Representatives from developing countries at the fifth World Media Summit being held in the Chinese cities of Guangzhou and Kunming have made a strong call for a louder voice of the Global South.
In an era of increasing global interconnectedness, a louder voice from the Global South has become more imperative than ever before, and the media also shoulder the responsibility for promoting global common development through exchanges and cooperation, they said.
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President of Prensa Latina News Agency, Luis Enrique Gonzalez Acosta, said he takes this summit as an opportunity to collaborate with other media outlets in providing objective and responsible reports that can amplify the voices of developing countries and jointly address the challenges facing the Global South.
"We must not be afraid to position ourselves as the voice of the Global South," said Iqbal Surve, chairman of South Africa's Independent Media. "Our narrative, our communication, our stories must be about the possibility of global growth and development."
Media's role extends beyond conveying facts, Surve said, adding that it should catalyze social-economic change and development.
"If we have one task only as a social responsibility, that task is to ensure that media must be a change agent in the world today, to promote a common humanity and a shared future and shared prosperity," he added.
South-South cooperation among media is crucial in ensuring that the voices of developing countries are heard worldwide, said experts present at the summit. It plays a significant role in fostering diverse and inclusive narrative perspectives on a global scale, they said.
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Creating a grand shared narrative that would promote common prosperity is imperative, said Seife Deribe Endale, CEO of Ethiopian News Agency.
"We are now in the critical juncture to create an inclusive media ecosystem through the lens of alternative narratives like that of the BRICS," he said, adding that the true and success stories of Ethiopia and the whole of Africa need to be heard worldwide.
South-South communication is of great importance, said Maria Bernarda Llorente, president of Telam, Argentina's official news agency. Communication between developing countries is fundamental to building relations, she added.
To foster more dialogues among nations and cultivate a culture of peace and understanding within the international system, it is crucial and urgent to formulate a shared agenda in response to global threats, she said.
Roger Agana, managing director of News Ghana, said the world needs to know a real Africa and a real China. "As African media, we do have a story to tell," he said.