Colombo: In a significant step towards transforming digital journalism in Sri Lanka, Daily FC has announced the integration of the Lanka Data API into its editorial platform, becoming one of the first media organisations in the country to harness structured public information through an application programming interface (API). The collaboration marks a milestone in the evolution of data-driven reporting, enabling journalists to combine breaking news with verified public information drawn from a wide range of official registries, regulatory sources and institutional publications.
The partnership reflects a growing global trend where journalism increasingly relies on structured data, artificial intelligence and official digital repositories to improve accuracy, transparency and context. While news organisations have traditionally relied on interviews, press releases and manual research, the integration of Lanka Data’s intelligent API allows Daily FC to access authoritative public information in real time, supporting deeper reporting across business, finance, law, governance and the economy.
At the centre of the collaboration is Lanka Data Net (LDN), an AI-powered public information platform that has systematically digitised, organised and indexed thousands of official publications from across Sri Lanka. The platform consolidates information that has historically been scattered across numerous Government institutions into a unified, searchable and machine-readable ecosystem. Its repositories span legislation, judicial decisions, taxation, corporate disclosures, economic statistics, regulatory publications and public policy documents, enabling users to retrieve reliable information through both intelligent search and AI-powered retrieval systems.
Through the API integration, Daily FC’s editorial team will have access to an extensive range of public information covering Sri Lanka’s legal and regulatory landscape, including Acts of Parliament, amendments, Bills, Extraordinary Gazettes, Supreme Court and Court of Appeal judgments, Sri Lanka Law Reports, New Law Reports and Cabinet decisions. The platform also provides access to parliamentary proceedings, official Government publications and institutional announcements, allowing reporters to place policy developments within their broader legislative and historical context.
The business and financial intelligence capabilities of the Lanka Data platform are equally comprehensive. Reporters covering the corporate sector can instantly retrieve information relating to registered companies, listed entities, annual reports, quarterly financial statements, stock exchange disclosures and regulatory filings. Combined with official Central Bank publications—including inflation reports, monetary policy reviews, external sector reports, weekly and monthly economic indicators, open market operations and financial stability publications—the API enables Daily FC to provide readers with richer analysis backed by authoritative public data.
Beyond finance, the platform also encompasses intellectual property records, trade information, import and export tariff schedules, Harmonised System (HS) Codes, approved pharmaceutical registries maintained by the National Medicines Regulatory Authority, Ayurvedic medicine directories, healthcare regulatory information and numerous other public databases that were previously dispersed across multiple Government agencies. By bringing these datasets together through a single intelligent interface, Lanka Data enables journalists to verify information rapidly while uncovering relationships that might otherwise remain hidden.
For Daily FC readers, the implications extend well beyond faster news reporting. Articles covering corporate developments can now be linked with official company filings, economic reports can reference live statistical publications, legal stories can be supported by judicial decisions, and regulatory changes can be traced directly to the relevant Gazette notifications or legislative instruments. This combination of journalism and structured public information is expected to provide readers with greater confidence in the factual basis of reporting while significantly improving the depth of analysis.
Internationally, leading news organisations have increasingly adopted data journalism as a core editorial discipline, using structured public information to strengthen investigative reporting and provide greater transparency. The adoption of the Lanka Data API positions Daily FC among the early movers in Sri Lanka embracing this approach, demonstrating how artificial intelligence and structured public information can work together to improve public understanding of complex issues.
Lanka Data has also developed an AI-powered retrieval layer built upon Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) technology, allowing natural language queries to be answered using verified underlying datasets rather than unverified internet sources. The intelligent layer currently spans legal, taxation, business, economic, news and regulatory domains and forms part of a broader ecosystem designed to improve access to trusted public information across Sri Lanka.
Industry observers believe that the collaboration could encourage wider adoption of structured public information services by organisations beyond the media sector. Financial institutions, legal professionals, accountants, researchers, universities, technology companies, compliance teams, policy analysts, insurance providers and public sector agencies increasingly depend on reliable and machine-readable information to support analysis and decision-making. The Daily FC integration demonstrates how APIs can bridge the gap between public data and practical applications, potentially paving the way for broader digital transformation across Sri Lanka’s knowledge economy.
A senior data analyst commenting on the development said the partnership represents more than a technology integration.
“The future of journalism will be defined not only by how quickly news is reported, but by how effectively facts can be verified and contextualised. By integrating Lanka Data’s structured public information APIs, Daily FC is creating a model where every story has the potential to be supported by authoritative evidence. This is an important step towards building a more transparent, informed and data-driven media landscape in Sri Lanka.”
As Sri Lanka accelerates its digital transformation agenda, initiatives that connect trusted public information with modern publishing platforms are expected to play an increasingly important role in improving transparency, strengthening public trust and making official information more accessible. By becoming a pioneering user of the Lanka Data API ecosystem, Daily FC is not only enhancing its own editorial capabilities but also signalling the emergence of a new generation of evidence-based journalism where data becomes as important as the headline itself.
