Fifth World Media Summit Opening Ceremony Unveils in S. China Guangzhou

GUANGZHOU, China, December 3, 2023 (Newswire.com) - The 5th World Media Summit (WMS) held an opening ceremony Sunday morning in Guangzhou, capital of south China's Guangdong Province.

Themed "Boosting Global Confidence, Promoting Media Development," the 5th WMS has gathered over 450 participants from 101 countries and regions, including representatives of 197 mainstream media outlets, think tanks, government agencies and diplomatic missions to China, and UN agencies and international organizations.

The event, co-hosted by Xinhua News Agency and the provincial governments of Guangdong and Yunnan, runs from Dec. 2 to 8 in the cities of Guangzhou and Kunming.

Focusing on the summit's theme of "Boosting Global Confidence, Promoting Media Development," attendees took part in extensive discussions to contribute media power to the construction of a brighter future.

Confidence is a key word for global media leaders. Fu Hua, president of Xinhua News Agency, said in a keynote speech at the opening ceremony that confidence is more valuable than gold when facing difficulties.

"History development, civilization prosperity and human progress require the media to shoulder the responsibilities of fostering unity and boosting confidence," Fu said.

He called on the attendees to use media to convey positive energy, amplify voices that promote the development of human society, and encourage countries to join hands in addressing the challenges facing humanity.

Misinformation was a hotly debated issue at the summit. Fu said that in the era of the internet, people obtain information from unprecedentedly convenient and diverse channels, but they also face the assault of various types of false information.

"Truthfulness is the lifeblood of news," Fu said, underlining the importance of adhering to objectivity and truth to enhance the credibility of the media.

"The media should consider facts as the source of news, reflect the objective truth, oppose false news, and ensure that reporting is accurate, fair, authoritative and trustworthy," Fu said.

Media leaders attending the summit acknowledged the challenges posed by new technologies, and discussed the importance of seizing the opportunities of sci-tech transformations by better harnessing game-changing innovations such as AI.

Calling on his peers to strengthen research into and the application of technologies such as 5G, AI, and cloud computing, Fu said that media should "embed new technology into the entire process of news communication, improve production efficiency, enrich product forms, and release more news reports that are popular and enjoyable to their audiences."

Fu noted that the WMS serves as an important platform for media communication and cooperation between countries, and said efforts should be made to improve this multilateral mechanism and utilize it to its fullest extent, tap into the potential for cooperation, innovate collaboration models, and expand cooperation channels.

Xinhua will enhance communication and consultation processes with media organizations from various countries, and work with these organizations to construct and utilize the summit mechanism effectively, Fu said.

Source: Xinhua News Agency