more-‐
images-‐and-‐reports-‐from-‐the-‐ground
4. http://www.groundviews.org/2009/08/18/a-‐first-‐hand-‐perspective-‐of-‐sri-‐lankas-‐
largest-‐idp-‐camp-‐are-‐they-‐really-‐our-‐people
This
groundbreaking
content
was
republished
in
the
New
York
Times,
Al
Jazeera
and
the
BBC,
as
well
as
other
local
and
international
media
sites.
5. From
19
–
27
May
2010,
Groundviews
ran
a
special
edition
on
the
end
of
war
in
Sri
Lanka.
Over
this
week
alone,
the
site
received
over
forty-‐thousand
readers
and
exclusively
featured
over
eighty-‐thousand
words
of
original
content,
one
video
premiere,
over
a
dozen
photos,
generating
over
one
hundred
and
fifty-‐thousand
words
of
commentary.
This
content
was
subsequently
published
as
a
book
and
reviewed2.
6. The
creation
of
Banyan
News
Reporters,
a
device
to
encourage
a
number
of
authors
to
use
well
written
satire
to
interrogate
issues
related
to
corruption,
war
crimes,
impunity,
censorship,
civilian
displacement,
abductions,
torture,
extra-‐judicial
killings,
human
rights
violations,
"national
security"
and
humanitarian
aid.
It
is
the
ONLY
example
of
satire
used
in
the
pursuit
of
peacebuilding,
and
now
has
a
cult
following
with
some
article
republished
in
mainstream
media.
See,
• http://www.groundviews.org/author/banyan-‐news-‐reporters/
• http://www.groundviews.org/2009/03/26/bridging-‐comedy-‐and-‐conscience/
2
http://groundviews.org/2010/12/26/a-‐book-‐that-‐defies-‐all-‐definitions-‐a-‐review-‐of-‐the-‐end-‐of-‐war-‐in-‐sri-‐lanka/
Groundviews
Internships
3
2010
-‐
2011
Why
Groundviews
is
unique
in
Sri
Lanka
• There
is
no
other
comparable
citizen
journalism
site
in
Sri
Lanka.
Our
reach
is
both
local
and
global,
and
our
content
is
now
on
the
radar
of
key
policy
makers,
government,
the
diplomatic
community,
bilateral
and
multilateral
donors
and
the
UN.
• There
is
no
other
media
website
that
uses
a
combination
of
prose,
poetry,
satire,
photography
and
video
to
flag
issues
that
are
critical
to
peacebuilding,
human
rights
and
democratic
governance
in
Sri
Lanka.
• The
website
is
a
catalyst
for
progressive
debate
on
highly
contentious
issues.
The
editorial
framework
for
commentary
excludes
vicious
and
vituperative
input,
thereby
maintain
a
standard
of
engagement
that
encourages
the
respect
of
difference
and
the
diversity
of
opinion.
This
makes
the
site
appealing
to
a
broad
constituency
ranging
from
government
to
NGOs,
from
domestic
voices
to
those
in
the
diaspora,
from
youth
to
elder
statespersons
and
diplomats
and
importantly,
those
from
every
community
and
ethnic
group
in
Sri
Lanka.
Accolades
and
recognition
Groundviews
sets
the
bar
for
web
based
citizen
journalism
in
Sri
Lanka.
It
has
demonstrated
by
example
that
new
and
web
media
can
serve
as
vital
mechanisms
for
investigative
reporting
and
dissent
even
in
a
context
where
traditional
media
is
censored
and
violently
curtailed.
Renowned
poets,
writer,
activists,
youth
leaders,
politicians,
senior
diplomats
of
the
Rajapakse
government,
a
previous
President
of
Sri
Lanka,
academics
and
others
have
written
well
over
2,000
articles
that
have
collectively
generated
hundreds
of
thousands
of
reader
generated
comments.
• “What
no
media
dares
to
report,
Groundviews
publicly
exposes.
It’s
a
new
age
media
for
a
new
Sri
Lanka…
Free
media
at
it’s
very
best!”
