African news editors converge in Beijing
African journalists have been urged to positively report on developments in their regions and respective countries to bring awareness to the international community.
The call was made Wednesday by the Vice President of China International Publishing Group (CIPG), Wang Gangyi when he opened the 2017 Seminar for Renowned Editors from African Countries.
China he said has organized the training seminar to give editors a glimpse of developmental activities and China’s policy regarding its investment policy in Africa, on the one hand, and to foster relations between the Chinese and African media.
“unfortunately most of the news about Africa is reported by the western media. About 80% of the news is about poverty, corruption, disease and crime,” he said.
He said while the vices, including disease and poverty on the continent, there are also more positive developments which can best be reported by local media practitioners from the region and individual countries.
“We want the Chinese media to report accurately about Africa. This prompted us to organize this seminar, therefore, so that we may also be able engage local practitioners from the region who may report for our various news bureaus,” he said.
About thirty editors from all over Africa are attending the seminar.
Li Hengtian, Director of CIPG, said by providing a platform for communication and discussion the seminar aims at enhancing friendship, co-operation and explore ways of establishing linkages between Chinese and African media she said.
Speaking on behalf of the African editors, Raniia Gouda, an Managing Editor at the Middle East News Agency said, the seminar is important because it would acquaint African Editors with knowledge of China’s “culture, civilization and the enormous achievements in the communication and other sectors China has reached in the domain of development of development and social and economic policies”.
The Seminar has been organized by the Ministry of Commerce of The People’s Republic of China.
Mr Mzembe, you know the major audience of this online news, nyasatimes, are Malawians themselves. You are also a Malawian.Your story would make more meaning if you attempted to state whether Malawi was represented at the said seminar or not, and if it was represented, which editor, from which media house and so on. You mentioned an editor from the middle east, that is not news to Malawians. You have to jack up please.