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即时发佈 中国日报线上论坛探讨疫情下媒体的发展前景 中国日报香港12月23日电：中国日报今日携手上海外国语大学、对外经济贸易大学以及亚洲新闻联盟在线合办主题为“探讨疫情对传媒业的影响”的媒体研修班专题研讨会。 全国政协常委、中国日报社社长兼总编辑周树春致欢迎辞，亚洲新闻联盟秘书长帕纳•简沃热（Pana Janviroj）和《中国日报》亚太视频总监大卫•克拉克（David James Clark）主持本次研讨会。 周树春在致辞中说，新冠肺炎疫情对于新闻媒体来说是一场重大考验。习近平主席多次强调推动构建人类命运共同体和人类卫生健康共同体，而在此过程中媒体肩负着促进信息交流和社会发展的使命。他指出，《中国日报》在这场抗疫战中克服困难，付出了许多努力，并加强了与亚洲新闻联盟成员媒体的合作。《中国日报》充分发挥自身优势，举办了四期主题为抗击疫情的“新时代大讲堂”，推出了“抗击新冠病毒的中国方案”专题网站，向世界讲述着中国抗击疫情的故事。 帕纳•简沃热认为许多亚洲媒体似乎比预期更好地度过了疫情“风暴”。但更重要的是，尽管资源减少，广告收入锐减，新闻工作者们仍上下一心，完成工作的决心没有动摇。媒体向读者提供准确的报道，让大家知道事情的进展。记者们之所以有这样的决心，正是因为读者和公众对其工作的肯定。可以说，新冠疫情时代带来了公众对主流国家媒体和新闻的认同和感激。 研讨会邀请到对外经济贸易大学经济系教授龚炯和上海外国语大学新闻传播学院教授相德宝，担任演讲嘉宾并发表见解。 龚炯教授说，如今短视频越来越受到欢迎，但对于受众来说，会更难获取客观、基于事实的信息。传统媒体需要勒紧“安全带”，不忘初心。如果为了流量而牺牲新闻标准，是非常可悲的。 相德宝教授认为，疫情对传媒业的影响有好有坏，新冠疫情下平均媒体预算均有减少。同时，受众对新闻工作者更加信任了，这对新闻业来说是一个很好的迹象。 研讨会还邀请了《中国日报》国际部副主任陈智明、马来西亚《星洲日报》副总编辑朱运健、马来西亚《星报》新闻主编菲利普•戈林盖、亚洲新闻联盟编务协调人尼蒂什·卡普尔（Nitish Kapoor）、孟加拉《每日星报》新闻主编齐奥·霍克（Ziaul Hoque）、缅甸十一媒体集团执行总监敏道图（Min Thaw Htut）、菲律宾《每日询问者报》副社长朱丽叶•拉博格•贾维尔拉娜（Juliet Labog Javellana）、柬埔寨《金边邮报》行政总裁吕泰生(Ly Tayseng)，以及中国台湾《中国邮报》记者萧子瑜，共同探讨疫情对传媒业未来发展的影响。 各国媒体人表示，尽管传媒业在疫情初期的营收不断下降，但疫情加速了传媒业的数字转型，为行业创新提供了动力。今年在疫情背景下，媒体肩负的责任更加重要，必须谨慎报道，为受众提供及时、准确、全面的信息。 嘉宾们还针对疫情期间一线记者的人身安全，心理健康和社交平台所发挥的作用等问题展开了讨论。 关于中国日报 中国日报是中国国家英文日报，全媒体用户总数超过3亿，是我国唯一下载量过千万的英文新闻客户端，目前全球下载用户超过3300万；微博粉丝数超过5500万；微信订阅人数达950万；脸谱账号粉丝数超过9900万，位居全球媒体账号粉丝数第二位；推特账号粉丝数约439万。 关于中国日报亚洲领袖圆桌论坛 中国日报亚洲领袖圆桌论坛（www.cdroundtable.com）,创建于2010年，旨在搭建一个由亚洲国家和地区的政、商、学界领袖和社会精英参与的高端对话和交流平台，围绕亚洲地区经济、商业、产业和社会发展等具有战略影响的重要议题展开讨论和分享见解，以增进中国与亚洲国家和西方国家的交流和理解。迄今，在港澳和亚太多个国家和地区举办了90届，逾4万名决策精英参加。

