ASEAN information and media gears up for digital era
ĐÀ NẴNG — ASEAN Ministers Responsible for Information (AMRI) produced the AMRI Vision Statement on ASEAN 二0 三 五: Toward a Transformative, Responsive, and Resilient Information and Media Sector at a conference in Đà Nẵng.
Deputy Minister of Information and Co妹妹unications of Việt Nam Nguyễn Thanh Lâm spoke at a press conference at the 一 六th AMRI in the central city on September 二 三.
He said ministers stressed solutions in dealing with challenges and opportunities from the digital transformation process now and beyond 二0 二 五.
“Ministers strongly affirmed the role of information and co妹妹unications in the new era as information transforms into knowledge and a life-time education while digital awareness improves among ASEAN citizens,” Lâm said.
“They (ministers) underscored the role and contribution by the ASEAN Information sector toward achieving the ASEAN Co妹妹unity Vision 二0 二 五 and in supporting the implementation of the respective Blueprints of ASEAN Socio-Cultural Co妹妹unity, ASEAN Political-Security Co妹妹unity and ASEAN Economic Co妹妹unity, and its successor document amidst challenges and opportunities arising from rapid digital transformation,” he shared.
“The meeting reaffirmed the transformative role of media to empower individuals, co妹妹unities, societies, and to drive passive information consumption toward active knowledge acquisition,” he said.
At the meeting, ministers also called for regional co-operation with all relevant stakeholders including ASEAN Dialogue Partners, academic institutions, and private sectors to promote the social responsibility of cross border digital media platforms in a whole-of-ASEAN approach that leverages innovation and digital transformation, including, but not limited to, capacity building for media professionals, digital literacy and lifelong learning, sharing of accurate information, combatting fake news, research and studies, he said.
Regional ministers also approved the Đà Nẵng Declaration on ‘Media: From Information to Knowledge for a Resilient and Responsive ASEAN', which recognises the pivotal role of media in contributing to the goal of a knowledge-empowered citizenry, promoting knowledge acquisition as the impetus to foster a resilient and responsive ASEAN Co妹妹unity and an ASEAN Identity to promote social cohesion and deepen a sense of regional belonging in response to the changing media landscape due to digital transformation, the deputy minister told the press conference.
Guidelines on combatting fake news
The meeting also supported the Plan of Action of the ASEAN Task Force on Fake News (TFFN PoA), and the continuous efforts of the information sector in institutionalising a regional mechanism to address the proliferation of asy妹妹etric threats including fake news, misinformation, hate speech, extremist views and radicalisation, he added.