Chinese news agency Xinhua to set up USD 1 mn fund for BRICS media cooperation

China’s state-run news agency Xinhua has announced a USD one million fund to institutionalise media cooperation among the BRICS countries including awards for journalists from the five member states.

This was announced on Wednesday by Cai Mingzhao, president of Xinhua and executive president of the BRICS Media Forum.

Cai said the participating media organisations all agree to select news stories for the BRICS news reporting award and continue to hold joint photo exhibitions.

“Xinhua would like to host the first event for selecting BRICS news reporting award winners, and help other BRICS media to prepare the second joint photo exhibition,” Cai said.

According to Cai, participating media organizations agree to explore cooperation in areas such as integrative development, video, new media and social media.

Last year, Xinhua established the cooperative and sharing platform “On-Scene Cloud,” which can offer its members media content, channels, technologies and other services.

“We are willing to open that platform to BRICS media free of charge,” he noted.

Cai said Xinhua is willing to provide funding to invite 20 BRICS media reporters every year to visit Chinese media and exchange views with them and conduct news reporting in China.

Liu Qibao, member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and head of the committee’s Publicity Department, urged BRICS media to promote win-win cooperation and push the international order in a fairer and more reasonable direction.

“Sharing a common destiny, BRICS countries form not only an interconnected community of interests, but also a community of joint actions,” said Liu while addressing the forum.

“There are misinterpreting and misreading voices in the international public opinion that are sceptical of the development prospects of BRICS countries and even BRICS itself,” Liu said, urging BRICS media to maintain composure and consolidate confidence, and pass on the message of confidence in BRICS countries’ development.

Liu called for pragmatic cooperation among BRICS media, including conducting joint interviews on major topics, promoting cooperation in information services, professional training, human resources and think tank exchanges, as well as sharing experiences in meeting the challenges of the Internet and promoting integrated media development.

Journalists from 27 media organisations from BRICS countries today promised to deepen cooperation and contribute to the BRICS framework at the ongoing two-day BRICS Media Forum which was kicked off in Beijing on Wednesday.

The forum with the theme ‘Deepening media cooperation among BRICS countries, promoting equity and justice in international media’ was proposed by Xinhua and jointly initiated with Brazil’s CMA Group, Russia’s Sputnik News Agency and Radio, the Hindu Group of India and South Africa’s Independent Media.