The Free Media Movement evolved out of the Standing Committee of Journalists, which was formed in late 1991, as a collective enterprise of journalists and media personnel to critique and respond to moves by then government of the time to introduce a Media Commission to Sri Lanka. The first public meeting of the group as the Free Media Movement was held in Colombo in June 1992. Through the years, the FMM has become the watchdog of media freedom in Sri Lanka, and has also developed an extensive network of links with other media freedom and human rights groups internationally.