Major media issues discussed at Shusha Global Media Forum

Group picture of the participants (Azernews)

SHUSHA: Azerbaijan’s Global Media Forum on “New Media in the Era of the 4th Industrial Revolution” has called for greater awareness to tackle successfully disinformation and fake news.

The forum was held in Shusha, the cultural capital of Azerbaijan, as part of the Year of Heydar Aliyev and marking the 148th anniversary of the National Press of Azerbaijan.

Executive Director of the Azerbaijan Media Development Agency Ahmad Ismayilov said that several significant issues were discussed, with a particular focus on the transformation of the digital media landscape and the profound impact of artificial intelligence on journalism and the broader media sphere.

Ahmad Ismayilov talking with the media (Azernews)

“During the forum, participants engaged in in-depth discussions about the distinctions between print media, traditional media, and new media. Additionally, they explored the role of traditional media in today’s world, characterized by the dominance of new media, and deliberated on the future directions of media-related activities,” Ismayilov told reporters, Azernews said.

A momentous event at the forum was the participation of President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev who outlined the intended reforms in Azerbaijan’s media sector, he added.

He pointed out that the forum proved instrumental in fostering a deeper understanding of the ongoing developments in modern media.

Ismayilov emphasized that the primary objective of the Shusha Global Media Forum was to facilitate more accurate monitoring, thorough discussions, and fruitful exchange of viewpoints on contemporary media processes.

President Heydar Aliyev addressing the forum (Azernews)

The forum aimed at integrating and applying the advancements in media literacy and society in Azerbaijan to the global media landscape, thus fostering greater cohesion in the field, he said.

The forum, organized by the Media Development Agency, encompassed diverse sessions focusing on crucial topics, such as “The Future of Media: New Tools and the Role of Media in Journalism and Communication in the Digital Age,” “Investment and Consumer Trends in Media,” and “Security Issues”, according to Azernews.

The event also facilitated interactive discussions between participants and speakers, and featured various side events, exhibitions, and training sessions.

The forum attracted around 150 foreign guests representing nearly 50 countries, state information agencies from 34 nations, 12 international organizations, and numerous media entities.

The participation of 60 local media managers and representatives further enriched the exchange of insights and perspectives during the event, the agency said.

The session of the Forum called “Investment and consumption trends in the media”, moderated by Shafag Mehraliyeva, the director of the Communication and Digital Media Program of ADA University, focused on consumption trends in new media and media awareness (methods of combating disinformation and fake news).

Speaking at the session, Clive Marshall, the CEO of the UK’s PA Media Group, said newspaper sales had started declining two decades ago.

“We were hoping that the young people of the time would get older and buy newspapers. But now we see that they aren’t buying newspapers today. Young people do not care about things they are interested in. Therefore, it is necessary to take into account what they want.”

Matthias Lufkens, the founder and Chief Executive Officer of DigiTips, emphasized that it was not enough to use only one platform.

“We must consider the audience and be active on Twitter, TikTok and other social networks. At the Davos annual meeting, I said about the news that we should also use YouTube. They told me that no, that this platform was watched by children. Then they introduced TikTok, so we can be more active there. I mean whatever the audience wants, we should act in that direction,” he said, quoted by Azernews.

Defense analyst Oubai Shahbandar emphasized in his remarks that the main obligation to readers and viewers was to convey the reality as it is to them. The main task is to deliver accurate, prompt and unbiased information from the scene of the news to the viewer.

Oubai Shahbandar, who said the main reason for coming to Karabakh was to convey the situation as it is here to the world, added: “It is our most important task to convey the reality to the public by seeing the events the way they are. Yesterday we visited places where war was raging three years ago. We prepared a report from those areas and gave our comments, tried to convey what we saw to the public. Some people in the world had no idea where Azerbaijan and Shusha are and what happened there. Thanks to the video we shot in these areas yesterday, we will convey all this to the international community.”

Tinatin Berdzenishvili, the Director General of Public Television of Georgia, said: “We are proud that we are building our business independently. We see that all Western media are trying to be more constructive and find solutions for the public. We must try to be impartial and objective. We must move forward in the direction of finding solutions for the public’s problems.”

Saying that the new generation needed more impartial media, Tinatin Berdzenishvili emphasized: “Our task in the digital world is to present these opportunities to the public. We don’t know what the future holds. This is why we have to respond to challenges as quickly as possible. Also, we should not only focus on the news, but also take into account the preferences of the public.”

During the session, participants also exchanged ideas on the dynamic trends related to the production and consumption of media products, media investment, role of media awareness in the development of professional media, creation of a value chain in new media and the development of business models. Experts also answered some questions from the audience.