Digital edge for journalism
World Editors Forum Asia Chapter to build future newsrooms
SINGAPORE: Asia’s top newsrooms are banding together to address challenges and seize opportunities of digitalisation.
Fifteen news organisations founded the Asia Chapter of the World Editors Forum (WEF) under the auspices of the World Association of Newspapers (WAN-IRFA).
Star Media Group (SMG), whose adviser Datuk Seri Wong Chun Wai is the sole Malaysian in the parent body of the Paris-based WEF, is among the 15 organisations.
Describing the initiative as important, SMG chief content officer and one of the chapter’s founding members, Esther Ng, said the grouping allows Asian voices to be heard on a global scale.
“As one of the biggest media companies in Malaysia, it is crucial for us to be part of an initiative that amplifies our voices.
“In a borderless digital world, we have to band together to navigate through an ever-evolving media landscape.
“It’s the only way to protect the integrity of journalism while ensuring quality content for our audience,” she said.
The Asia Chapter was launched at WAN-IFRA’s Publish Asia 2019 conference here yesterday.
Warren Fernandez, editor-in-chief of SPH’ English, Malay, and Tamil Media Group and The Straits Times editor, was elected as chairman of the WEF Asia chapter.
He said world newsrooms were facing big challenges ranging from the need to transform to being multimedia operations, to maintaining the credibility and quality of content, in the face of fake news.
“We should tap the wealth of experience and expertise that is available at WAN-IFRA to help us along.
“So there is a sense that we are all in this together and so we are minded to collaborate to tackle these common challenges. This is what that has brought us all together to form the WEF Asia Chapter,” he said.
WAN-IFRA chief operating officer Thomas Jacob said at a time when even reputable media were vilified and discredited by those in power, the need to grow one’s credibility and loyal readership has never been greater.
“With the region’s leading news publishers coming together to share best practices and learn from one another, this will strengthen their capabilities to produce news that serves society and makes a difference,” he said.
Editors from the chapter met on Tuesday to discuss the formation of the group, its goals and objectives, and areas of collaboration.
The group hopes to address pressing issues related to newsroom credibility, capacity and capabilities.
To kick off the collaboration, the group will work together on promoting World News Day, best practices on newsroom transformation, WEF newsroom internship, widening access to newsrooms and journalists, and the setting up of working groups.