Media Seminar for Information Ministries ends in China
Deputy Minister of Information Madam Saidata Sesay (in photo) solicits help for SLENA – A week long seminar – 20th – 26th July 2010 with the theme: Actively Guiding Public Opinion and Building up Sound National Image, for Information Ministers from twenty developing countries including Sierra Leone has ended in China.
The workshop focused on the cooperation and development between the Chinese and foreign media and information department encompassing political, economic, cultural and social aspects.
Participants raised grave concern about the negative media coverage given to developing countries despite efforts of these countries to match up with modern standards.
The Secretary General of the Information office in China, Mr. Feng Xwang said the western media controls the voice of news report thereby failing to report on the social life of the people. He said Africa, Asia and South America should join forces with China to strengthen their media landscape and bring new opportunities to the media sector.
“Through this workshop we hope to work together to identify our problems and opportunities for our countries”, he re-echoed, adding that it was high time developing countries came together to tell their own stories positively.
Vice Minister of the Information Office in Beijing, China, Professor Wang Zhong Wei in his presentation threw light on the rapid development of the Chinese media industry over the last three decades. He said that their media industry has become dynamic, best structured in terms of content and diversity. He said the Chinese information office is ready to embrace collaboration with other media organizations in developing countries to assist in the re-branding of developing nations.
In her contribution, Sierra Leone Deputy Information and Communication Minister suggested the establishment of an African Radio and Television station that would help tell the stories of developing countries better.
Madam Saidata Sesay informed her colleagues that her government has recently transformed the then only government mouth piece radio and TV station to a public corporation in the interest of good governance. She appealed to the Chinese Information Office to reactivate the Sierra Leone News Agency (SLENA) and to assist in the establishment of a media center which she believed would enhance media development and capacity building in that profession.
She called for not only exchange internship programme with the Mass Communication Department, Fourah Bay College and China but also for the inter change of Journalists to be given job opportunities in China and other developing countries so as to co-exist, understand one another’s culture and report accurately.
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