Srinagar,Senior journalist and the editor-in-chief of the Kashmir Observer, Sajjad Haider, was on Monday conferred the 2018 Asian Arab award for journalistic excellence in his capacity as the CEO of Trans Asia News which he helped establish in 2011.
Sajjad Haider was presented the award at the JW Marriot in Bangalore at a high profile function attended by diplomats, business leaders and government functionaries.
The award citation mentions Haiders outstanding contribution in building trust among Arab and Asian countries especially through platforms like Trans Asia News.
The platform is the first pan-Asia news and information media service, with a presence in South, Central and West Asia.
In his acceptance speech at the awards ceremony organized by the Asian Arab Chamber of Commerce, Haider spoke of the dire need of reliable and credible news platforms which help the business world in the region to make informed and correct decisions.
He stressed on the need to distinguish between propaganda and news in a region mired in conflicts and war where media is largely controlled by states or vested interests.
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The intention behind the launch of Trans Asia News was to provide a source of clean credible and reliable information to stakeholders who are out there looking for an alternative medium in the midst of (the prevailing chaos), Haider told a select gathering of diplomats and delegates from France, Bosnia and over a dozen Arab countries.
Likening the media scene in the region to chaos and a free-for all which he said was robbing people of their time but also of peace of mind, Haider said that action-packed and dramatic media presentations were leaving news consumers more confused than informed.
We all know that it is lack of correct information or absence of it which leads to a conflict be that in a family or in a society, Haider said. So when our medium of information is in crisis, it is time to sit up and take note that we are sitting on a powder keg.
Media nowadays is acting like Supari killers of yesteryears. This new mafia has its own bosses who assign a task to the executioner disguising as an editor, he said.
The target is you and me. The target is not only our peace of mind but our whole existence, he said.
The intention behind launch of Trans Asia News was to provide a source of clean credible and reliable information to stakeholders who are out there looking for an alternative medium in the midst this chaos.
The primary goal (of the concept) , as the name suggests, was to connect vast, diverse yet unexplored swaths of the Asian continent. Make it easier for business people to keep themselves informed of the happenings so that they are able to take correct decisions based on reliable information.
Much of our region is emerging out from a long hibernation, brimming with the prospects of investment opportunities and business potential but what an investor or a trader needs is correct information to first enter the market and then secure that investment.
In the Asian region, be it Central Asia or the Middle East, a majority of the media outlets is either controlled by states or by vested interests. Since the region is mired in conflicts and wars there is fog of war hanging over, making it difficult for us to differentiate between propaganda and news.
Trans Asia News, the fast emerging pan Asian news and information network, has received an encouraging response not only from media outlets desperately looking to restore credibility but also from think tanks, diplomatic missions and business leaders, he said.
Also Read: G A Mir congratulates Sajad Haider for achieving Asia Arab Award
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