Omani, Malaysian Media Urged to Enhance Cooperation

KUALA LUMPUR, April 19 (Bernama) -- There is a need to enhance cooperation between Omani and Malaysian media to not only share and disseminate relevant news but also success stories, said Oman's Information Minister Dr Abdulmunim Mansour Said Al-Hasani. Citing an example, he said Oman News Agency (ONA) and its Malaysian counterpart, Malaysian National News Agency (Bernama) could pave the way to forge such cooperation. He said ties between the two news agencies could include exchange of journalists and media experts as well as sharing materials, documentations and news footages. "There are a lot of things that Malaysian media knows... many examples that you can provide, not just to the Islamic community but the world at large," he said after visiting Bernama headquarters here Friday. "We need this kind of cooperation because sometimes people don't know what's happening in other countries besides their success stories," he said. Dr Abdulmunim also pointed out that media organisations in Islamic countries should do more to promote Islam as a religion of peace. Among the things that could be highlighted, he said, were the fact that Islam favoured peaceful coexistence among people of different faiths and did not condone terrorism. "This is a message that media practitioners in Muslim countries need to present in their news reports for a better understanding of Islam among a larger world audience," he said. Dr Abdulmunim was accompanied during his visit to Bernama by the news agency's General Manager Yong Soo Heong, Editor-in-Chief Zulkefli Salleh and Deputy Editors-in-Chief Zakaria Abdul Wahab (Domestic News Service) and Ahmad Zukiman Mohamed Zain (International News Service). The Omani minister was given a tour of Bernama's Editorial Department and had a closer look at Radio24 and Bernama TV operations. Meanwhile, Yong remarked that the positive outcome of linkages between the news agencies of both countries would not only benefit the two bodies but also spill over to other areas. "We will definitely be working on a number of proposals that we have discussed," he added. --BERNAMA