杏MAP导航

By Robin Gomes

Catholic communicators in Asia have vowed to take up the challenge of helping expose the hidden agendas of mainstream media and build healthier communities by shunning 鈥渢oxic messages." 

Some 120 people from 19 countries gathered in the Indian capital, New Delhi, the Aug. 4-8, for the assembly of SIGNIS Asia, the regional wing of the global forum of Catholic audio-visual communicators.  

The theme of their assembly was, 鈥淭he Role of Media in Building Communities.鈥�

In a final statement at the end of their meeting, they reaffirmed their mission and faith in social communication and resolved to engage in 鈥渂uilding communities of peace, equality, inclusiveness, positivity and dignity鈥�. 

They acknowledged that 鈥渕edia has the power to inform, empower and build communities,鈥� but it can 鈥渁lso divide communities through 鈥榯oxic messages鈥� by vested interests and business centred media owners.鈥�

To deal with this situation, they decided to 鈥渋nitiate a series of reflections鈥� among SIGNIS members and the people through training programmes, video and radio productions, publications, film discussions and digital media鈥�.  These reflections aim to 鈥渋dentify the negative messages that divide people and to replace them with positive and futuristic messages with a focus on building communities.鈥�

Participants also urged members to 鈥渕ove beyond the conventional paradigm of tolerance and begin to celebrate diversity鈥� and become 鈥渨ise and brave to counter fear with facts and truth.鈥� 

SIGNIS members  vowed to be the 鈥渧oice of the voiceless in the struggle for independence and freedom鈥� by making people the centre of their actions to 鈥渞estore dignity to all and power to the powerless.鈥�

The assembly urged members to work for 鈥渟olution-oriented journalism and enable people to come out of echo chambers where they keep listening only to their voices and not of others.鈥�

They called upon young people to learn about the positive way to use social media in building communities.