ABU Secretary General, Javad Mottaghi: The role of public media - to be voices of reference for public

The Secretary General of the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU), dr. Javad Mottaghi, stated that the role of the public media is to be voices of reference for the public. Mottaghi, who is participating on Thursday in the fifth edition of the Media2020 Conference, with the topic "Crossing Borders in the Digital World", claimed that the phenomenon of "fake news is a natural result of the evolution of technology, because each individual can be a potential loudspeaker". It's a challenge. And I believe it's important to see how we must respond to this challenge. And this is the role of public media - to be voices of reference for the public, to tell the truth and not lies, to be always, everywhere, online, on digital platforms to say clearly to the public which are the real news. (...) The world is rapidly changing and radio companies are no exception. It's necessary for this media to serve the public and its interest, to offer the best service, based on the accuracy and impartiality of information, said the ABU secretary general. When asked how optimistic he is regarding the changes of the media in the digital era, he only expressed reserves in what regards the attitude of politicians. I am not optimistic in what regards political leaders, in regards to those who believe solely in the logic of power, of force and of discrimination. I am optimistic in what regards the media when speak of change. I am optimistic for the media, because the media speak directly to the public. I am optimistic because the true media are attentive towards the concerns of the public and encourage them to ask questions. (...) This is important for the development of society, dr. Mottaghi stated. The Secretary General of the ABU considers the meeting in Bucharest is important because it offers the possibility of exchange of ideas and solutions between Asia and Europe in the realm of using the new digital technologies. It's important to meet here to exchange ideas, to know what the challenges are and together we can find alternatives, dr. Javad Mottaghi added. The fifth edition of the Media2020 Conference, with the theme "Crossing Borders in the Digital World", organized in partnership with the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU), event that sees the meeting of over 40 representatives of the most important public media organizations in Europe and the Asia-Pacific region, is taking place Thursday in Bucharest. Organized by Radio Romania, the meeting has among its guests prestigious figures in the domain, among them dr. Javad Mottaghi - Secretary General of the ABU, Graham Ellis - BBC Radio director, chair of the Radio Commission of the EBU and chairman of Prix Italia, dr. Yan Bo - deputy director of CCTV, China, Claudio Cappon - Secretary General of Co.Pe.AM - Permanent Conference of Mediterranean Audiovisual , Giacomo Ghisani - Radio Vaticana deputy director. The debate sessions focus on the future of the public media in the digital era, of strategies to protect copyright and on combating the phenomenon of fake news. Furthermore, among the topic approached are: the adaptation of radio to the new digital context, the 5G technology, the promotion of the cultural diversity and the collective memory between the East and the West through the use of new digital technologies.AGERPRES(RO - author: Daniel Popescu, editor: Andreea Rotaru; EN - author: Razvan-Adrian Pandea, editor: Maria Voican)

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