US company’s “Sri Lanka 2017 Country Review” challenged: full of errors, disinformation says Global SL Forum
Ranjith Soysa SPOKESPERSON Media release
Sri Lanka 2017 Country Review,” one of many country reports published by CountryWatch, a prominent US-based information provider to universities, government agencies, libraries etc., is so full of disinformation, errors, and outdated information that the Global Sri Lankan Forum (GSLF) decided to re-examine and discuss some of the highly obvious misconstructions.
The Forum, with the assistance of the Sri Lanka-US Political Affairs Council (SLUPAC) of California, has published a blog which highlights the noteworthy errors/disinformation in the report published online in May 2017 with comments on each.
In addition, the Forum sent a statement to the universities and libraries that are known subscribers of CountryWatch reports cautioning them that despite CountryWatch’s claims of the Country Review series being up to date,” some critical statistics, such as economic indices, are woefully outdated.”
It was pointed out that the fact that President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s name has been misspelled (as Rajpaksa) 69 times throughout the report is, by itself, a clear indication of the lack of editorial oversight.
It falls short of the standards required of a publication that is providing information to universities, schools, libraries, and government agencies,” the statement said.
The 397-page online report titled Sri Lanka 2017 Country Review” attempts at providing a panoramic insight into developments in Sri Lanka beginning with the island’s early history and including the LTTE war and recent political changes.
CountryWatch, based in Texas, introduces itself on its website as [A]n information provider for corporations, government agencies, universities, schools, libraries and individuals needing up-to-date news and information on each of the recognized countries of the world.” It describes its staff as having extensive international business experience and members of the editorial department as coming from strong academic backgrounds.
The blog may be accessed at: https//countrywatchslreport.wordpress.com
