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China and Africa to cooperate in media

By Fu Jing (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-07-16 09:42

African and Chinese media professionals expressed a desire Wednesday to work together to play a bigger role in the international media industry.

"The voices of the world should not just come from CNN or BBC we need diverse perspectives from China and Africa when a piece of news occurs," Rajah Munamava, editorial editor of Namibian newspaper New Era, told China Daily Wednesday.

Wang Chen (left), minister of the State Council Information Office, talks with an African woman at a seminar yesterday. [China Daily]

"It's time for us to act now as we have already realized the urgency and gathered some strength," Munamava said.

Dozens of media professionals from China and Africa attended a seminar organized by the State Council Information Office in Beijing Wednesday.

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Wang Chen, minister of the State Council Information Office, said China and Africa have strengthened media cooperation during the past several years but it hasn't been enough to satisfy the demand for information that accompanied increasing economic and social cooperation.

"China sincerely looks forward to more comprehensive media exchanges between us to meet the audience's demand," Wang said.

Even on a tea break during the half-day seminar, bosses of some media outlets discussed ways to change the reporting of China and Africa.

"We share a lot of common ground, ranging from poverty reduction, education and healthcare to the environment, and it's a good idea to set up joint ventures to explore common topics," said Wang Gangyi, president of Beijing Review, a weekly multi-language news magazine.

The media representatives said currently 85 percent of news reporting and coverage comes from Western media, especially from the United States, despite the fact that emerging countries such as China and India are playing a growing role in the global media industry.