Omani Information MInister visits Bernama

    There is a need to enhance cooperation between Omani and Malaysian media to not only share and disseminate relevant news but also success stories.
   This was stated by Oman's Information Minister Dr Abdulmunim Mansour Said Al-Hasani who visited Wisma Bernama today.  

    Citing an example, he said Oman News Agency (ONA) and Bernama could pave the way to forge such cooperation.

    He said ties between the two news agencies could include exchange of journalists and media experts as well as sharing materials, documentations and news footages.

    "There are a lot of things that Malaysian media knows... many examples that you can provide, not just to the Islamic community but the world at large," he said after the visit.

    "We need this kind of cooperation because sometimes people don't know what's happening in other countries besides their success stories," he said.

    Dr Abdulmunim also pointed out that media organisations in Islamic countries should do more to promote Islam as a religion of peace.

    Among the things that could be highlighted, he said, were the fact that Islam favoured peaceful coexistence among people of different faiths and did not condone terrorism.

    "This is a message that media practitioners in Muslim countries need to present in their news reports for a better understanding of Islam among a larger world audience," he said.

    Dr Abdulmunim was accompanied during his visit to Bernama by the news agency's General Manager Datuk Yong Soo Heong, Editor-in-Chief Datuk Zulkefli Salleh and Deputy Editors-in-Chief Datuk Zakaria Abdul Wahab (Domestic News Service) and Ahmad Zukiman Zain (International News Service).

    The Omani minister was given a tour of Bernama's Editorial Department and  had a closer look at Radio24 and Bernama TV operations.

    Meanwhile, Yong remarked that the positive outcome of linkages between the news agencies of both countries would not only benefit the two organisations but also spill over to other areas.

    "We will definitely be working on a number of proposals that we have discussed," he added.

--  BERNAMA