KUNMING /China/, September 6. /TASS/. The TASS agency is open to cooperation with other media outlets in the fight against disinformation in the media space, TASS Deputy Director General Marat Abulkhatin said at the opening ceremony of the Global South Media and Think Tank Forum in the Chinese city of Kunming.
"The professional media community is well aware of the challenges we have to face in our everyday work. The voice of the Global South - the voice of truth and openness - does not give rest to numerous ill-wishers, whose system of coordinates oftentimes remains overtly colonial," he pointed out, citing the example of the Western media’s coverage of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Tianjin and celebrations marking the 80th anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany and militarist Japan.
"The whole world was following the packed agenda of these events. And, of course, our haters did their best to diminish the outcomes and even tarnish our common pride. The editorials of Western media outlets were full of paranoid allegations, which have simply nothing to do with journalism," Abulkhatin noted.
According to him, TASS’ years-long experience of fighting disinformation could come in handy in such a situation. "We are proud of being among the founders of the Global Fact-Checking Network, aimed at enhancing the quality and objectivity of information and warning the public of fake news risks. TASS has already introduced advanced technologies, including the use of neural networks for the quick verification of news sources. We are open to cooperation with all colleagues in this critically important field," the TASS deputy director general emphasized.
Abulkhatin added that in June, TASS had taken over the chairmanship of the Organization of Asia-Pacific News Agencies (OANA), the world’s biggest media association producing two-thirds of the global information flow. "For many years, OANA has served as a reliable and effective platform for the countries of the Global South and East, and I would like to reassure our colleagues that during its chairmanship, TASS intends to fully contribute to the further development of OANA and its integration with other influential platforms such as this forum," he said.
Global South Media and Think Tank Forum
The Kunming event brings together about 500 representatives of media outlets and think tanks from over 100 countries and regions. The forum is organized by the Xinhua news agency. This year’s event is taking place under the theme "Empowering Global South, Navigating Global Changes".