The BRICS Media Summit Vows To Counter Western Media ‘Hegemony’

At the BRICS media summit held today in Beijing, a declaration was released outlining six initiatives for media cooperation among BRICS nations, which include a liaison office, establishing a BRICS Media Foundation, BRICS Journalism Awards, joint photo exhibitions, training and exchanges for BRICS journalists, and joint media coverage of events.

Why this is necessary was stated by the Director General of Rossiya Segodyna International Information Agency (e.g., Sputnik and RIA Novosti), Dmitry Kiselev, who said that insufficient media cooperation leaves the BRICS dependent upon third-party media sources, such as in the U.S. As he politely described it, “As a result, there are problematic interpretations to what is happening in China, India, South Africa, Brazil, and, of course, Russia,” he said. To counter this propganda campaign to demonize Russia, and also China, he proposed that there be a common BRICS newswire, and a BRICS radio station. “Then we could learn first-hand what is happening in our countries.”

Liu Qibao, head of the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said that the media of BRICS countries should promote peaceful development, cooperation, and win-win. “Voices for justice and rationality should be amplified and the voices of emerging and developing countries should be strengthened, so as to make governance fairer and more reasonable.” The media, he said, should be “a carrier of information, communication, and a messenger for cultural exchanges,” he said.