'Sri Lanka is a success story. We have completion in our sights': Peter Hugh Scott Baker. 

Detected Manipulations & Suggested Changes

Unbalanced reporting

Presenting mainly one perspective or stakeholder without comparable input from others affected or involved.

The entire piece is an interview with a single HALO Trust representative. All descriptions of progress, challenges, and impacts come from him. There are no voices from: - Sri Lankan government officials (beyond being described by HALO) - Other demining organisations (MAG, Sri Lankan Army HDU) except as mentioned by HALO - Local communities/IDPs themselves - Independent experts or critical perspectives on timelines, funding, or socioeconomic impact. Examples: - “We have a positive working relationship. It is a partnership. We work closely with the government of Sri Lanka.” - “Sri Lanka is a success story. We have completion in our sights…” - “We are enormously grateful to our international donors who continue to provide us and support us with the life-saving work that we do here.” All of these are self-characterisations by HALO, not corroborated or contrasted with other views.

4 suggestions

Include comments or data from Sri Lankan government mine action authorities (e.g., National Mine Action Centre) confirming or nuancing the timelines, remaining contamination, and coordination challenges.

Add perspectives from other operators (e.g., MAG, Sri Lankan Army Humanitarian Demining Unit) on progress, technical challenges, and how HALO’s work fits into the broader national effort.

Incorporate quotes or survey data from local communities/IDPs about how they perceive the pace and quality of clearance, and whether they share the ‘success story’ framing.

Briefly mention any known criticisms, delays, or concerns (e.g., about funding, prioritisation of areas, or environmental impact) and allow the interviewee to respond, to provide a more rounded picture.

Appeal to emotion

Using emotionally charged framing to generate a positive affective response rather than relying solely on neutral, verifiable information.

Most of the article is technical and neutral, but some passages use emotionally positive framing that borders on promotional: - “We are enormously grateful to our international donors who continue to provide us and support us with the life-saving work that we do here.” - “Sri Lanka is a success story. We have completion in our sights, and it will provide a really fascinating example of a country that has gone from being one of the most densely mined areas in the world to a point where it is going to be mine-impact-free.” - “It is a success story for the people of Sri Lanka, the government, our international donors, all the mine operators, and particularly the staff that are out there day in and day out, at significant personal risk, making the land of this country safe and creating opportunities for the future for their families.” These statements emphasise pride, gratitude, and heroism. They are not inherently misleading, but they shift tone from neutral reporting to positive emotional framing of HALO, donors, and the overall effort.

3 suggestions

Rephrase evaluative language into more neutral, evidence-based statements, e.g., instead of “Sri Lanka is a success story,” say “Sri Lanka has reduced confirmed or suspected contamination from approximately X sq km to Y sq km since 2002, according to [source].”

When describing donors and staff, focus on verifiable facts (e.g., number of donors, funding levels, number of staff, accident rates) rather than gratitude or heroism, unless clearly marked as the interviewee’s personal opinion.

Explicitly label value-laden statements as opinion, e.g., “In my view, Sri Lanka represents a success story because…” to distinguish them from factual claims.

Oversimplification / Narrative fallacy

Framing a complex, ongoing process as a simple, coherent ‘story’ (e.g., a clear success narrative) that may understate remaining problems or uncertainties.

The closing section frames the entire national demining effort as a clear, linear success: - “Sri Lanka is a success story. We have completion in our sights…” - “…a country that has gone from being one of the most densely mined areas in the world to a point where it is going to be mine-impact-free. And we are getting close to that now.” Earlier, the interviewee acknowledges that the 2028 target is no longer realistic and that funding is under pressure: - “That date is no longer realistic.” - “A more challenging fact is whether our international donors will continue to fund us at the same level.” The strong ‘success story’ framing may underplay these uncertainties and the fact that new contamination continues to be discovered, and that completion dates are not yet confirmed.

3 suggestions

Qualify the ‘success story’ narrative with explicit mention of remaining challenges and uncertainties, e.g., “Sri Lanka has made substantial progress, but completion depends on sustained funding and addressing newly identified contaminated areas.”

Provide concrete, up-to-date metrics (e.g., trend lines of area cleared per year, number of remaining suspected hazardous areas, accident rates) to support the ‘success’ characterisation.

Clarify that the final completion date is not yet set and that ‘mine-impact-free’ status is a goal contingent on future work and resources, rather than presented as an inevitable outcome.

Selective use of sources / Appeal to authority

Relying primarily on the authority and experience of a single actor as the basis for broad evaluative claims, without independent corroboration.

The article relies entirely on Peter Hugh Scott Baker’s authority as a long-serving soldier and HALO programme manager: - “I was a professional soldier. I was an officer in the British army for 30 years… What I have seen is the destructive power of conflict…” - “My work here in Sri Lanka is absolutely about that. It is the mission statement of HALO Trust.” His authority and experience are used to support broad evaluative claims about the mission and its success, but there are no external data or independent voices to corroborate statements like: - “Sri Lanka is a success story.” - “We have a positive working relationship. It is a partnership. We work closely with the government of Sri Lanka.”

3 suggestions

Complement the interviewee’s statements with independent data or references (e.g., UN mine action reports, national mine action centre statistics, or third-party evaluations) to substantiate claims about progress and partnerships.

Clearly distinguish between factual claims and personal assessments based on experience, e.g., “Based on my experience, I believe…”

Where possible, add brief editorial notes or sidebars citing external sources that confirm or nuance key quantitative claims (e.g., total area cleared nationally, number of remaining IDPs awaiting return).