Global media call for cooperation, coordination in news reporting

CHENGDU, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- Media representatives from across the globe attending a forum in southwest China's Sichuan Province have called for deepening cooperation in news reporting, and for boosting understanding, trust and exchanges between people in different nations and regions.

The 2024 Media Cooperation Forum on Belt and Road, held on Wednesday and Thursday, as well as the third council meeting of the Belt and Road News Network on the sidelines of the forum, attracted more than 200 representatives from 191 media organizations in 76 countries.

"We have arrived in a multi-centered world order, and one of the pillars of this new world order is the People's Republic of China," said David Bencsik, executive editor-in-chief of the Magyar Demokrata Media Group in Hungary.

"We must use the tools of public diplomacy to promote the smooth development of acceptance and mutual respect, the process of which follows a logical sequence -- getting to know, understanding, liking and then following each other," he said.

According to Negasi Ambaye Abay, deputy CEO of the Ethiopian News Agency, media from Ethiopia have attached great importance to cooperation in joint Belt and Road construction, an initiative from which both China and other participants can benefit.

Phone Min San, vice chairman of the Shwe Than Lwin Media Co., Ltd., in Myanmar, pointed out that innovation in the media industry is required and that attention should be paid to the influence of reports on the next generation.

Facing new challenges and tests, media across the world should work together to address problems like misinformation and fake news and enhance voices of the Global South, said Sarmad Ali, group managing director of the Jang Media Group in Pakistan.

Li Wei, deputy editor-in-chief of Farmers' Daily, suggested that media take the initiative in choosing topics and increasing their focus on hot topics. He also called for expanding communication channels, enhancing collaboration with media from Belt and Road partner countries, seeking more carriers for overseas exposure of Chinese media reports, increasing exchanges between Chinese and foreign media, and promoting connectivity at a deeper level.

The Belt and Road News Network consists of 274 media organizations from 110 countries in Asia, Africa, Europe, South America, North America and Oceania.