Derana rejects Deputy Minister’s complaint, says presenter questioned Wimal’s claims

TV Derana has strongly defended its 360 programme presenter Kalindu Karunaratne over allegations raised by Deputy Minister Chathuranga Abeysinghe’s Office concerning an allegedly AI-generated photograph displayed by former Minister Wimal Weerawansa, maintaining that the presenter had appropriately questioned the claims during the live broadcast.

In a letter dated October 15, Derana TV News director Yuwaraj Athukorala rejected the allegations and said the television channel had committed no wrongdoing requiring a public correction.

The response follows a formal complaint from the Deputy Minister’s Office over a photograph allegedly manipulated using artificial intelligence to portray an individual photographed with Abeysinghe as a Buddhist monk.

Derana pointed out that Karunaratne had directly questioned Weerawansa about the identity of the individual in the photograph during the October 12 programme.

When Weerawansa displayed the image from his mobile phone, the presenter specifically asked whether it was confirmed that the individual shown was a layperson.

Weerawansa responded that it was confirmed and later identified the individual as Amal Salinda.

Derana maintained that the presenter had fulfilled his journalistic responsibility by directly questioning the guest about the photograph rather than simply accepting the claim without challenge.

The channel said guests appearing on live television programmes were responsible for the statements they made and the photographs or documents they presented.

It argued that presenters and production teams could not scientifically verify the authenticity of every photograph or document presented during a live broadcast, adding that questioning the guest about the material was the action available to the presenter.

Derana also confirmed that it had not rebroadcast Weerawansa’s remarks on television or republished them on digital platforms following the live programme.

The channel rejected the Deputy Minister’s demand for a correction, maintaining that neither the presenter nor the television station had acted improperly.

However, Derana said it was willing to inform viewers during the next edition of 360 that it had received a letter from the Deputy Minister’s Office alleging that the photograph was AI-generated.

The controversy began after Abeysinghe alleged that a photograph originally showing him alongside an individual identified as Amal, who had helped protect protesters during the 2022 Aragalaya movement, had been digitally manipulated to depict the individual wearing Buddhist robes.

The Deputy Minister subsequently issued a clarification on social media, sharing what he described as the original photograph alongside the allegedly AI-manipulated version.

He accused Weerawansa of using the image to make misleading political claims during the television discussion.

However, the Deputy Minister’s Office confirmed that no letter of demand had been sent to former Minister Wimal Weerawansa, who displayed the photograph and made the remarks.

In its response, Derana questioned why criticism had been directed at the programme presenter over statements and material presented by a guest, expressing surprise at the attempt to hold the presenter responsible.

Derana reiterated that Karunaratne had questioned Weerawansa about the photograph during the live broadcast and maintained that the responsibility for the image and the claims made about it rested with the former Minister Wimal Weerawansa (Newswire).

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