MGR Group and strengthen Asian Voice Role
By Surat Preechatam,
Editor of China News Department,
Manager Daily newspaper and Manager Online, Thailand
First of all, I think Strengthening Asian Voice is a great idea. K Sondhi Limtonggul, President of The Manager Group has a vision on providing Asian news with Asian viewpoint. For a long time, we has been almost relying on western news agency, Reuter, AFP, AP, etc and some western leading magazines or periodicals such as Economist, Time Magazine, Newsweek , Asian Wall Street Journal…But for many times, we have been sceptical to the news and information that western medias provide us.
In more than 10 years, he has contributed so much towards his vision, establishing editorial team or News Information Centre with expertise in some of Asian counties. For example; he has established Indochina Information Centre in 1994, recruited the reporters who have expertise and deep knowledge in Laos, Vietnam, Myanmar…, giving funds for the reporters to study languages such as Chinese, Burmese, Vietnamese, and promoting the reporter to travel to these countries to cover news. By these ways, we less rely on western news agencies. Sadly, The Indochina Information Centre was closed in 1998 due to the company’s financial problem during the financial crisis in Asia at that time. However, he had brought up again by setting up Indochina News Department in 2004.
In 2000, he has set up the China News Department and recruited many reporters and other staffs who studied Chinese language and have knowledge of China. So we can make balance in everyday reporting when we collect news and information from both Western media such as Reuter, AFP, Asian Wall Street, Times Magazine, Economist and Chinese media.
We have bought news from Xinhua News Agency and re-monitored news on Chinese News websites such as Sina, Sohu, The Beijing News, Nanfang, etc. We have set up China news online, which provides both current news and historical and cultural knowledge.
Establishing Asian Satellite TV is the best example that reflecting K.Sondhi’s vision to make the Asian news and information with Asian viewpoint and certainly to strengthen Asian Voice.
This is the way Manager Media Group contributes to strengthen the Asian Voice, Sondhi is to provide much more investment to make his vision become true, let Asian have more independence in news and information reporting and being aware of our Asian strengths.
How important is media’s role in strengthening Asian voice? All of us are aware of it. But strengthening Asian Voice is a very hard work and we still has a long way to go. Without our strong Asian media cooperation, strengthening Asian Voice seems hopeless. So the first step to make our dream comes true is to strengthen Asian cooperation! Isn’t it?
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