Text of report by Indian news agency PTI
Kuala Lumpur, 27 June: An internet-based news service, seen as an alternative source of information to western media reports, was launched here Tuesday [27 June] by news providers of non-aligned countries.
“Earlier, people believed in CNN and BBC. Now it has changed, especially after the Iraq war, these agencies have lost their professionalism,” Malaysian Information Minister Zainuddin Maidin said after launching the NAM [Non-Aligned Movement] News Network (NNN), replacing the now defunct Non Aligned News Agencies Pool.
The NNN website aims to carry daily an average of 80 news items plus pictures contributed by 35 participating news agencies, including PTI, and news organizations of NAM member countries in Asia, West Asia, Africa, Latin America and Europe.
Zainuddin said NNN would report news professionally, fairly and without bias. “It will handle news stories and images about NAM, from NAM and by NAM,” he said.
The NAM must try to develop its media, Zainuddin said adding that these countries had to forge and strengthen communication links among themselves. “International media will never give fair coverage to us,” he said.
“They (the western world) are looking at freedom through their own eyes. They must see it through our eyes,” Zainuddin said.
He said Malaysia’s national news agency Bernama will host the NNN, which is a joint effort of the 116 member countries of the Non-Aligned Movement.
(Source: PTI news agency, New Delhi, in English 1015 gmt 27 Jun 06 via BBC Monitoring)
