Singapore
Technology, such as Augmented Reality and Artificial Intelligence, is increasingly being tapped to help deliver the news, says Mediacorp chairman Niam Chiam Meng on CNA’s 20th anniversary.
Mediacorp Chairman Niam Chiang Meng speaks at CNA 20th anniversary celebration on Mar 29, 2019. (Photo: Gaya Chandramohan)
SINGAPORE: Media outlet CNA intends to be an impartial provider of accurate information and insights, and a source to uplift the standards of journalism and knowledge among the public as it commits to a fully transmedia future amid the changing media landscape, said Mediacorp chairman Niam Chiang Meng.
“Much has changed in the media landscape today. Aggregators, online news, celebrity bloggers and citizen journalism have become commonplace,” he said at CNA’s 20th anniversary gala dinner.
“It is no longer easy to differentiate opinions from facts.”
Fake news has also proliferated, the chairman said.
“Accuracy is no longer as valued as in the past. It’s no wonder that public indifference and cynicism have grown,” Mr Niam said.
READ: Channel NewsAsia to adopt ‘CNA’ as its brand name
BRAND CHANGE, NEW INITIATIVES IN PIPELINE
To stay relevant, CNA has worked hard to transform itself into a transmedia company, available on every platform that the public is using.
As part of this transformation, the brand name of Channel NewsAsia has been shortened to CNA.
“We are dropping the television-centric reference to channel embracing our new transmedia, multiplatform identity,” he said.
It is also investing heavily in technology, including augmented reality (AR) and artificial intelligence (AI), to produce various facets of news, as well as exploring various partnerships to grow its content and distribution channels, Mr Niam said.
READ: Role of CNA in ‘cacophonous’ media landscape ‘more important than ever’: PM Lee
The chairman also revealed several initiatives to reflect changing needs and preferences.
The first is the introduction of Asia First, a cross-platform programme that will combine the best of the current two morning shows First Look Asia and Asia Business First. The new programme will sync live news coverage between TV and radio studios and CNA’s online digital platform, he said.
CNA Talk will replace news radio station 938Now later this year, with significantly more live talk radio built around news and current affairs, he added.
A single integrated user-generated content platform, called Tell CNA, will also be launched later this year. This will give the public a seamless platform to send text, photos or videos through the website, WhatsApp or mobile app, Mr Niam said, adding the content will be verified by its team of editors before reporting is done.
The chairman revealed that Mediacorp will also host the inaugural CNA Leadership Summit, slated for the third quarter of 2019. The conference will bring together thought leaders from different industries on the topic of Asian leadership in global innovation, he said.
“We intend to be an impartial provider of accurate information and insights, and a source to uplift the standards of journalism and knowledge amongst the public,” Mr Niam said.
