(Pakistan Point News - 07th Nov, 2019) ABU DHABI, 7th November 2019 (WAM) – The Emirates News Agency, WAM, is participating in the 17th General Assembly of the Organisation of Asia-Pacific News Agencies, OANA.
Under the theme ‘New Challenges for Journalism: Technological Innovations and Issues of Trust’, the four-day meeting is held in Seoul, South Korea, with the participation of representatives of 32 news agencies from 28 countries.
Mohammed Jalal Al Rayssi, Executive Director of WAM, who is leading a delegation of WAM to the General Assembly, emphasised the relevance of the gathering, saying, "OANA is the organisation of news agencies of a region inhabited by more than half of the world’s population."
"This gathering comes at a defining moment for the media industry where authenticity is under constant threats," he pointed out.
As part of its efforts to counter fake news and enhance cooperation and news exchange, the Emirates News Agency has signed over 46 Memoranda of Understanding with leading news outlets around the world, Al Rayssi said.
As an initiative by WAM during the ‘Year of Tolerance,’ 25 news agencies from Europe, Africa, Americas and Asia signed in February the ‘New Agencies’ Tolerance Charter’ during the World Government Summit in Dubai to promote values of tolerance among news agencies.
South Korean President Moon Jae-in exchanged greetings with heads of news agencies participating in the General Assembly. The president welcomed an OANA delegation, including Al Rayssi, which made a courtesy call at the presidential office in Seoul on Thursday.
Formed in 1961 on the initiative of UNESCO to promote regional news exchanges, the OANA holds its general assembly every three years. A total of 43 news agencies from 35 Asia-Pacific countries are members of the organisation and they handle two-thirds of information circulated throughout the world.
[Image Credit: YONHAP NEWS AGENCY]
