News Agencies Must Innovate To Stay Relevant, Says Antara's Managing Editor

By Wan Muhammad Aslah Wan Razali

KUALA LUMPUR, 17 Feb (Bernama) – The collaboration between Indonesia’s national news agency, ANTARA, and the Organisation of Asia-Pacific News Agencies (OANA) needs to be strengthened in the coming years, said its Managing Editor, Teguh Priyanto. 

As media across the globe face rapidly evolving challenges, Teguh emphasised that news agencies must adapt to maintain their relevance in an increasingly digital and competitive landscape.

“We are facing the same challenges in a constantly changing world. The relevance of news agencies in the future must be something we work towards together,” he said to Bernama, attending the 54th Executive Board Meeting (EBM) of OANA held at a prominent hotel in Kuala Lumpur today.

He highlighted several key obstacles facing today’s media, including the threat of news agencies becoming irrelevant if they fail to innovate. 

“Today’s media face many obstacles that could render news agencies obsolete,” 

“We must break through these barriers with strategic approaches that ensure we remain relevant,” he said.

One of the strategies he outlined was the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and technology in news production. 

Teguh urged media organisations to leverage AI tools to create unique and valuable content for the public, enabling them to stay ahead in an ever-evolving media ecosystem.

“AI must be utilised. We need to figure out how to use technology to create content that is not only engaging but also informative and useful to the public,” he said.

ANTARA, which operates 32 bureaus across Indonesia, has more than 350 subscribers nationwide. He also spoke of the importance of maintaining strong relationships with mainstream media outlets, most of which are still ANTARA’s customers, describing this as a significant advantage for the news agency in terms of information dissemination.

“The collaboration between news agencies and clients must be strong. To do so, we must remain relevant and earn their trust by providing credible news sources,” he said.

Teguh also underscored the importance of credibility over speed, acknowledging that the rush to deliver breaking news often leads to the spread of misinformation.

“Credibility is more important than speed. We need to be a credible media organisation so that the public trusts us,” he added.

Meanwhile, the Malaysian National News Agency (Bernama) has renewed its existing pact with ANTARA, adding further value to their ongoing cooperation.

The renewal, set to be formalised on Monday (Feb 17), aims to strengthen content services to meet the evolving demands of new media, where news is no longer confined to text alone.

The renewal of cooperation with the agencies will be formalised through an exchange of documents on the sidelines of the ongoing OANA 54th Executive Board Meeting (EBM).

The current Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Bernama and ANTARA was initially signed in November 2021 in Jakarta, witnessed by then Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob during his official visit to Indonesia.

Also in attendance were Bernama’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Datin Paduka Nur-ul Afida Kamaludin; Editor-in-Chief, Arul Rajoo Durar Raj; and Executive Editor for International News Service, Mohd Shukri Ishak, who is currently performing the duties of Deputy Editor-in-Chief.

The event was attended by OANA’s Secretary-General, Zaman Rezakhani, who also serves as the Director of International Relations at the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA), along with representatives from 13 international news agencies.

-- BERNAMA