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The
inaugural Commonwealth Association for Public Administration and Management
(CAPAM) Media Forum 2014 ended on a high note today with panelists generally
agreeing that the Commonwealth was media relevant but news stories must tug at
the heartstrings of young people.
Although
they also agreed that the Commonwealth was somewhat at the bottom of the food
chain as far as news was concerned, stories should be interesting and relate to
and attract young people who comprise half of the 2.2 billion populace in the
grouping.
Undoubtedly,
there is a future for Commonwealth news, but there were suggestions by
panelists to rebrand the organisation and efforts taken to raise the awareness
of the people towards it.
"There
is a future for the Commonwealth as the member countries share a commonality
(but) the question is -- if there is a political will among the governments for
them to come together and reap mutual benefits from this alliance?" said
Asian Broadcasting Network (M) Sdn Bhd Group Editor, Balan Moses.
The
Royal Commonwealth Society (Malaysian Branch) President, Datuk Muhammad Feisol
Hassan, emphasised the relevance of the Commonwealth as a network of 53 member
states, which champions human rights, democracy and sustainable development.
He
said the Commonwealth is an organisation which cares about contributing to the
ecosystem, rather than merely making political statements.
"There
are at least 15 Commonwealth conferences held a year, which discuss a wide
range of topics from agriculture to education," he told Bernama.
The
media can also play a greater role in enhancing public awareness of the member
countries.
"There
is a suggestion that a Commonwealth Editors Association be set up, so that
reporters can join the exchange programmes.
"These
exchanges will help reporters and editors understand the culture and issues
among the member states better, and identify areas of interests for
coverage," Balan said.
Trustee
of the CPU Media Trust in the United Kingdom, John Spencer, a speaker, said the
challenge for the Commonwealth reporters was how to make their stories
interesting and relate to the interests and problems of the people.
"While
it is important to talk to politicians to gather their views on policy changes,
real journalism is about talking to real people, asking what they think and
what they want," he said.
Concurring
with Spencer's views, Shahreen Corporate Communications Managing Director,
Shahreen Kamaluddin, who moderated the session, said greater promotion was
needed to increase public's awareness on the Commonwealth.
"Some
of the ideas from the discussions said that the Commonwealth needed to be rebranded,
so that it will interest the youth," she said.
Student
participants gave a thumbs-up to the forum, saying they now understood the
bigger picture of the Commonwealth and its significance.
"Apart
from the Commonwealth Games, many younger people in my country didn't
know
so much about the alliance itself.
"I
want to play a part and disseminate the messages when back to my home
country," said public management student from Limkokwing University of
Creative Technology, Eliaser Johannes, who hails from Namibia.
Bernama
General Manager Yong Soo Heong said the forum offered plenty of food for
thought for media practitioners and public administrators to ponder on how to
get their stories across, for young people to tell stories about Malaysia to
the rest of the Commonwealth.
"Bernama
will continue to be in the forefront of organising topical conferences for the
benefits of the local and foreign communities in time to come," he said.
Some
600 people attended the media forum comprising public relations personnel, government
officials, students, who exchanged ideas on how they could do their part to
promote the Commonwealth.
The
forum, a side event on the final day of the CAPAM 2014 biennial conference,
also contemplated on the relevancy of the Commonwealth to member states, the
public and challenges and opportunities it faced moving forward.
By
Jason Tan
--
BERNAMA
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