Presentation made at a National Conference on Media Self-Regulation organised by the Sri Lanka Press Institute (SLPI) in Colombo on 7 Sep 2011. I was one of two speakers during their session on online media, which was unfortunately titled 'The Internet: A License to Slander'. It showed a complete lack of understanding of the new and online media by the organisers who are a group of very traditional print media editors and publishers. I also wasn’t impressed by the quality of moderation or discussion. A quick show of hands in the 50+ audience revealed there were half a dozen regular bloggers (including myself) and just two regular tweeters (including myself) among us. It wasn’t the right mix to discuss this topic – but then, serious online journalists and activists have better things to do than attend this kind of offline gatherings!

1. Who’s Afraid of Online Journalists? Nalaka Gunawardene Columnist & Blogger www.nalakagunawardene.com Presentation to National Conference on Media Self-Regulation @Sri Lanka Press Institute (SLPI) Colombo: 7 Sep 2011

12. Social Media’s rise

13. How do you engage SM?

21. Approaches of Internet Filtering http://opennet.net/about-filtering Source: Within same jurisdiction, legal demands to web host companies to remove content deemed offensive Take-down Search engine operators cooperate with govt to remove search listings, making it more difficult to find sites. Search result removals Block access to specific web pages, domains, or IP addresses: most frequently used where direct jurisdiction or control over websites is beyond the reach of authorities. Technical blocking

28. Anonymous…and opinionated!

30. Never forget your e-shadow!