Shenzhen, China. Media leaders from across the Asia-Pacific gathered in Shenzhen on Saturday to call for closer collaboration and cooperation as the region becomes increasingly interconnected, with the forum seeking to contribute ideas ahead of the APEC Summit in the same city on Nov. 18-19.

Delegates will adopt the Shenzhen Consensus, reflecting broad agreement on advancing open cooperation, accelerating digital, intelligent and green development, and strengthening collaboration among media organizations across the region.

The consensus also underscores a shared commitment to supporting multilateral trade, expanding artificial intelligence-driven solutions, fostering intercultural dialogue and advancing prosperity across the Asia-Pacific.

Melissa Fleming, United Nations under-secretary-general for global communications, opened the gathering via video link with a call for trustworthy journalism at a time when audiences are navigating an increasingly complex information environment.

“Audiences around the world are seeking solutions, and they are crying out for ethical, professional journalism that they can trust -- a press that acts with integrity, a press that stands up for the vulnerable and that delivers facts that break through the noise,” Fleming said.

“Securing a long-term future for that kind of journalism is one of the UN's key priorities. That's why our Global Principles for Information Integrity urge all governments to recommit to press freedom, protect journalists, and end impunity for crimes against them.”

The forum, themed “Building a Path to Shared Prosperity for the Asia-Pacific Community: Media Consensus and Action,” has been running since Sept. 2 and involves about 400 delegates from 42 countries and regions, according to organizers.

Participants include representatives from more than 200 mainstream media organizations, think tanks, embassies and consulates, UN agencies and international organizations.

The gathering seeks to establish a regional media partnership program aimed at promoting mutually beneficial cooperation among media organizations and creating a broader platform for professional exchanges and collaboration.

“This forum has provided a platform for us to foster collaboration and make a new contribution to Asia-Pacific cooperation,” said Lyu Yansong, editor-in-chief of China's Xinhua News Agency.

Xinhua, a co-host of the event, is one of 16 founding organizations responsible for organizing the partnership program and conducting consultations on its rules of procedure and the activities to be implemented under the framework.

Indonesia is represented by state news agency Antara on the organizing committee.

Xinhua will also house the program's secretariat. As part of the initiative, it began organizing training activities in July for 32 journalists from across the Asia-Pacific. A second session involving 100 media professionals is scheduled to begin in Shenzhen on Sept. 6.

Tracking the Region's APEC Conversation
The forum will also see the launch of the Asia-Pacific Communication Index Report, based on an analysis of more than 200,000 articles published by over 200 mainstream media organizations across the region.

Prepared by the research team of the Xinhua International Communication Index Platform, the report seeks to systematically assess the effectiveness of APEC-related communication, identify narrative patterns across regional media, and develop strategies to improve communication within the Asia-Pacific.

The index found that media communication surrounding APEC has been evolving from coverage predominantly driven by major annual meetings toward more regular discussions centered on broader regional values and priorities.

“The communication model of APEC has been undergoing continuous iteration, gradually shifting from ‘event-driven coverage of annual meetings’ to ‘value-oriented discussions on a regular basis,’ with steadily growing regional influence,” the report said.

It identified openness, innovation and cooperation as increasingly prominent themes in regional coverage.

“Openness, innovation, and cooperation have become the core themes of APEC communication, consistently consolidating regional consensus,” the report said.

Add as a preferred source on Google +