Eight newspapers set up Asia News Network

Eight newspapers set up Asia News Network

BANGKOK (JP): Eight major Asian newspapers have joined forces
by signing an agreement to form the Asia News Network (ANN) to
optimize coverage of news events in the region.

The agreement is the first of its kind of cooperation between
newspapers in Asia where they will exchange news, features and
op-ed articles on a daily basis giving the Asian press dynamism
on the scale never witnessed before.

The agreement was signed last Friday by editors or managing
editors representing The Statesman from India, The Jakarta Post
from Indonesia, Sin Chew Jit Poh and The Star from Malaysia, The
Manila Times from the Philippines, The Straits Times from
Singapore, The Nation from Thailand and Viet Nam News.

The event was witnessed by Thai Deputy Foreign Minister
Sukhumbhand Paribatra and helped put together by Konrad-Adenauer
Foundation of Germany.

"The editors decided that a more permanent professional and
business relationship be pursued among their respective
publications with the goal of improving the coverage of Asian
affairs by Asian media ," said Pana Janviroj, editor of The
Nation, who was elected the first chairman of the ANN's Executive
Board.

Other board members are Ng Poh Tip, Group Chief Editor of The
Star, Ravindra Kumar, managing editor of The Statesman, Felix
Soh, Foreign News Editor of The Straits Times, Susanto
Pudjomartono, Chief Editor of The Jakarta Post, Lew Hing Chang,
Executive Chief Editor of Sin Chew Jit Poh, Nguyen Khuyen,
Editor-in-Chief of Viet Nam News, and Chit Estella, Managing
Editor of The Manila Times.

Thomas Stehling, director of Asia Media Projects of Konrad-
Adenauer Foundation, will serve as adviser to the Board while
Ermin Garcia, Publisher of The Manila Times, and Suthichai Yoon,
Group Editor-in-Chief of The Nation, are honorary members.

"We are honored to have played the role in bringing the Asian
press together," said Stehling.

Apart from enhancing and improving news coverage of Asian
affairs, the other objectives of ANN is to provide member
newspapers with reliable access to news sources in Asia and to
help promote the professional development of journalism in the
region.

ANN is expected to consider expanding new members when the
executive board meets again later this year. The agreement
stipulates that each Asian country shall be represented by one
English newspaper, unless otherwise decided by the Board and one
vernacular newspaper.

Janviroj said that leading newspapers from China, Japan,
Korea, Taiwan and other countries in the Subcontinent will
eventually be invited to join ANN.

The benefits of ANN include free publication of news stories,
analyses and photographs from the network members who will post
the same-day stories into a website to be hosted by Calcutta-
based The Statesman.

Network members will also help one another through sharing of
facilities or manpower and will embark on an exchange program for
their journalists either on a bilateral or as a group. The
network will also sponsor projects that will generate news for
the region.

ANN's Executive Board will meet twice a year. (spm)