About Verité Media
Our Journey and Purpose
Verité Media was established in 2016 with the vision of improving public understanding and access to reliable information, while professionalising the media industry.
We specialise in areas including, but not limited to, media ethics, ownership, polarisation, regulation, and information disorders.
Our Experience
Combatting unethical reporting and information disorders: Through its public education platforms Ethics Eye and FactCheck.lk, Verité Media has extensive experience combatting unethical reporting and information disorder in Sri Lanka. Ethics Eye seeks to foster ethical journalism and cultivate a more responsible media culture. FactCheck.lk monitors the Sri Lankan media to identify, and fact-check statements attributed to high-level decision-makers and in public office and influential voices on subjects of public interest.
Experience in political analysis and media sentiment: Our Macro-Media Political Analysis team reviews Sinhala media weekly, exploring narratives shaping public opinion. It also includes an analysis on polarised reporting in Sinhala and Tamil media, and quarterly briefings synthesising media, political, and economic trends.
Expertise in countering hate speech: Verité Media carries extensive experience researching and countering hate speech in Sri Lanka. Following the 2019 Presidential Election, Verité Media conducted a short-term research study to understand the ethno-religious insecurities in the Sri Lankan media. This study identified instances in which the Sinhala media contributed to hate speech leading to ethno-religious violence and/or hatred five days prior to and five days after the 2019 Presidential Election. Similarly, Verité Media partnered with Internews Sri Lanka to respond to serious issues in mainstream media reporting including hate speech. The initiative covered two critical election cycles in Sri Lanka the 2019 Presidential Election and the 2020 General Election.
Understanding media polarisation: The Divide is a platform dedicated to identifying and analysing language polarisation in widely consumed Sinhala and Tamil media, adopting a two-pronged approach to bridge this divide. It empowers citizens by raising awareness of the issue, enabling them to critically engage with the information they consume. At the same time, it seeks to educate journalists, fostering empathy and encouraging more inclusive reporting practices. By addressing both media consumers and producers, The Divide aims to reduce polarisation and promote a more informed and cohesive society.
Training journalists and civil society actors: Verité Media conducts training programmes for journalists and civil society actors. These sessions address ethical media practices, hate speech, and media polarisation undermining democracy in Sri Lanka. By engaging with media personnel and civil society actors, we have cultivated a robust network of journalists, media outlets civil society actors, which serves as a foundation for further collaborative efforts
Understanding religious violence in Sri Lanka: Verité Media produces trend analysis reports for the National Christian Evangelical Alliance of Sri Lanka (NCEASL) on incidents of religious freedom and violence. These reports provide insights into media sentiment, trends, and challenges faced by minority Christian, Muslim, and Hindu communities.
Expertise on Sri Lanka’s media ownership: In 2018, Verité Research in partnership with Reporters sans Frontières launchedthe Media Ownership Monitor Sri Lanka. The trilingual platform traces the owners behind the key media outlets in Sri Lanka. The platform relies on its findings to run a diagnostic of the media landscape in the country. These findings are further contextualised within Sri Lanka’s broader political, economic, legal, social and technological landscape.
Meet Our Team
Dr. Nishan de Mel
Executive Director, Verité Research
Deepanjalie Abeywardana
Deputy Director of Media and Politics, Verité Research
Mahoshadi Pieris
Team Leader, Verité Media
Rochel Canagasabey
Programme Lead
Jonathan Cruse
Research Analyst
Kaumini Mapa
Junior Research Analyst
Buwanajee Coralage
Junior Research Analyst
Edward Uthayathas
Senior Programme Coordinator
Chrishari de Alwis
Senior Programme Coordinator
Our Journey Through Time
Explore the pivotal moments that have shaped Verité Media into a leader in the media industry.
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Verité Research
Verité Research is founded by its Executive Director, Dr. Nishan de Mel.
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The Media Analysis
The Media Analysis (TMA) is launched as the signature product of Verité Research. TMA fills a void in mainstream political analysis by examining the local media to obtain insights into the pulse of the Sinhala speaking public. TMA was rebranded in 2025 as The Macro-Media Political Analysis (MPA).
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FrontPage
FrontPage is launched to shed light on the varying realities between Sri Lanka’s ethno-linguistic communities through a daily analysis of the front pages of Sinhala and Tamil newspapers.
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Ethics Eye
Ethics Eye, a social media platform that monitors and flags ethical violations in widely consumed Sinhala newspapers and TV channels, is launched. The aim is to address unethical reporting, including misinformation, disinformation and racial profiling.
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Verité Media
Media Research Team is established within Verité Research with the aim of empowering Sri Lankans with information and analysis, equipping them to navigate and evaluate media with discernment.
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FactCheck.lk
FactCheck.lk is launched as the first ever national platform in Sri Lanka that examines statements made by high-level decisionmakers, published by select media.
It was also the first Sri Lankan fact-checking platform to become a verified signatory of the International Fact Checking Network’s (IFCN’s) code of principles.
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The Divide
The Divide is launched to flag and analyse instances of language polarisation in the most widely consumed Sinhala and Tamil electronic and print media.
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Media Ownership Monitor, Sri Lanka (MOMSL)
MOMSL, which maps out the owners behind key media outlets in Sri Lanka, is launched with support from Reporters sans Frontières. It relies on its findings to run a diagnostic of the media landscape in the country.
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Macro-Media Political Analysis
TMA is rebranded as Macro-Media Political Analysis (MPA). MPA analyses key political issues as portrayed in Sinhala print media, television, and social media, to provide insights into the Sri Lankan socio-political context.
MPA is delivered in three parts: (1) Daily FrontPage – daily updates in Sinhala and Tamil newspapers; (2) Weekly Macro-Media Political Analysis – a weekly analysis of the political psyche dynamics in the country; and (3) macro-political briefings once every four months.
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Verité Media Website Launch
The Verité Media website is a one-stop shop for information and analysis on print, TV and social media in Sri Lanka.
Join Us in Shaping the Future of Sri Lanka's Media
Join Verité Media to transform the media landscape with innovative projects, research and initiatives.