Fahmi said Asia’s voice cannot be left unheard or suppressed given its large population.

“We must hear from each other directly, ideally without intermediaries.

“By discovering and appreciating each other's cultures, values and history, we can hope to prosper together,” he said in his speech at the Asia News Network (ANN) 25th anniversary celebrations on Friday.

Fahmi also hoped for ANN to be a bridge in bringing forward conversations that Asian governments need to have.

At a press conference later, Fahmi congratulated ANN on its 25th anniversary, highlighting how it fostered close relationships between media organizations in the region.

“We hope this gives more room for stories on developments throughout Asia to be better heard, understood and enjoyed, as it’s not written by foreign media but Asian organizations themselves.

“This way, we can hear more authentic voices from Asia itself,” he said.

In her welcoming remarks, ANN director and board member Esther Ng said today’s media landscape is very different from when the network was set up.

“It has become increasingly challenging to uphold news credibility, particularly with the emergence of digitalization and AI, which are both good and bad, but surely complicates the fact for mainstream media in maintaining their role as the ‘reliable and trusted source’ of news providers.

“To my fellow delegates, amid these, I think we have done a great job in combating this effectively whilst upholding journalistic integrity,” she said.

Ng, who is Star Media Group’s chief content officer, said there is no exception for the media industry at a time when digitalization and AI took center stage in most industries.

“I say, we embrace it.

“We ride the wave but we keep our eyes fixed on the horizon and our feet firmly on the surfboard we are perched on,” she said.

ANN is the leading regional alliance of news organizations striving to bring the region closer through an active sharing of editorial content on happenings in the region.

Formed in 1999, the network’s members hail from the 10 South-East Asian economies as well as several other locations in East and South Asia.

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