Beijing: Mark Longyen, an editor at the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), has called upon journalists and media organizations from China, Africa, and the broader Global South to enhance collaboration to reshape the global media narrative. He made this appeal while speaking on behalf of Global South journalists at the opening ceremony of a four-month training program for journalists in Beijing, China.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, the training, organized by the China Public Diplomacy Association (CPDA) and the China International Press Communication Centre (CIPCC), hosts about 100 foreign journalists representing 100 countries. Longyen emphasized the need for greater cooperation through cross-border reporting, professional exchanges, and fact-checking partnerships to ensure that the Global South has a stronger voice in global affairs. He urged journalists from developing countries to adopt new technologies, including artificial intelligence, while upholding journalism’s core values such as accuracy, indepe
ndence, ethics, and public trust.
Longyen highlighted the often limited portrayal of Africa through a lens of conflict, poverty, and crisis, and the oversimplified narratives about China. He stressed the importance of African journalists telling African stories about China and vice versa, challenging journalists to move beyond stereotypes and report on the successes, challenges, and human stories behind China-Africa relations.
He pointed out the shift towards a more multipolar world, economically, politically, and culturally, and noted that the global media system does not always reflect this reality. Longyen described the training program as a valuable platform for dialogue between China, Africa, and the Global South, emphasizing the role of journalists as bridge-builders advancing people-to-people diplomacy.
The training aims to equip journalists with a deeper understanding of China’s development, economy, culture, technology, diplomacy, and media landscape. Longyen stressed the importance of journalists
observing, investigating, and verifying stories, and highlighted the significance of the China-Africa relationship, especially with new trade policies like China’s zero-tariff trade policy for African exports.
In conclusion, Longyen emphasized that the relationship between Africa and China is based on mutual interest and responsibility, and understanding each other is crucial for shared prosperity.