–
Grand
Jury,
Manthan
South
Asia
2009
• “The
citizen
journalism
website
Groundviews
did
some
of
the
most
telling
early
reporting
on
the
conditions
within
the
IDP
camps,
alerting
national
and
international
opinion
to
the
growing
conditions
of
squalor
and
distress
following
heavy
rains
in
August
and
then
October
2009.
The
website’s
reporting
was
accompanied
by
a
poignant
commentary
on
the
level
of
concern
of
the
mainstream
media
in
the
situation
in
the
camps.”
-‐
Excerpt
from
Freedom
in
Solidarity:
Media
Working
for
Peace
in
South
Asia,
published
on
behalf
of
the
South
Asia
Media
Solidarity
Network
(SAMSN)
by
the
International
Federation
of
Journalists
(IFJ)
Asia-‐
Pacific.
(Pg.
40)
• “Want
bottom-‐up
insight
into
Sri
Lankan
conflict?
@groundviews
is
awesome.
http://bit.ly/9Hq0Vo“,
via
@GlobalIntegrity
(the
Twitter
feed
of
Global
Integrity)
• As
an
avid
reader
of
Groundviews,
please
accept
my
hearty
congratulations
on
winning
the
coveted
’Manthan
Award
South
Asia’
from
the
300+
nominations.
Please
continue
your
good
work
in
advocating
for
good
governance,
transparency
and
freedom
of
expression.
As
the
Grand
Jury’s
evaluation
noted
that
it’s
a
new
age
media
for
a
new
Sri
Lanka.
–
Mrs.
Shanthy
Vadi,
Toronto,
Canada
• What’s
also
remarkable
is
the
exchange
of
opinion
that
has
followed
each
post
on
Menik
at
Groundviews
—
a
robust,
passionate,
not
always
polite
exchange
of
views
from
both
sides
of
the
political
fence.
In
Sri
Lanka,
that
alone
qualifies
as
something
of
a
miracle.
–
Keith
Hammonds,
Ashoka
Foundation
• I
have
really
found
Groundviews
ground
breaking
–
and
yes
it
is
an
effective
site
for
debate,
although
i
have
to
admit
that
I
get
outraged
by
some
of
the
racist
and
bigoted
comments
that
appear.
Good
that
they
do
though,
as
one
begins
to
realise
the
nature
of
what
we
see
out
there.
–
Renowned
Sri
Lankan
author
on
Groundviews
who
contributes
anonymously
citing
security
reasons
• For
ongoing
analysis
of
the
conflict,
the
citizen
journalism
site
groundviews.org
provides
interesting
and
often
tragic
reporting.
–
Renowned
international
media
freedom
organisation
Freedom
House.
Groundviews
Internships
4
2010
-‐
2011
• Been
watching
the
media
clips
interviewed
by
you
with
Tracy
and
Dayan.
Great
pieces
of
interview
style.
Been
starving
for
delicious
English
as
such
you
use.
–
Jade
• Brilliante!
Encore!
-‐
Lakshman
Gunesekara,
one
of
Sri
Lanka’s
leading
journalists
and
former
Editor
of
the
Sunday
Observer
(responding
to
Banyan
News
Reporters)
• Thanks
for
Groundviews,
by
the
way,
and
for
keeping
everyone
on
the
ball.
–
by
Sunila
Abeysekera,
award
winning
human
rights
activist
• All
the
best,
and
congrats
for
doing
a
wonderful
job
through
GV.
–
Kalana
Senaratne
• I
read
your
site
with
much
enthusiasm
and
was
especially
thrilled
to
read
your
exposure
of
Sunday
Times.
These
people
have
no
shame,
it
seems.
–
Gamini
Viyangoda,
a
writer
and
former
editor
of
the
Lanka
Dissent
news
website
• I
am
a
dedicated
Groundviews
reader
of
yours
and
I
have
to
congratulate
you
on
the
success
of
the
site.
–
Mark
Gereis
• Congratulations
mate!
Excellent
work!
-‐
Chamath
Ariyadasa,
Editor
of
JNW
SMS
news
service
Groundviews
Internships
5
2010
-‐
2011