“කුඩ්ඩන්” / “කුඩු ලෝලීන්” - ඍණාත්මක ලේබල් කිරීම් නොවේද?

Abstract

On July 24, 2024, Divaina, Dinamina, and Mawbima newspapers reported the arrest of three individuals at a private hospital for allegedly selling painkillers to drug users without a doctor’s prescription. All newspaper used derogatory terms such as “Kuddanta” (කුඩ්ඩන්ට), “Kuduloleen” (කුඩු ලෝලීන්) in the headlines while Dinamina also used “Mathloleen” (මත්ලෝලීන්) in the content. Using such language is unethical, as it increases stigma against people who use drugs, makes reintegration after rehabilitation more difficult, and obstructs efforts to address drug-related social issues. However, both Divaina and Mawbima used the appropriate term “Mathdrawya bhawithayata abbahi wu pudgalayan” (මත්ද්‍රව්‍ය භාවිතයට ඇබ්බැහි වූ පුද්ගලයන්) in the content of their reports.