BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 25. The Organization of Asia-Pacific News Agencies (OANA) has confirmed that professional media are not supposed to jeopardize the national sovereignty of independent states worldwide, Trend reports.
This is reflected in the Declaration of the 18th OANA General Assembly, which kicked off in Iran's Tehran on October 24.
"While the COVID-19 pandemic imposed some limitations on how news stories were covered and published traditionally, media organizations have devised new strategies and employed modern technologies in order to appropriately respond to the needs of their audience. Member agencies will continue sharing experiences in the framework of OANA to keep up with the new conditions and developments," said the Declaration.
According to the Assembly, OANA member agencies reaffirm their commitment to the statutes of the organization and to the fulfillment of its objectives through the decisions that are made and will be made by both in-person meetings and online contacts.
OANA members will promote cooperation among news agencies in order to fight fake news and enhance the credibility of reports and news products.
"Recognizing their audience's right to access accurate information, OANA members reaffirm that they will not allow political considerations negatively influence their professional duty to report realities," the Declaration said.
Furthermore, as economic sanctions that are imposed against nations have an adverse influence on the normal activities of news agencies and create obstacles to collaboration among media organizations, OANA member agencies will try to overcome such obstacles.
"Recognizing international norms such as national sovereignty and territorial integrity of countries, member agencies emphasize that professional media are not expected to threaten the national sovereignty of independent states around the world," the document said.