Stage set for media future and adoption of Cape Town Declaration 2018
THE 2018 BRICS Media Forum was held in Cape Towon July 18 and 19.
It was a high-level dialogue among BRICS media organisations held a week before the 10th BRICS Summit, and on the eve of the second “golden 10 years” of BRICS co-operation, and most significantly, at a time when the BRICS circle of friends is widening under the banner of ‘BRICS Plus’.”
The forum was attended by leaders of 38 mainstream media organisations from BRICS countries as well as some African countries including Liberia, Kenya, Tanzania, Namibia, Malawi, Zambia, Uganda and Ghana.
These media organisations included news agencies, newspapers, radio, television broadcasters and digital media.
The BRICS Media Forum was initiated by Xinhua News Agency and supported by Brazil’s CMA Group, Russia’s Sputnik News Agency and Radio, India’s The Hindu Group and South Africa’s Independent Media. This 2018 BRICS Media Forum was jointly held by Xinhua News Agency and Independent Media.
Present at the forum were leaders of the five initiating media organisations as well as the following:
China: People’s Daily, China Media Group, China Daily, China. org.cn, Xinhuanet Co Ltd,
Shanghai United Media Group, CGTN, Xinhua News Agency.
Brazil: Correio Braziliense, CMA Group.
Russia: Russia Today TV, Sputnik News Agency and Radio, TV BRICS, TASS News Agency.
India: ABP News Network(TV), Indo-Asian News Service (IANS), Indian Express, The Print, The Hindu.
South Africa: Media24, Naspers, Independent Online, African News Agency, African Independent, SABC, eNCA, Tiso Blackstar, MojaMedia, StarSat.
Rest of Africa: New Vision (Uganda); The New Dawn (Liberia), The Standard (Kenya), The Exchange (Tanzania), Zambia Daily Mail, Nampa (Namibia), Times New Media Group (Malawi) and Ghanaian Times.
Under the theme “BRICS Media Co-operation – Fostering an Inclusive, Just World Order”, consensus was reached after in-depth exchanges were held on the following topics:
Strengthening the BRICS narrative: media’s role and responsibility.
Imagining a shared global future forged by constructive and development journalism: seeking ways to enhance co-operation among the new media in BRICS countries and BRICS Media.
BRICS Media and Africa. The participating media organisations believed that the world is undergoing major development, transformation and adjustment, and we face growing uncertainties and destabilising factors, but building a community of common destiny remains the main objective for the development of humanity.
With the formation of a multidimensional, multi-tiered and wide-ranging co-operation pattern, the BRICS co-operation mechanism has become an influential platform for co-operation on the global stage.
In keeping with the BRICS spirit of openness, inclusivity and co-operation, and in order to contribute to the development of the next “golden 10 years” as well as the brighter future of our mankind, BRICS media organisations should: Action plan:
Encourage exchanges between our nations’ public and private media organisations.
Promote pragmatic co-operation throughout our media communities.
Consolidate and extend the circle of friends of BRICS media outlets.
Follow the current trends of news dissemination.
Take full advantage of new media like the internet and social media.
Spread good stories of BRICS co-operation.
Create new highlights of BRICS reporting.
Build a fairer and more just international communication order.
Develop an education network to develop young journalists.
Establish a BRICS media academy for journalists, which will include workshops to be held wherever BRICS meetings are staged.
We will engage with other nations in terms of ensuring our journalists have access to all countries in the world in order to promote and spread responsible and accurate journalism.
Create a BRICS news portal or agency of some sort.
Identify how we can create an environment in which there can be people-to-people exchange between journalists and media people throughout the BRICS community.
In addition, BRICS media should promote economically sustainable agreements among BRICS media companies, producing benefits for the economies of the countries of the bloc and supporting the integration and growth of the world press.
The BRICS media participants unanimously agreed to carry out a co-operative action plan in the spirit of equity, pragmatism and mutual benefit.
First, we should improve mutual learning and draw on each others’ experiences.
The media sector around the globe is undergoing unprecedented changes.
BRICS media organisations should adapt to the trend and meet new challenges, use opportunities such as this forum, engage in highlevel talks, and mutual visits to share experience, learn from each other, and jointly explore the path of media innovation and development in the internet era.
Second, we need to further promote personnel exchanges.
BRICS media outlets should deepen personnel exchanges, promote mutual learning among BRICS media and mutual understanding and friendship among BRICS people, and practical co-operation among BRICS countries.
Third, we need to expand information exchange. BRICS media outlets should expand multilateral and bilateral co-operation under the mechanism of the BRICS Media Forum, especially in areas of new media, television, and economic news reporting.
To acknowledge the significance of the day July 18, 2018, which is the centenary commemoration of Nelson Mandela, the meeting unanimously agreed to adopt the Cape Town Declaration 2018 as follows:
We will strive to learn from each other and to create pathways for sharing of content, news and people. We believe there should be an exchange of news content.
We need to increase the peopleto-people exchanges between journalists as well as people working within the media fraternity.
We agree to strive to create a media landscape that upholds the value of integrity of the news that is created and shared through BRICS nations.
We will uphold the principles of responsible journalism and put measures in place to limit the spread of – as well as the effects of – fake news.
We are committed to ensuring free and equitable media coverage of all territories throughout the world.
We are committed to working towards ensuring that BRICS countries are not discriminated against in terms of access to news or access to territories which our journalists need to travel to in order to report the news. Through this ambition we believe we will help to create a more balanced and inclusive world.
We, as the BRICS member media organisations, stand united and in one voice to declare that we should be included in the opportunity to report in a free and unbiased manner on issues pertaining to our own and member countries.
There should be no discrimination against BRICS media houses from other countries or parts of the world and should find a way to overcome issues such as job discrimination in the media.
We are committed to setting up a united news service between the various BRICS news services.
We are committed to setting up a global sharing system for young journalism students from the five BRICS countries to offer them a platform through which they will be able to share their experiences with one another, as well as to learn from more experienced journalists and media professionals.
We believe there should be a BRICS journalism and media academy for the development of young journalists.
As BRICS nations, we have proportionately the largest amount of young people in the world, which is why we believe it is important to encourage the exchange of journalism students to enable them to further their education and broaden their world view as well as building their own networks throughout the BRICS world.
As BRICS nations occupy a total of 26% of the Earth’s landmass and 56% of its population, we need to take our rightful place on the world stage in terms of strengthening our media.
At the same time, we need to look within ourselves to ensure that we are operating with the best intentions at all times and to make sure we do the basics right and honour our position as media professionals.
The meeting was presided over by the following:
Brazil: Mr José Juan Sanchez, Co-Chairman of BRICS Media Forum, Brazil.
Russia: Mr Dimitrii Gornostaev, Co-Chairman of BRICS Media Forum, Russia.
India: Mr Mukund Padmanabhan, Co-Chairman of BRICS Media Forum, India.
China: Mr Cai Mingzhao, Executive Chairman, BRICS Media Forum and President of Xinhua News Agency.
South Africa: Dr Iqbal Survé, Co-Chairman of BRICS Media Forum, South Africa. – BRICS Media Liaison Office