53rd meeting of Organization of Asia Pacific News Agencies' Executive Board held in Moscow

By Dimitri Chirciu

MOSCOW (AA) – The 53rd Board Meeting and Conference of the Organization of Asia-Pacific News Agencies (OANA) was conducted on Sunday in the Russian capital of Moscow.

OANA Secretary-General and IRNA (Iranian official news agency) Director of International Relations Zaman Rezakhani, TASS General Director Andrey Kondrashov, TASS Deputy General Director Mikhail Gusman, and representatives from OANA member agencies attended the meeting, which was held at the International Trade Center in Moscow.

Anadolu’s Director General and CEO Serdar Karagoz, Deputy General Manager and Editor-in-Chief Yusuf Ozhan, and Strategic Communication and Brand Management Director Hazal Duran attended the meeting.

During the meeting, Karagoz held talks with the executives from OANA member media organizations and also attended the conference.

The conference, moderated by OANA Secretary-General Rezakhani and TASS Deputy Head of the International Relations Department Yaroslav Kurilo, featured panels on the use and issues of artificial intelligence (AI) within the framework of ethical principles in the media sector.

- Anadolu’s Editor-in-Chief Ozhan speaks on issues that AI creates

Yusuf Ozhan, Anadolu's deputy director general and editor-in-chief, delivered a speech on AI technology, addressing issues of bias and discrimination in AI systems and citing an example from the US company Amazon.

Stating that Amazon had previously developed a recruitment AI application, Ozhan noted that the system was found to be biased against female candidates.

“First and foremost, consider the issue of bias and discrimination in AI systems. An AI-based recruitment tool developed by Amazon was discontinued after it was found to exhibit systematic bias against female candidates,” he said.

Pointing out that it has been observed that X (former Twitter) algorithms prioritize photos of white-skinned individuals, Ozhan said: “Circumstances show how AI can compromise the trustworthiness of media platforms by not representing all users equally and just.”

He also noted that AI contributes to the spread of false information.

- Anadolu’s role in documenting Israeli war crimes

Ozhan highlighted the importance of the Turkish global news agency in documenting the truth, citing Anadolu photojournalist Mustafa Alkharouf's role in photographing Israel's use of white phosphorus bombs in Palestine.

“His work underscored the importance of accurate reporting in holding entities accountable and highlighted serious pieces of evidence of war crimes committed by the Israeli government,” he said.

Anadolu’s editor-in-chief pointed out that information on this topic is not always accurately and impartially processed by AI systems.

“This highlights a significant ethical concern -- the potential for AI to obscure or misrepresent critical information. If AI systems cannot provide accurate and impartial responses on serious matters, they hinder the public's ability to be informed. This not only affects journalistic integrity but also has broader implications for democracy and justice,” he warned.

Ozhan pointed out that AI creates ethical issues in high-risk situations, saying AI technology is used in conflict zones and this leads to human casualties.

“Those are coming out of Gaza because it was very shocking to get to know that the Israeli army had been employing artificial intelligence in the military while detecting the military target,” he said.

“This raises serious ethical questions about how much we should rely on AI in situations where human lives and rights are at stake. The use of AI without strict ethical guidelines can result in unintended and tragic outcomes,” he added.

AI technology raises privacy concerns, he said, noting that media companies use AI to analyze user data, but sometimes this is done without permission.

“Media organizations must ensure that they are not infringing on individual rights in their pursuit of greater engagement and revenue,” he said.

Emphasizing that all these issues should not be overlooked, Yusuf Ozhan said: “It's essential for media companies, media stakeholders of the media industry, technologists, policymakers and society at large, we have to collaborate in establishing some ethical guidelines for AI to use in media and communication.”

- ‘It's crucial to focus on news standards, accuracy rather than speed when reporting critical events’

Mikhail Petrov, deputy director general and editor-in-chief of the Russian news agency TASS, highlighted the rapid development of technology platforms and social media recently.

"As a result, the flow of information has increased, but along with this, false news has proliferated. In this context, it's crucial to focus on news standards and accuracy rather than speed when reporting critical events,” he said.

Petrov stressed the importance of taking a balanced approach to the reporting process.

Doan Thi Tuyet Nhung, deputy director general of the Vietnam News Agency (VNA), addressed the principle of information accuracy, saying that "the accuracy of news is more important than its rapid dissemination. In this context, journalists must exercise caution and provide the public with accurate information. This is critical to gaining the trust of the community.”

Doan said a law regarding the reporting of national and international events was previously enacted in Vietnam. "According to this law, journalists are responsible for the accuracy of the events reported. If there are issues with the accuracy of the news, the media organization or journalist should correct it and issue an apology.”

Moriyasu Chikazawa, head of the international relations department at Japan's Kyodo News, underlined that media organizations and journalists must adhere to ethical principles.

"Journalists should maintain distance from sources to disseminate unbiased information and report events objectively,” he stated.

Akhmad Munir, president of Indonesia's Antara News Agency, noted that the misuse of AI undermines public trust in media organizations.

Referring to the situation in the Gaza Strip, Mohammad Mahdi Rahmati, CEO of Iran’s Mehr news agency, said: "Many Palestinians who fought for their freedom have lost their lives here.”

The next OANA Board Meeting will be held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and the General Assembly meeting will be held in Russia from February 17-19, 2025.

The Organization of Asia-Pacific News Agencies (OANA) is a non-profit membership association of news agencies from the UN member states in the Asia-Pacific region.

Formed in 1961 on UNESCO's initiative, OANA promotes and facilitates cooperation among member agencies to serve their common interests and help them exchange information and experience.