The Asia-Pacific Media Partnership Conference held today in Port Moresby has highlighted the positive impacts that broadcast media coupled with international events have had on the image of Papua New Guinea.
The conference, led by the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU) and hosted by EMTV, brought together participants from all over the Asia-Pacific region.
EMTV’s Chief Executive Officer, Bhanu Sud, told conference participants this morning that as an innovative public broadcaster, the company still had a long way to go.
“An organisation such as the ABU provides us with the opportunity to strengthen our voice and allow us to reach new audiences with our content,” said Sud.
Over the past 20 years, Papua New Guinea’s image has suffered due to bad publicity related to crime, corruption and political instability.
With the advent of social media and mobile phones and the increased use of Facebook over the past six years, user generated content has drawn attention to stories perceived as having a negative impact on tourism and potential investment.
EMTV, as a leading broadcaster in Papua New Guinea, has adopted an outward reaching attitude to provide a level of positivity, balance and credibility through the broadcast of major national events, using new technology and newly acquired outside broadcasting capabilities.
“Events such as the 2015 Pacific Games, the upcoming APEC leaders summit 2016, and the FIFA Women’s World Cup and the APEC meeting in 2018 are testament to PNG’s standing in the region and globally,” said Sud.
EMTV is also leveraging its online presence to capture user generated content through its Mi Ripot product.
“We have two levels of validation that take the user generated content and screen it before it is broadcast on the EMTV website and on our TV platform.
“In the age of social media, we strive to maintain our position as an internationally credible and balanced news source,” the CEO said.
