We must rethink the history that has been taught to us, tell our history of dignity and glory, as we unite in communications to tell the world that we are all together in this.
We believe that is how we are going to defeat McCarthyism once again—with grassroots movements and media that speak to them.
We must strengthen these networks so that as we go into the future, it is the voice of the majority that dominates our media discourse and not the voice of the elite minority that is responsible for our suffering.
This is a battle for the minds of people everywhere, and the struggle to win their hearts is our collective responsibility.
We need to collaborate and build solidarity to create the self-image that we wish to build together for the future and prosperity of our people.
Change is needed in the media. A new media and new ideas to prepare people for the future are needed.
It is the unshirkable responsibility of scholars, the media, and related sectors to promote objective publicity and reporting on Africa, so that the public may gain an accurate and objective understanding of the continent. The same applies in reverse.
If we look back at this century marked by the May Fourth Movement, what have been the key processes and transformations that China has gone through?
We want to produce a news agenda that highlights the work of ordinary people to make a difference in the world.
Paula Slier critiques Western media distortions of Africa, highlighting underreported conflicts driven by resource interests. Drawing from her RT Africa work, she stresses challenges faced by journalists, the manipulation of narratives through the “war on terror,” and growing African alignment with alternative global powers like Russia and China.
Phakamile Hlubi-Majola criticizes South Africa’s pro-capitalist media for silencing working-class voices. Highlighting events like the Marikana massacre, she calls for media rooted in Marxist-Leninist principles and driven by grassroots power, urging workers to build and control their own platforms to challenge imperialist narratives.
Vsevolod Pulya of RT underscores the importance of media sovereignty in preserving cultural identity and promoting balanced narratives. While defending local control over media, he criticizes Western censorship of Russian outlets—even non-political ones—calling for transparent, fair regulations. Pulya advocates for global dialogue through respectful foreign media presence, emphasizing mutual understanding over hegemony.
Mohammad Mahdi of PressTV highlights the challenges faced under Western media suppression, including censorship and sanctions, while reaffirming their mission to be “the voice of the voiceless.” He calls for Global South media solidarity, independent platforms, and proactive reporting to counter Global North hegemony and reshape global narratives.
Liu Xin shares her experience reporting on Tibet and stresses the importance of truthful storytelling amid global skepticism. She calls for unity beyond ideology, grassroots engagement, and innovation in media to challenge longstanding hegemonies, expressing confidence that time and history will validate their work.
Mikaela Nhondo Erskog critiques U.S. soft power and media influence in Africa, exposing strategies to counter China and control narratives. She highlights historical and ongoing media manipulation, urging anti-imperialist, people-centered media rooted in solidarity, political clarity, and resistance to hegemonic interests.
Professor Yin Zhiguang critiques soft power as a hegemonic tool and calls for people-centered state-building. Using historical and contemporary China-Africa comparisons, he argues that true transformation requires collective memory, material change, and the hegemony of the people—not elites or imperialist narratives.
Zhang Cuirong reflects on her reporting in Venezuela during the early 2000s, focusing on grassroots media's role in participatory democracy. She highlights the achievements and challenges of the Latin American left, emphasizing the need to learn from past revolutions amid current political shifts.
The critical question now is: how can the socialist unification faction—which truly opposes imperialism and foreign military bases—help progressive activists in these regions recognize that we are their true allies in the struggle?
Together, we aim to explore a new path for international communication—one that serves the broadest masses of people worldwide and truly follows the mass line.
To effectively hold high the banner of development, we must also innovate in our development models and theories.
For today’s Global South media, without a strategy for localization and without sovereign control of major platforms, your voice and influence will inevitably be confined to the bounds of what Western monopolistic platforms permit.
Only by breaking free from these traps embedded in the topic of the future of media and news communication in the Global South, can we begin to see the issues more clearly.