Islamabad (UNA-OIC) � Managing Director of the Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) Masood Malik received here on Saturday the delegates of news agencies participating in the International Conference of News Agencies (ICNA), being held in the Pakistani capital Islamabad on Sunday and Monday.
As many as 19 delegates from 15 countries arrived to participate in the conference being held under the theme of Pakistan's Media � Opportunities and Challenges with a special focus on 'News Agencies � Emerging Professional Challenges.'
At the outset of a brief interaction session with the delegates held at APP headquarters, Malik said the conference would provide an opportunity for journalists for a direct and hassle-free linkage to cope with emerging competitive environment for news agencies in the world. He said APP had taken the initiative to cope with the situation and emerging competitive environment for news agencies in the world.
The APP chief expressed confidence that the deliberations of ICNA would lead to meaningful cooperation among the news agencies.
Malik briefed the participants on the aims and objectives of the conference, and shared views with them on different issues related to the importance of media. Comparing to the social media networks, he said news agencies are facing some challenges including the ability to report news as soon as possible since they need to verify the credibility of the news articles in a very limited time before dissemination.
The managing director said young journalists and media students at university should be given the opportunity to receive training sessions at news agency headquarters. He suggested that countries exchange student visits to be hosted by news agencies with the view to enhance the abilities of future younger media professionals.
Recognizing connectivity as a hallmark of the current era, the participants observed that ICNA would help identify the technical and professional hurdles in the way of smooth collaboration and exchange of news. They also expressed readiness to expand and streamline the exchange of news with APP.
Following the meeting, the delegates, accompanied by Managing Director Malik and Director of News Akram Malik, toured the different sections of APP and took a keen interest in its functioning.
Source: International Islamic News Agency