Baghdad:Nahar Khan, the Executive Editor of UNB and founder of Solis, attended the World Editors Forum (WEF) Asia Chapter meeting organized by the World Association of News Publishers (WAN-IFRA) in Singapore. The event took place at the Conrad Orchard and brought together editors, media executives, and journalism professionals from the Asia-Pacific region.
According to United News of Bangladesh, the meeting was chaired by Esther Ng, Chief Content Officer of Star Media Group, Malaysia, with Cherilyn Ireton, Executive Director of the World Editors Forum (UK), as co-chair. The discussions focused on strengthening public trust in journalism, responding to the spread of unverified information, improving newsroom planning and resource allocation, and addressing emerging challenges facing media organizations.
Adriaan Basson, Editor-in-Chief of News24, South Africa, delivered a presentation on building trust within his organization and the challenges it faces. Participants exchanged views on responsible reporting and effective responses to misinformation when unverified stories go viral.
The meeting also discussed potential questions for the next State of the Asian Newsroom Report, with a particular emphasis on newsroom planning, staffing, and resource allocation. A key agenda item was the formation of a core group for the WEF Asia Chapter to advise WAN-IFRA on activities and coordinate the region's response to various programs. This core group is expected to meet up to four times a year, primarily online.
The attendees included editors and media representatives from Bangladesh, Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, Taiwan, Hong Kong, India, South Africa, and the United Kingdom. The participants also discussed the meeting schedule for 2027.