CCTV Video News Agency (CCTV+) and the China International Press Communication Center (CIPCC) jointly hosted a Global South media exchange event in Beijing on Friday, officially launching the 2024 Report on Development of Video Media in the Global South.

During the event, senior representatives from CCTV+, CIPCC, Tsinghua University's Israel Epstein Center for Global Media and Communication Studies, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Department of Press, Communication and Public Diplomacy, experts from renowned Chinese universities -- including Renmin University of China, the Communication University of China, and Beijing Foreign Studies University -- joined media representatives from 35 organizations across 29 countries in the Asia-Pacific, Caribbean, Africa, and South America to exchange insights on enhancing storytelling around development in the Global South, strengthening cultural and media cooperation, and contributing to the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.

Scan the QR code below to download the Chinese and English versions of the report ：

The report draws on in-depth interviews with over 20 media professionals and scholars from the Global South and international media organizations, as well as regional case studies and expert articles, reexamines the meaning of "development" through a Global South lens, while analyzing how "development journalism" narratives are being shaped.

By highlighting how media can drive national and regional progress, the report seeks to deepen cooperation among Belt and Road Initiative partner countries and the wider Global South media landscape, foster cultural exchange and mutual learning, broaden the scope of international communication, and contribute to the creation of a fairer and more equitable global discourse on development.

Professor Shi Anbin, Party secretary of the School of Journalism and Communication at Tsinghua University and director of the Israel Epstein Center, who is also the executive editor of the report, emphasized that amid the profound transformation of the global development cooperation system, collectively telling the development stories of the Global South holds great promise and significant meaning during his speech at the event.

He called on Global South media to further shape a "development journalism" narrative through technological innovation, closer cooperation, and policy coordination. Media should embrace a new development paradigm centered on high-quality growth, new quality productive forces, and developmental security, promoting high-quality, sustainable development in their respective countries through high-caliber journalism, said Shi.

Six media professionals who contributed to the report shared their insights via video messages.

Mohammed Hamid Hamdard, deputy general manager of STR News in Afghanistan, called the report a shared voice of the Global South media community, representing values of mutual respect, win-win cooperation, and shared development.

Arun Deo Joshi, editor-in-chief of the Nepalese news outlet the Himalayan Herald, said the initiative led by CCTV+ and its Global South partners empowers local media to tell authentic, grassroots-level development stories.

Faouzi Bou Diab, editor of Arab and International Affairs at Lebanon's Al-Anbaa Electronic Newspaper, highlighted the need for sustainable cooperation among Global South countries against escalating regional conflicts and trade tensions, and unity among them against Western countries' unilateralism and wanton actions.

Florence Migunde, acting managing director at Kenya Broadcasting Corporation, emphasized that the report contains many impactful insights that have significantly influenced how audiences consume media. She noted that powerful tools including artificial intelligence are reshaping content creation and media management, and that media convergence is accelerating these changes.

Issoufou Sare, general manager of BF1 Television in Burkina Faso, said the report identifies key challenges facing Global South countries and offers targeted solutions and strategies that serve as valuable guidance for editorial decision-making.

Emiliano Calabró, programming director of Argentina's Canal 26 TV channel, underscored the report's value in helping Global South nations develop their own critical and constructive narratives, especially given that global information gaps and mainstream narratives still disproportionately favor developed countries.

Chinese media scholars also shared academic reflections on the report.

Prof. Zhou Yong, dean of the School of Journalism at Renmin University of China, said the report spotlights the shared developmental aspirations of the Global South, reflecting the core values and fundamental missions of the media industry. He called for reshaping the global discourse landscape and emphasized the transformative power of communication.

He also urged Global South media to translate practical modernization stories into compelling narratives, develop a talent pool suited to the digital and intelligent media age, and establish cooperative mechanisms to share development knowledge and experiences.

Prof. Liu Ying, associate dean of the School of International Journalism and Communication at Beijing Foreign Studies University, highlighted the report's theoretical and practical significance. She said the report contributes to building an independent knowledge system for journalism in the Global South while guiding autonomous narratives and innovative communication practices.

Over the past three years, the report has gradually evolved -- from shifting the focus of international communication to the Global South, to building a shared communication community, and now to collectively telling development stories -- pioneering a new paradigm for Global South-led media research and evaluation, she said.

Professor Ji Deqiang, associate dean of the Institute for a Community with Shared Future at the Communication University of China, said the report focuses on the collective identity of Global South countries amid global changes, with particular attention to the connectivity and autonomy of Global South media, providing an open platform for exchange and cooperation among these media outlets.

He stressed the importance of asserting media autonomy, creating a new type of media agendas that meet local needs, and improving inclusiveness and diversity in the global media environment to amplify the voices of the Global South.

Media representatives from Iran, Malaysia, Pakistan, Tonga, and other countries voiced support for the report and proposed stronger cooperation in training, technology exchange, and joint content production. They expressed the hope that the Global South media community can be united in addressing common challenges and in fostering a more balanced international media landscape.

Shahrokh Saei from Tehran Times stressed the urgency to amplify voices from the Global South in light of the current biased narratives and monopoly of Western media, as well as the widespread dissemination of misinformation.

Praising the Chinese media's commitment to fact-checking and content accuracy, he called for deeper Global South video media collaboration through intensified knowledge-sharing within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative, ultimately forging a more equitable, objective, and inclusive global media landscape.

Echoing this call, Khor Chun Kiat from Malaysia's Sin Chew Daily proposed establishing a Global South media "observatory" to co-produce in-depth investigative reports, bridging the digital divide through technology sharing and skills training, and curating joint media forums to foster genuine South-South dialogue.

He also highlighted the need to integrate local perspectives with multilingual translation to amplify the Global South's modernization journeys and ensure these stories reach global audiences.

Syed Aoon Muhammad, on behalf of Pakistan's Such News, highlighted journalism's role in shaping public perception and building bridges of communication between nations. He emphasized that media cooperation between Pakistan and China should focus on strengthening content exchange, conducting joint training programs, and collaborating on investigative reporting. By delivering objective, truthful, and responsible reports to the public, the deepening China-Pakistan media ties can serve as a new benchmark for Global South media collaboration.

Girvan Lea from Tonga Broadcasting Commission noted that China's professional training and technical support have significantly advanced the commission's digital and intelligent transformation. In the face of ongoing challenges, media in the Global South must continue to strengthen collaboration and innovation, working together to tell compelling development stories from the region and amplify the Global South's voice in a globalized world.

Other representatives from media outlets including The Kabul Times (Afghanistan), Eye Opener Media (Nepal), Tehran Times (Iran), AYDINLIK (Turkey), News.mn (Mongolia), and Jamaica Television (Jamaica) also expressed a strong desire to deepen cooperation and exchange across the Global South. They emphasized the need to leverage media as a tool to build shared development consensus and uphold the discourse rights and fundamental interests of developing nations.