The novel coronavirus pandemic has highlighted the key role of the Asia-Pacific media as the timely and trusted source of information, giving people around the region the tools to understand and cope with the impact of COVID-19, media industry leaders and experts said. Publishers, editors and academics who participated in the Dec 23 webinar on the pandemic’s impact on the media noted that like most sectors, the economic shock has also dented the revenue of media companies. At the same time, however, the pandemic also encouraged more people to turn to traditional media for reliable, current information. Zhou Shuchun, Standing Committee member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference National Committee and publisher and editor-in-chief of China Daily, expounded on the critical role of the media during the pandemic. “Our media colleagues have made unprecedented efforts, especially those in the Asia News Network. (They have) engaged in different extensions and made full use of technology,” Zhou said in his welcoming remarks at a webinar organized by China Daily, ANN, University of International Business and Economics and Shanghai International Studies University. Founded in 1999, ANN is a coalition of 23 leading news organizations from South, Southeast and Northeast Asia. Zhou cited Chinese President Xi Jinping’s emphasis on building a community of a shared future for mankind. To this end, he said, “the media have undertaken the mission of increasing information flows in advancing social development”. He cited Chinese journalists and how they have “braved hardship and danger to record heartwarming battles to tell the story of China's fight against the pandemic, which boosted the morale of frontline warriors and the whole nation”. Even though the pandemic has prevented ANN members from meeting each other in person, Zhou pledged continuous cooperation and friendship with ANN members who “all play a greater role in the progress of human civilization”. Xiang Debao, a professor at the School of Journalism and Communication at Shanghai International Studies University, said the pandemic has slashed media budgets worldwide and thrown thousands of journalists out of their jobs. “(But) audience trust for journalists has increased …this is a good phenomenon for the journalism industry,” he said. Xiang cited a global survey by the International Center for Journalists which showed that more than 40 percent of the respondents said they felt audience trust in news organizations had increased during the pandemic. Xiang said the media industry “provides the bridge and link (to information). So when we are in the (COVID-19) crisis, we are in most urgent need of information”. Professional media outlets are becoming “more and more popular” and “have gained popularity and credibility.” Pana Janviroj, executive director of Asia News Network, said many Asian media appear to be weathering the storms “better than expected”. “But more importantly there is a consensus from bottom to top of the newsrooms, despite the dwindling resources and advertising revenue plunges, the relentless determination to do their jobs.” “The reporters are determined to do their jobs because readers and public at large appreciate their works. The COVID-19 era has endowed long-awaited public appreciation of mainstream national media and journalism,” he said. Juliet Labog Javellana, associate publisher of the Philippine Daily Inquirer, said the pandemic has shown “the essential and critical value of free and independent media”. She noted that her publication has “to sift through the noise and confusion (to) counter the ‘disinfodemic’, or the proliferation of misinformation about COVID-19, which poses grave dangers to people’s lives”. Vivian Hsiao, a reporter at the Taipei-based China Post, said “the responsibility of the media increased greatly this year”. But she said that such responsibility has to be tempered with caution. “We wanted to give our readers the (latest) information but (we also wanted to) avoid (creating) unnecessary panic among them as well,” Hsiao said. Chen Zhiming, deputy director of China Daily’s international news department, said the organization’s global reach has allowed it to tap its pool of reporters posted in different regions to report on COVID-19. “This means that (during) critical moments in COVID-19 coverage, we have noses, eyes, ears on spot,” he said, adding that having a local presence is “invaluable” to China Daily’s coverage. He also underscored technology’s role in news reportage, noting how “the new media has been able to keep people informed”. Min Thaw Htut, executive director of Myanmar’s Eleven Media Group, said that one of the key lessons that he learned from the pandemic is that media companies have to remain “trustworthy, reliable and independent to do our main core functions”. “The other thing that we have to be mindful (about) is that the attention for eyeballs is very competitive. How do we survive this? It’s by creating good quality news,” he said. It is maintaining high standards of journalism that will allow the media to perform their role, given the amount of misinformation that has proliferated during the pandemic, according to John Gong, professor of economics at the University of International Business and Economics. “People are receiving messages through relays of information…the kind of reporting that we’re seeing these days is becoming more extreme,” he said, noting that this has made it more difficult for readers to get objective and fact-based information. He said media publications should not sacrifice their journalistic standards just to get higher traffic and that the government needs to take actions to counter misinformation. Media industry leaders said despite the challenges, the pandemic has also brought opportunities. For example, lockdown measures have pushed more people to go online, opening up new revenue streams. Choo Joon Kian, deputy editor-in-chief of Malaysia’s Sin Chew Daily, said the publication’s online platform memberships have increased to 240,000, without providing a time frame. Sin Chew Daily plans to set up a paywall next year. Nitish Kapoor, ANN’s editorial coordinator at New Delhi-based The Statesman said while the publication’s revenue decreased at the start of the pandemic, they have managed to recover these initial losses thanks to increased online traffic. Ly Tayseng, chief executive officer of the Phnom Penh Post in Cambodia, said while advertising revenue for its print media went down by 30 percent, subscription numbers remained the same. He has also seen an increase in digital revenue. Ziaul Hoque, news editor at The Daily Star in Bangladesh said the pandemic has been “unsettling” and trimmed their revenue. He said the pandemic is pushing them to adopt a new business model. Philip Golingai, news editor at Kuala-Lumpur-based The Star, said the pandemic has been “challenging but there is also growth,” noting the continued presence of online news organizations in the country. “For me, with the retrenchment in most of the media organizations in Malaysia and also downsizing and some closures, having at least three new or four or five news organizations is very promising for us,” he said.

