WORLD MEDIA SUMMIT JOINT STATEMENT, SIGNAL FOR A

MORE HARMONIOUS WORLD?

BY FRANCIS C W FUNG, PH.D., WORLD HARMONY

ORGANIZATION

WORLD MEDIA SUMMIT CALLING FOR ACCURATE, OBJECTIVE, IMPARTIAL

AND FAIR COVERAGE.

The World Media Summit was held in Beijing, People's Republic of China, from
October 8-10, 2009. The unprecedented event was attended by 170 worldwide
media organizations, including news agencies, newspapers and magazines, radio
and television broadcasters and online sites. The concluding joint statement begins
with:

“Through the summit we believe to have achieved positive results by producing

great insights, enhancing consensus and strengthening cooperation.

We note that the world is undergoing complicated and profound changes. Economic
globalization, the information explosion, and the prevalence of new communication
technologies, plus the diversity and integration of world cultures, have provided great
opportunities for global media development and set up an important platform for
media organizations to cover world events and global issues.

We hope that media organizations around the world will provide accurate, objective,
impartial and fair coverage of the world's news events, and promote transparency
and accountability of governments and public institutions, and thus facilitate the
mutual understanding as well as exchange of views and ideas among peoples from
different countries and regions. “

TIME FOR WORLD MEDIA RESPONSIBLE COOPERATION HAS COME

"Cooperation, Action, Win-Win and Development" is the theme for the first World
Media Summit held at Beijing. Due to new communication technology and the
marching forward of the developing world this global media convergence is
inevitable. The necessity for traditional media house to transform and the current
financial crisis only hastens the dawn of a more cooperative world media.

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The World Media Summit provides the platform for media institutions around the
world to share information, carry out personnel and technology exchanges, and
share their opportunities and experience for win win development.

In Clarion Call for Media Responsibility, Co-op in Brave New World, QI Zijiang claims
that media social responsibility is essential in a brave new world:

“Apart from the digital revolution already shaking global mass communication, value-
based biases, commercialism, sensational ringside diversions and an unabashed
pursuit of tabloidism have combined to encroach upon the media, leading to an
occasional lack of responsibility on the part of some media houses.

This flaw makes it absolutely necessary for media houses and mass communication
practitioners to take due responsibility for not only conveying information as true-to-
fact, objective, accurately and quickly as they can, but also for bridging the gap of
understanding between different members of society.

Responsibility, and only responsibility, coupled with the courage to accept that
responsibility, will do the job.”

He concludes that “ Better understanding and further cooperation therefore combine

to help media houses in different countries to present their shared world in a true-to-
fact and unbiased manner.

Tried-and-true experiences from new-century changeovers should have

demonstrated by now that media houses must and can co-exist with competition and
jointly develop through cooperation.

It is an ever-changing world; only those who strive harder to move forward and take
the lead leave their marks. But those who rest content will be left behind in this
information renaissance.

Equally important is the will of media houses worldwide to catch up with the progress
unfolding in society, in the economy and in technology, to get the true smack of
different civilizations and cultures and go with the flow.”

A WORLD WITH INCREASED COMMON UNDERSTANDING WILL SIGNAL

A MORE HARMONIOUS WORLD

We are living in a multicultural world with the developing world marching forward in
various stages of historical development. We in the developed world must adopt a more

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tolerant attitude to help their development. World development is not a zero sum game.
It can be win win mutual development.

China on Oct. 1st, 2009 marked her 60th founding of the young Republic. Her pace of
modernization during the last three decades of reform and opening up has brought her to
the world stage as equals to world major power. Many Western public is totally
unprepared for China’s rapid progress in history due mainly to the lack of fair reporting
by the dominant Western media. This lack of responsible reporting has sowed the seeds
of East and West misunderstanding and distrust as we know today. As knowledgeable as
Kissinger, he is amazed at China’s fast pace of development during the last three decades.

To avoid the continuing the cold war mentality and prolonging East and West distrust,
the world media must collectively prepare for the imminent rise of India, Brazil,
Vietnam, Iran and many other developing countries in Africa, Asia, Middle East and
South America. A more responsible and fair world media is the first step towards a more
harmonious world.

Harmony Renaissance will unshackle mankind form the strife of many racial,
political and religious contentions. Harmony diplomacy is the ultimate resolution of
distrust and conflicts. Harmony Consensus is the next wave of creative energy
human is waiting for to bring us to a higher level of accomplishment beyond
European Renaissance that brought us democracy and modern science as we know
today.

In the opening speech to the World Media Summit, Chinese President Hu Jintao called on
media organizations around the world to contribute to building a harmonious world when
they are facing unprecedented opportunities and challenges.
Hu made the remarks in a speech at the opening ceremony of the World Media
Summit, which gathered about 300 representatives from more than 170 media outlets
from around the world.
He said the world is in a period of great development, major transformation and
extensive readjustment. Multi-polarity and economic globalization are developing
profoundly, and worldwide exchanges of ideologies and cultures are becoming more
frequent and active, with closer interconnections among nations.
The president also reminded the audience of the challenges the world faces, including
the continuing impact of the global financial crisis, growing imbalance in development,
climate changes, food security and energy resources security, as well as terrorism, cross-
nation organized crime, major infectious diseases and other threats in non-conventional
security areas.
"Unstable and uncertain factors are increasing. There are many challenges to world
peace and development," he said.
"Facing unprecedented opportunities and challenges, media organizations around the
world should conform to the trends of the times, go forward together, and strive to
contribute to building a harmonious world with lasting peace and common prosperity,"
said Hu.

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