By Zaphne Philip
KUCHING: The 2024 National Journalists’ Day (HAWANA) celebration, themed “Etika Teras Kewartawanan Mapan” to recognise the role of media practitioners gained recognition and appreciation from members of the foreign media, describing it as an important day to appreciate the sactifices of journalists in their process of disseminating reliable and relevant information to the community.
Timor Leste Press Council president Otelio Ote said journalists were always subject to challenges and risks when carrying out their duties to acquire news with integrity and remain relevant with authentic news as well as disseminate information.
“Journalists are part of the democratic process, whereby people can obtain or gather information as well as have the freedom to express. People must understand that there are no democratic countries without journalists,” he told Bernama.
According to Ote, the concept of organising HAWANA 2024 can be applied to his own country in trying to encourage the participation of journalists from other countries during Timor Leste’s National Journalists’ Day celebrations on Oct 10, this year.
“The concept of organising HAWANA in Malaysia is very unique because it also includes various activities and programmes, including exhibitions to promote and expose to the community about the role played by media practitioners and agencies in general,” he said.
Otelio who also participated in the Sarawak Media Conference (SMeC) which was among programmes under HAWANA 2024 also commended the engagement of a lecturer from the London School of Economics and Political Science, United Kingdom, Prof Charlie Beckett, who shared his expertise and knowledge through his presentation at the conference.
“He made a memorable point by calling to focus on delivering accurate information rather than getting bogged down by trivial matters.
“He argued that journalists should not be pre-occupied with increasing public faith in their stories. Instead, their primary duty is to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the information they disseminate,” he said.
Meanwhile, Xinhua News Agency correspondant (China), Jonathan Edward said knowledge acquired from the HAWANA 2024 programmes can help journalists who participated here, to reshape their direction and chart their career path.
“The journalism industry continues to navigate the complexities of the digital age. These reflections (emphasised at HAWANA 2024) are invaluable in shaping the future (of journalism),” he added.
Le Hang Linh from the Vietnam News Organisation said through information gathered from HAWANA, the people will have greater respect and highly value the profession of journalism as jounailsts will have to be ethical, brave and face various challenges when dispensing their duties professionally.
“Journalists come from various backgrounds, hence the importance of this Journalists’ Day as an appreciation for the contributions made, besides strengthening the foundation of journalism in order to be stronger and more inclusive,” she added.
More than 1,000 media practitioners HAWANA 2024 from 11 countries — Cambodia, Indonesia, Japan, Kuwait, Brunei, the Philippines, Timor-Leste, Vietnam, China, South Korea and Qatar are taking part in the event held from May 25 to 27.
The largest gathering of Malaysian journalists is being organised by the Communications Ministry in collaboration with the Sarawak state government, with Bernama being the implementing agency.
Various programmes and activities have been arranged to liven up the celebration, including the International Media Conference and the HAWANA 2024 Exhibition. — BERNAMA
