Bernama is the current chairman of the 37-member entity, formed in 1961 to seek equal opportunity in international news flow. With an active, internet-based newswire in place, member agencies post stories of happenings in their countries to tell the world through their own perspectives.
Despite the lively participation, the meeting felt more could be done to make the newswire an effective channel of a truly multilateral news exchange mechanism. Some wondered what action could be taken against non-active members while others called for recognition of those who contributed regularly.
The OANA newswire is really a channel for news agencies in the region to let the world know about their countries through their own eyes, thus reducing the dependence on reports filed by Western media agencies.
