BANGKOK: Closer cooperation among Asia-Pacific media organisations in areas such as fact-checking, news resources sharing and joint reporting can help build consensus and foster greater understanding across the region amid challenges brought by artificial intelligence (AI), Kamphol Mahanukul, president of the Thai-Chinese Journalists Association, has said.
He said ahead of his trip to the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen to attend the Asia-Pacific Media Forum, which opened Saturday (Sept 5).
Kamphol said media cooperation is closely linked to regional cooperation under the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) framework. Media organisations, as the force of news reporting and information dissemination, should strengthen direct exchanges and expand practical cooperation, according to him.
He pointed to the challenges posed by AI and misinformation, such as the rise of independent online content creators, and lower barriers to news production and distribution. "Today, anyone with a mobile phone can become a so-called 'journalist'. But we still hope the public will trust mainstream media."
Mainstream media outlets operate under established institutional frameworks and can be held accountable for the information they publish, Kamphol noted.
A news report typically goes through several stages, from news gathering and writing to editorial review, verification and final approval, he said, adding that by contrast, online content creation might prioritise attracting traffic and publishing quickly for direct conversion into revenue, and as a result, unverified information can be produced and disseminated more readily.
"In the past, radio was the fastest medium; then it was television; over the past decade, it has been the Internet," Kamphol said. "Everyone is trying to be the first to publish, and that increases the risk of mistakes."
AI can help newsrooms monitor breaking events and assist with writing, copy editing and fact-checking, he noted. However, he stressed that verifying facts, exercising professional judgment and taking responsibility for published reports remain fundamental duties of media organisations.
Over more than 10 years since its establishment, the Thai-Chinese Journalists Association has promoted news exchanges, mutual visits by journalists and professional training between the two sides.
Thai media professionals had traveled to China for training in the use of AI and new-media content production, while media organisations on both sides were expanding the sharing of news resources, Kamphol said.
After media organisations establish stable partnerships, they can share such visual materials as photos and videos more efficiently with proper authorisation, he noted.
A journalist with more than 20 years of career experience, Kamphol pointed to differences among media organisations across the region in cultural context, reporting practices and forms of expression. He views the Asia-Pacific Media Forum in Shenzhen as a platform for participants to share experience in news gathering and editing, and discuss the use of AI in news production.
Looking ahead, Kamphol expressed hope that media organisations in the region will expand exchanges and cooperation in professional training and the use of AI, while deepening collaboration in sharing text, photo and video resources and jointly covering major developments.
"I hope credible media organisations and journalist associations in Thailand, China and across the Asia-Pacific can build a more stable and lasting platform for cooperation," he said. - Xinhua
