ABU News Group Meeting & Global News Forum highlights

The ABU News Group Meeting and Global News Forum 2025 officially commenced on 21 May 2025 at the Hilton Bomonti Hotel and Conference Center in Istanbul. The three-day event, held from 21 to 23 May 2025, brought together leading broadcasters and media professionals from across the Asia-Pacific region.

The Secretary-General of the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU), Mr Ahmed Nadeem, delivered the opening address, warmly welcoming delegates and participants to the annual gathering. His remarks set the tone for an event focused on collaboration, innovation, and the evolving role of media in a rapidly changing world.

During the opening session, ABU News Group Chairman Ahmet Görmez presented the annual Chair update. He also took the opportunity to recognise excellence in news reporting by presenting the Asiavision Monthly Awards for the period of December 2024 to April 2025. The award recipients were:

• December 2024: TRT – Coverage of Syria’s Regime Change
• January 2025: TVRI – Reporter Package on Early Warning System
• February 2025: NHK – Top Downloads of the Month
• March 2025: ABS-CBN – Coverage of the Arrest of Former President Duterte
• April 2025: ABC – Coverage of the Australian General Elections

A key highlight of the meeting was the AVN Panel Discussion titled “Issues of the Past Year and Priorities for the Next 12 Months.” The panel, chaired by ABU News Group Chairman Mr Ahmet Görmez, featured ABU News Group Vice Chairs Ms Nesryn Bouziane and Mr Fumitaka Sato, along with the newly appointed Director of News, Mr Indra Singh.

The discussion delved into the challenges and achievements of the past year, while outlining strategic goals for the year ahead. Delegates emphasised the critical importance of Asiavision as a reliable and timely source for both breaking news and feature content. The discussion also highlighted the growing need for cross-border collaboration and content sharing to support the diverse newsrooms of the region.

In addition, member updates were presented by VTV – Vietnam, KBS – South Korea, ThaiPBS – Thailand, and BTV – Bangladesh during the members’ update session. A panel discussion titled “Strengthening Newsrooms Through Mentorship and Opportunity” also took place on the first day of the event.

With the theme “Journalism under Fire,” the Global News Forum, held on the following day, focused on the daily struggles and challenges faced by journalists worldwide. Beyond those reporting from war and conflict zones, journalists were increasingly vulnerable to threats stemming from the widespread availability of information online, including misinformation, misrepresentation, and public misunderstanding.

The ABU News Group Meeting and Global News Forum concluded on 23 May, with sessions addressing newsroom innovation, regional cooperation, and the future of public broadcasting in the digital age.