STORY: BRICS media leaders urge addressing common global challenges for shared future
DATELINE: Aug. 20, 2023
LENGTH: 0:02:21
LOCATION: JOHANNESBURG, South Africa
CATEGORY: POLITICS

SHOTLIST:
1. SOUNDBITE 1 (ENGLISH): DAKOTA LEGOETE, Member of the National Executive Committee of the African National Congress
2. SOUNDBITE 2 (ENGLISH): IQBAL SURVE, Executive Chairman of Independent Media of South Africa
3. SOUNDBITE 3 (ENGLISH): ELIZAVETA BRODSKAYA, First deputy editor-in-chief of Russia Today

STORYLINE:

Media officials and professionals from the BRICS countries have called for efforts to address common global challenges in a bid to build a shared future for all at the Sixth BRICS Media Forum, which kicked off Saturday in Johannesburg, South Africa.
   
Dakota Legoete, member of the National Executive Committee of the African National Congress, said that the BRICS media have demonstrated that the media should be committed to promoting world development, rather than becoming a tool to provoke wars.

SOUNDBITE 1 (ENGLISH): DAKOTA LEGOETE, Member of the National Executive Committee of the African National Congress
"We have now seen the result of a unipolar world where one country can be a police officer of the world. They arrogated to themselves the power to attack any sovereign state, place, any sovereign state they don't like with unilateral sanctions, bullying all the countries, to use their financial currency. The forum is important because we seek an alternative to the utilization of media platforms and technologies for development instead of the use of media for propaganda and war-mongering."

Media officials also said that the forum sheds light on the challenges faced by developing nations, providing them with a platform to express their perspectives and aspirations.

SOUNDBITE 2 (ENGLISH): IQBAL SURVE, Executive Chairman of Independent Media of South Africa
"Our countries in Africa and many other countries in BRICS are very much developing countries. We have not yet reached prosperity. Neither have we reached the middle-income status. It's really important that we give voice to the needs of our people, our communities and our societies and through media, we can do this. We must be the voice of the underprivileged."

SOUNDBITE 3 (ENGLISH): ELIZAVETA BRODSKAYA, First deputy editor-in-chief of Russia Today
"So what's the media's role in the new world? For decades, the American and British media have been arbiters of what is important and what is relevant. We on our team believe that the local population of each respective country should set the agenda of what's important and what is relevant."

The forum, which will run into Sunday, was attended by around 200 deputies from around 100 media outlets, think tanks and international organizations from about 30 countries.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Johannesburg, South Africa.
(XHTV)