PETALING JAYA: In the face of rapid changes in the global environment and the widespread of fake news, mainstream media should work together for rationality to prevail, says Qu Yingpu, president and chief editor of China Daily.

The development in artificial intelligence has brought various challenges to the mainstream media, including the spread of fake news and the algorithm, making it hard for readers to identify the authenticity of news when fed with loads of information.

“This highlights the importance of mainstream media,” said Qu, who led a delegation of six to visit Sin Chew Daily headquarters here Wednesday.

“Mainstream media filters and this is irreplaceable. It is important to deliver truth.

“After reading from the mainstream media for some time, readers will be able to identify the facts thanks to filters carried out by mainstream media,” he continued.

The China Daily delegation was received by Media Chinese International Limited and Sin Chew Daily editor-in-chief Quik Cheng Kang, executive editor-in-chief Chan Aun Kuang, deputy executive editor-in-chief Hwn Yaul Len, and Sin Chew Media Corporation Bhd communications and promotion general manager Tan Kim Chuan.

Both China Daily and Sin Chew Daily are members of the Asia News Network (ANN) set up in 1999. Sin Chew Daily is one of the founding members.

ANN editors are in Kuala Lumpur for a two-day meeting.

The alliance, made up of newspapers from Southeast Asian and some East and South Asian countries, aims to promote coverage of regional affairs through sharing of news content among the participating media.

Apart from Malaysia, other member publications are from Bhutan, Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Japan, Myanmar, Nepal, the Philippines, Thailand, Singapore, South Korea and Vietnam.

The visit to Sin Chew Daily is to explore the possibility of more collaborations between China Daily and Sin Chew Daily in future in light of the new challenges due to change of time.

“The society requires media to play its role in light of uncertainties. The media’s value is currently worth more than the role it used to be,” Kuik said.

Both concurred that media practitioners should continue to upgrade their capabilities and spread good content using new technologies.

“Though the sharing of news, more readers will get to understand the Malaysian Chinese community to promote interactions, common values and eradicate misunderstanding.