(ANSAmed) - Rome, September 21 - Representatives of ANSA and
the Federation of Arab News Agencies (FANA) on Thursday agreed
to deepen relations and dialogue on major problems, common
challenges and the new frontiers of journalism and technology at
a meeting at ANSA headquarters in Rome.
ANSA CEO and General Manager Giuseppe Cerbone spoke of the
strategic value of international relations for the news agency
and chronicled its national and international development in
terms of content and technology, including the project to create
a new service in Chinese.
"Dialogue on matters of information is strategic", as is that
on an economic and political level, and "the agencies play an
essential role", ANSA editor-in-chief Luigi Contu said.
The issue of terrorism was also discussed.
The representatives of the Arab agencies said that many
European and western media outlets continue "to associate
terrorism with Islam, despite the fact that terrorism has
nothing to do with religion and Arab and Islamic states have
condemned it unequivocally on several occasions.
"Effort is needed to end this incorrect association, starting
from the news agencies as being among the most authoritative
media," they said.
The meeting was attended by representatives of the Kuwait
agency KUNA - whose general director Sheikh Moubarak Duaij
Al-Ibrahim al-Sabah is also director of FANA - UAE's WAM, Oman's
ONA, Egypt's MENA and Lebanon's NNA.
ANSA's Nabila Zayati, who is in charge of relations with
Mediterranean countries and the Gulf, also attended the meeting.
Participants also agreed on the need for discussion with the
European Alliance of News Agencies (EANA) on issues of common
interest.
These include terrorism, coverage of which the Arab agencies
said requires a more appropriate use of terminology, for example
by always qualifying names such as ISIS or Islamic State with
the words 'terrorist group'.
However, attention must also be given to how to prevent these
groups from exploiting the media for their own propaganda
purposes.
Another issue of common concern is the spread of 'fake news'
on social networks.
The solution to this problem is to remain faithful to the
tenets of producing quality news, based on the use of reliable
sources and fact checking, ANSA deputy editor Stefano Polli
said. (ANSAmed).
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