For Immediate Release
 PRESS RELEASE

 China Daily Gathers Media Leaders and Experts To Discuss Reporting and Operations Strategies Amid the Pandemic HONG KONG, Dec. 23, 2020 – Co-organized by China Daily, University of International Business and Economics, Shanghai International Studies University and Asia News Network, a panel discussion session themed “COVID-19 and Impacts on the Media” was held virtually on Wednesday, December 23, 2020. Media leaders and experts joined the event online and discussed how reporting strategies and operations of the media have changed amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
 Mr. Zhou Shuchun, Standing Committee member of the CPPCC National Committee and Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of China Daily, delivered the welcoming remarks. He said Chinese media colleagues have braved hardship and danger to record heart-warming battles to tell the story of China’s fight against the pandemic, which boosted the morale of frontline warriors. 
 Later, Dr. John Gong, Professor of Economics, University of International Business and Economics; and Dr. Debao Xiang, Professor of School of Journalism and Communication, Shanghai International Studies University; shared their insights on the topic. 

 John Gong pointed out that the model of the media is changing. “Now people are more and more receiving messages through relays of information. What this difference makes is that, in order for the message to be relayed, there is a tendency for the message to go extreme. You’re moving into a world where you have those short snackable video clips kinds of product that people tend to use or like to watch. There’s no difference between fact and opinion-editorial. It is now even more difficult for readers to get information that is objective, fact-based. Traditional media need to tighten their seatbelt and stick to what they are doing. If you have to sacrifice your journalistic standard for traffic volume, this is deplorable. The government needs to take actions. I think we have quite a strong government here in China that looks after this disinformation and misinformation,” he said.

