World Journalists Conference 2024 Kicked off in Seoul
Chhay Sophal
Seoul, South Korea (22 April 2024): Some 100 Journalists from 47 nations, including Cambodia and the hosted Korea, gathered here today in the World Journalists Conference (WJC) 2024 organised by Journalists Association of Korea (JAK) to discuss the media roles in reporting on the global war and peace and their career at the time of AI Journalism.
With the topic of “The Role of Journalism in War Reporting and World Peace” and “Navigating the Horizon: AI Journalism and the Future of Media”, WJC 2024 aims to foster a sophisticated dialogue and explore the media’s imperative endeavors to include warfare and pave the way for humanity’s safe and fulfilling existence, drawing upon profound experiences of war correspondents.
The WJC2024 is done at a time when the world is terrified by wars erupting in Eastern Europe and the Middle East, leaving hundreds of thousands of people, especially innocent civilians and journalists, dead and wounded after the global disaster of COVID-19 while tensions in the Korean Peninsula and the South China Sea are also disrupting the world’s daily lives.
The world order has been lost and it cannot be happy and peaceful while the powerful have been taking advantages of each other in order to be the world big brother or unique superpower, aiming to take extreme interests by striving to occupy political and military geography respectively at the same time they are having nuclear weapons and wishing to press the button.
For media, the creation of false and fake news and contents to distract and take advantage of the public opinion has poisoned the public truth while the disputed parties are also trying to use all forms of their own propaganda with bias way as much as they can.
Speaking in the opening conference, JAK President Park Jong Hyun, said “This assembly will serve as a pivotal moment to deliberate on how journalism can extend its influence beyond reporting, towards facilitating an era of peace and security”.
While AI journalism and other tools like ChatGPT are rising, AI journalists are becoming a prominent issue in media circles worldwide and journalists have to pay attention on the future journalism such as ethical dilemmas, career choices, and the social implications.
The two themes for the conference represent challenges that journalists must introspectively examine and resolve, said Park Jong Hyun adding that “Our unity is rooted in a shared commitment to journalism, transcending differences in nationality, gender, skin, color, and ideology”.
the WJC2024 takes from April 21 to 26 April in Seoul, Gyeonggi-do, Incheon, Suwon and Ansan, including the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), a symbol of division, to be reminded of the preciousness of peace.
Since the establishment in 1964, JAK has stood as the preeminent journalists‘ consortium in South Korea, engaging over 12,000 members from 204 media establishments across newspapers, broadcasts, telecommunications, and digital platforms.
Started in 2013, JAK has hosted annual WJC for 12 times and it aims to tackle common global challenges and engage in meaningful discussions about the future of journalism.
