COLOMBO – The Center for Investigative Reporting (CIR) successfully concluded “Frontlines of Truth: Reporting in Times of Crisis” a special event help on 30 January 2026 in Colombo to mark its sixth anniversary.
The event brought together journalists, editors, and researchers and generated timely conversations on the importance of developing crisis reporting skills and the newsroom challenges in preparing journalists and maintaining continued reportage.
Vasana Wickremasena, CIR’s co-founder and trustee, welcomed the gathering. A minute of silence was observed to honour senior editor and defence analyst Iqbal Athas who passed away this January. CIR also marked its anniversary with the launch of a first of its kind of journalism resource titled ‘Reporting on Mass Graves: A Practitioners’ Guide.’
The event a featured keynote address by Rajneesh Bhandari, founder and chief editor of the Nepal Investigative Multimedia Journalism Network (NIMJN), who spoke on disaster accountability in South Asia, followed by Dr. Sanjana Hattotuwa, researcher and founding editor of Groundviews, who examined how racism, institutional decay, and information vacuums can intensify the impact of natural disasters using Cyclone Ditwah as a case study.
The expert interventions were followed by a panel “When Every Second Counts: The Role of Journalists During Crisis Situations”moderated by Hana Ibrahim, editor-in-Chief of the Daily/Weekend Express. Panelists included Niresh Eliatamby, Consultant Director News at News 1st, Gagani Weerakoon, Associate Editor at Ceylon Today, and Rajneesh Bhandari. Vote of thanks was proposed by Ayodhya Kiriella, CIR’s Program Associate. Award-winning journalist Kamanthi Wickramasinghe hosted the event.
CIR is a member of the Global Investigative Journalism Network (GIJN).