 Debao Xiang pointed out that the pandemic’s impact on the industry is both negative and positive. “There is a decrease in the average media budget due to the coronavirus. Around 35,000 journalists in the US have been laid off and faced pay cuts amid the pandemic. This is not only influenced by COVID-19 but also the impact of the new technologies. But audience trust for journalists has increased …this is a good phenomenon for the journalism industry,” he said. Insight Spotlight was followed by a panel discussion which was moderated by Mr. Pana Janviroj, Executive Director, Asia News Network; and Dr. DJ Clark, Multimedia Director, China Daily Asia Pacific. Prominent leaders from media companies and experts joined the panel discussion. They were: Mr. Zhiming Chen, Deputy Director of International News Department, China Daily; Mr. Choo Joon Kian, Deputy Editor in Chief, Sin Chew Daily; Mr. Philip Golingai, News Editor, The Star; Mr. Ziaul Hoque, News Editor, The Daily Star; Ms. Vivian Hsiao, Reporter, China Post; Mr. Min Thaw Htut, Executive Director, Eleven Media Group; Mr. Nitish Kapoor, ANN Editorial Coordinator, The Statesman; Ms. Juliet Labog-Javellana, Associate Publisher, Philippine Daily Inquirer; and Mr. Ly Tayseng, CEO, Phnom Penh Post, Cambodia. They examined the implications of COVID-19 on the media industry. They discussed the future development of the media industry. Pana Janviroj pointed out that many Asian media appear to be weathering the storms better than expected. But more importantly there is a consensus from bottom to top of the newsrooms, despite the dwindling resources and advertising revenue plunges, the relentless determination to do their jobs. “Those are to bring accurate reportings to readers and keep them well informed. The reporters are determined to do their jobs because readers and public at large appreciate their works. The Covid-19 era has endowed long awaited public appreciation of mainstream national media and journalism,” he said. 
 Pana Janviroj pointed out that many Asian media appear to be weathering the storms better than expected. But more importantly there is a consensus from bottom to top of the newsrooms, despite the dwindling resources and advertising revenue plunges, the relentless determination to do their jobs. “Those are to bring accurate reportings to readers and keep them well informed. The reporters are determined to do their jobs because readers and public at large appreciate their works. The Covid-19 era has endowed long awaited public appreciation of mainstream national media and journalism,” he said. 
 Philip Golingai said, “For me, with the retrenchment in most of the media organizations in Malaysia and also downsizing and some closures, having at least three to five news organizations is very promising for us. Roughly, that’s the situation for us.”

 Ziaul Hoque said the COVID-19’s impact has been unsettling. “Our revenue went down two-thirds. There have been job cuts but they are not related to the pandemic. For workload, we have to adapt to these situations because it is the demand of the time. I think it’s a positive thing, in a sense that what we had to do, it expedited the process (to digitalization). We had to remodel business models,” he said. 
 Vivian Hsiao said she saw a bump in the number of readers in the beginning. “When covering the COVID-19 pandemic, our readers really needed to know what’s going on. I think the responsibility of the media increased greatly this year, but we have to be careful in covering the pandemic and provide accurate information because we wanted to give our readers the current information. But we also wanted to avoid creating unnecessary panic among them as well,” she said. Min Thaw Htut said revenues from print advertising have declined. But that decline has been covered by digital investments. “Even though our core content is news, we have also diversified our content. The main lesson I have learnt is that we have to remain trustworthy, reliable and independent to do our main core functions. The other thing that we have to be mindful about is that the attention for eyeballs is very competitive. How do we survive this? It’s by creating good quality news,” he said. 
 Nitish Kapoor said revenue was going down at the start of the pandemic. “But with an increase in internet users, we have gained revenue. Eventually, we’ll get long-term benefits for sure. It will surely come back to us,” she said. 

 Juliet Labog-Javellana pointed out that one of the positive impacts of COVID-19 for the media is it provided the impetus to accelerate digital transformation and innovation. “So what the Inquirer did was to move quickly to different platforms like we hosted more than a dozen webinars; print journalists went into podcast….we published newsletters. Because most of our staff are working from home so maybe the big challenge during this pandemic is that media’s access to government officials has been limited because there are no face-to-face press conferences. Officials can mute you online. There’s no opportunity to grill officials. The Inquirer had to leverage our credibility to counter the ‘disinfodemic’ about COVID-19 which posed a danger to people’s lives,” she said. 

 Ly Tayseng said, “This year, we didn’t have to retrench staff. This year, our advertising for printed media was reduced by 30 percent, but our subscription number has remained the same. Our digital revenue is increasing, but it is not significant. If the advertising revenue keeps dropping, I think there may be an impact for next year.”

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 About China Daily Asia Leadership Roundtable The China Daily Asia Leadership Roundtable is a by-invitation network of movers and shakers in Asia, providing platforms for focused dialogue, issue investigation and possible collective action on strategic issues relating to Asia’s economic, business and social development. Our aim is to enhance communication and increase mutual understanding between China, Asian and Western countries. Roundtable events are held in major cities across Asia.