Durban – The CEO of TV BRICS Media Network, Janna Tolstikova, said the expansion of the BRICS member nations to 11 countries offered the media the opportunity to reach out and strengthen the ties of the people of the BRICS nations because it was all about people-to-people connections.
The TV BRICS Media Network has more than 50 national media partners in 11 countries, including African countries such as Mozambique, Zimbabwe and South Africa, and Latin American countries such as Venezuela and Cuba, and is already in co-operation with several news sources in Argentina.
TV BRICS sees the growing role of information exchange between national media in strengthening relations between countries.
Tolstikova said being a joint partner in the international media network, TV BRICS constantly accumulate, prepare and distribute the information about the BRICS joint agenda as well as each member's national agenda using local media resources in all the member states.
“Our media network has been actively pursuing a policy of exchanging high-quality information with the BRICS countries since we were established six years ago.
“We integrate our national news content in other news agenda of local media that already has its own viewers or users.
“We collect and distribute local news stories prepared by the local editorial boards in our information exchange, making steps to bring those countries closer to each other.”
Tolstikova said the network was pleased to welcome local media companies from Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Saudi Arabia and the UAE to join it in multilateral information exchange in order to speak up and to work together with BRICS national media.
“I believe the expansion of the bloc will give a new impetus to interaction between the already established members of the association and will bring BRICS to a completely new level of economic and cultural relations.
“The agenda is expanding and our mission is to focus on distributing a constructive, peaceful agenda related to existing and potential co-operation between countries.”
Tolstikova said the network paid attention to the social issues, education, health care and cultures of the BRICS countries.
“We believe that peaceful content can truly unite the member countries of the bloc, at the same time in reaching and strengthening ties of the people of the BRICS because it is all about people-to-people connections.
“New participants are representatives of different continents, different cultures and representatives of traditions and this opens up an unusual and interesting world for the audiences of the TV BRICS partner media resources… a new world that will now be available to all of us through proper media coverage pursued by local journalists.”
In August, Tolstikova addressed the BRICS Media Forum in Johannesburg, in a panel session on “Strengthening Exchanges: The Role of Media in Fostering Africa's Economic Growth”.
She highlighted the value of presenting information to the global community through Africa’s own national media, along with its vision from local journalists and creators.
“Africa’s media resources should have access to freely perform its own vision to global audiences. This would allow them to talk more about Africa’s economic agenda, the struggles its countries face and what solutions Africa has to offer the world.
“This can be done through an international information exchange that shapes the national agenda of each country to the audience of another country, and brings them closer and builds a base for further connections and mutual interests in various fields. We believe it helps to stimulate the development of each country and to enhance the common growth between the countries when we put a light on any field using media tools.”