KUCHING: The Sarawak government welcomes the Sarawak Media Conference to be held in the state as a yearly event.
Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg said the conference would allow discussion on matters related to the media industry.
“Yesterday (May 26), we shared the policies that are related to journalism and this is the first time we held a special conference on the media industry.
“God willing, we will hold it (Sarawak Media Conference) every year in Sarawak,” he said this during the ‘Majlis Kemuncak Hawana 2024’ held at the Waterfront Hotel here on Monday (May 27).
Abang Johari also said with the rapid pace of technological migration, it demands adaptation by the media industry.
“I feel that besides being dominant in our space for sending our signal, through signals we send our data and with data we send our information. But, we must also know the hardware that is being used.
“As Sarawak normally organises International Digital Economy Conference Sarawak (IDECS) which among them focus on digital and technological infrastructure.
“Perhaps, for the next conference (Sarawak Media Conference), I suggest to Datuk Abdullah Saidol (Deputy Minister in the Sarawak Premier’s Department (Corporate Affairs, Information, and UKAS) that we also exhibit all the hardware being used by journalists, especially the latest technology that is being used,” he said.
He added that the media industry faces challenges in the digital era and generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) will change the whole landscape of reporting.
“Therefore, that is where fake and genuine news can be differentiated if we know the hardware as well software that we used in information dissemination.”
Earlier, the inaugural Sarawak Media Conference themed ‘The Evolution of Media in the Digital Era’ was held for two days at Riverside Majestic Hotel from May 26 to 27.