COLOMBO — A media-industry body that works to deepen ties between Sri Lanka and India will hold the second edition of its annual Media Fest in the capital on July 11, the organizers said.
The Sri Lanka–India Media Friendship Association, known as SLIMFA, said the gathering would take place at the Taj Samudra hotel under the theme “Staying Relevant in a Changing World.” It follows the association’s inaugural festival, held over two days in April last year at the same venue.
The association said the event aimed to share best practices and deepen media friendship between the two countries, combining panel discussions, training workshops, interactive learning sessions, and networking to support professional development for media professionals from Sri Lanka and India.
This year’s program will examine how journalism and media can adapt to shifting technology, economics, and audience habits while upholding the values of accuracy, independence, verification, and public trust, the association said. Sessions are expected to cover audience engagement, misinformation and fact-checking, digital transformation, media sustainability, new storytelling formats, and the future of news consumption.
The program will feature keynote addresses and panel discussions with speakers from India, including Smita Prakash, editor at the news agency ANI; Marya Shakil, managing editor at India Today; and Ashok Malik, a former adviser in India’s Ministry of External Affairs now with the strategic advisory firm The Asia Group, alongside industry figures from Sri Lanka, the association said.
The festival is open to journalists, editors, publishers, broadcasters, content creators, communication professionals, and journalism students, SLIMFA said.
SLIMFA was inaugurated in May 2024 under the patronage of the Indian High Commission in Colombo and is led by its president, Nisthar Cassim, the editor of the Daily FT. The association says it was set up to strengthen media ties between the two countries and has since organized roundtables, discussions, professional exchanges, and a masterclass on artificial intelligence in journalism.
Its first Media Fest, in April 2025, carried the theme “Navigating the New Media Landscape Together” and was inaugurated by Satyanjal Pandey, then the acting Indian High Commissioner, and Nalinda Jayatissa, the minister of mass media. That edition featured Indian journalists, including Palki Sharma of Firstpost, Sidhant Sibal of WION, Shailesh Shekhar of the India Today Group, and L.V. Krishnan, chief executive of TAM Media Research.
Seating for the event is limited, the association said, and registration and further details are available on the festival website, mediafest.lk. Additional speakers and the full program are to be announced in the coming weeks.
