International Desk - IRAN DAILY
Under the present global circumstances where the Western media’s hegemony has become a threat to the collective interests of the world, particularly the independent and idealistic states, the experts who took part in the 18th General Assembly of the Organization of Asia-Pacific News Agencies (OANA) highlighted the necessity of confronting such form of invasion.
Speaking to Iran Daily on the sidelines of the event, they maintained that OANA members should refrain from giving any ground to Western states and stand against the dominant unilateral media hegemony through expanding cooperation and giving rise to an independent media current.
The 18th General Assembly of the OANA was held on Monday and Tuesday in Tehran, attended by the member news agencies’ CEOs, directors and reporters. The meeting was aimed at further developing and expanding media cooperation among the member states.
Currently, 43 news agencies from 35 countries are OANA members, with Iran being the sole country to have three member news agencies, namely IRNA, Fars and Mehr, in the organization.
Cooperation call
Vasily Pushkov, the director of international cooperation at Sputnik International News Agency and Radio, said at a time when the world has been divided into two main parts and a bipolar order is still prevailing the global atmosphere, cooperation among OANA members gains greater importance.
At present, he said, most media outlets in different parts of the world, particularly the Asia-Pacific region, are against the West’s media hegemony.
Slamming bids by Western media to distort the image of some countries, such as Russia and Iran, at the international level, Pushkov added currently, not only Russia and Iran, but also many other states are under such pressures by the West and discontent with the incorrect media atmosphere pervading the world.
“Thus, I maintain that participation in meetings such as the OANA’s General Assembly can play an effective role in preparing the ground for greater unity and convergence among the Asia-Pacific region’s countries. We did our best to establish direct links with friendly media and news agencies with concordant positions during the meeting.”
Turning to the media’s role in reflecting the West’s unjust pressures and sanctions against independent states, Pushkov said media outlets play a very important role in this regard.
“The most important challenge we are currently faced with, is the one pertaining to negative and unreal propaganda spread in the global media atmosphere and normally presents a different and incorrect image of our countries.”
He stressed that no doubt, public opinion in many parts of the world are under the Western media’s influence who would believe most of what they propagate, saying therefore, direct relations and close cooperation among the Russian and Iranian media as well as those of other states can be effective in confronting such Western propaganda campaigns.
Pushkov emphasized that it is of great importance that Russian people get informed about what takes place in Iran through the Iranian media and not the Western ones, which mostly present a biased interpretation of events to safeguard their own interests.
The same issue holds true about Russia, he said, inviting Iranians to follow his country’s developments through Russian media.
OANA meetings contributions
IRAN DAILY
In separate remarks, Kristina Lyakh, the representative of Russia’s Sputnik Radio, highlighted the importance of the OANA meetings, saying during such events, member states can discuss their issues face-to-face and improve the contents of their media products.
She added the meeting also helps improve members’ shared understanding, enabling them to enhance their cooperation.
Censuring some Western media’s spread of biased and unreal reports, Lyakh noted that to assess the veracity and reliability of the released news stories by such media, people are required to have access to other sources.
Evil empire
IRAN DAILY
Abdul Wahid Rayan, the head of Afghansitan’s Bakhtar News Agency, said ever since the Taliban’s takeover of the country, serious attention has been paid to media.
He added Eastern and Asian states are at present under the West’s media invasion, calling for the preparation of the ground in meetings, such as that of the OANA, in a way to help the Eastern media extend their influence and reach in the world.
Rayan said the Western media empire, led by the United States, has poisoned the atmosphere against other countries.
Citing the late founder of the Islamic Republic, Imam Khomeini, he noted that the United States has correctly been named “the Great Satan”, as it seeks to compromise security in different parts of the world and sees its safeguarded interests in other countries’ insecurity.
This is the objective pursued by the media under the U.S. influence, Rayan added.
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