Three plenary sessions of the meeting were held on October 28-29 under the chairmanship of ABU Acting President Naoji Ono, ABU Vice President Ahmad Jailani, and ABU Secretary General Javad Mottaghi.
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Themed “Serving audience in the digital era”, participants emphasized the need to strengthen relationships with audiences who require quick and easy access to information through handy devices in the current era of modern technology and digitalization.
They said the media must work in partnership with their audiences to build trust. This involved rethinking acts of journalism, rebuilding its ethical base, an industry commitment to change, good governance with self-regulation, and leadership from within journalism itself.
They noted journalism is not free speech - it is constrained expression, and works in the interest of the public.
Technological platforms are transforming the shape of the international media landscape, and creating a broader, globally connected public sphere, they said.
ABU delegates proposed setting up a new fund for technical activities to support regional broadcasters.
Together with panel discussions, they suggested launching a number of other events such as a song festival, a climate change summit, a copyright forum, a media market and expo, and a global news forum.
Malaysia will host a world summit on media for children in 2014 on the sidelines of the 51st ABU General Assembly. Macao (China) will organize the third ABU TV Song Festival 2014.
On October 29, the participants gathered for a super panel session on “Cutting-edge content: Opportunity and Challenges in a Fragmented Digital World” and a professional discussion on “Crucial Role of Frequencies for Radio and TV Broadcasting”.
