Some participants at the China and South Asian countries media exchange believe the traditional media still have a future in the new era.
They gathered lately in Yuxi, southwest China's Yunnan Province, discussing media innovation and cooperation among the countries.
One of their issues of interest is: Facing the challenge of new media (digital or mobile media forms), do the traditional media still have a future in the new era?
Traditional media include television, radio and print publications.
Their answer is yes.
Firstly, they stressed the high validity and sound credibility -- the foothold of media world, which has been carried out by the traditional media for years and is still alive.
"Traditional media still have lots of validity, lots of credibility in giving news,” said Saranga Wijeyarathne, Director General in Sri Lanka Rupavahini Television Corporation.
Prasanna Radhakrishnan, Chief of Bureau of The Week, a weekly publication as well as the largest circulated English news magazine in India, pointed to the high demand for real facts from the public.
"People want credible news," Radhakrishnan said. "They may get information from everywher. But news is different from information."
Secondly, they believed that by embracing new technologies and innovation, the traditional media can actually transform and take on some of the welcome functions of the new media.
"Why people like new media is because it creates a lot of excitement, and it's convenient," explained Wijeyarathne.
"Traditional media also can create excitement and convenience if they really want to give some flexibility," Wijeyarathne added.
In India, the circulation of newspapers and magazines in recent years has risen up, Radhakrishnan gave this as an example in support.
The breakthrough was made due to the traditional media's gradual progress in using new technology, Radhakrishnan said.
"It may not be an actual paper," said Radhakrishnan, "but shifted into digital platform."
Moreover, they believed openness toward social media greatly helps traditional media strengthen their presence.
Social media and traditional media are not directly opposed to each other, but in fact can learn from each other, according to them.
To attract the younger generation, Radhakrishnan suggested the traditional media step forward in learning from new media about winning readership, particularly the younger one, and adapt to meet its need.
"They have to adapt. They have to understand what the younger generation wants, then catch up with them," said Radhakrishnan.
Finally, they believed the human factor is always at the center within the news production chain, no matter how technology gets updatd.
"What we call modern today is not modern tomorrow," Wijeyarathne said. "We are still talking about apps or websites, or maybe a mobile alert, all kind of things to get news but (they're) soon to be obsolete, too."
But professionals, well-trained, diligently-practiced, and profoundly-experienced professionals, will always go along with the times and remain modern, they believed.
"You can't take the human factor completely out from the media and talk about advancement," Wijeyarathne added.
metaphorizing news writing and presenting process as a "mind gear," he stressed that media contents made by human beings will be better understood by human beings.
Radhakrishnan echoed that though new media help with news gathering and streaming, professionals are the ones who make that happen.
Thus, they believed traditional media will remain green as long as human resources are highly valued in the chain.
In this sense, they argued exchange between media of China and South Asian countries will surely exert a positive influence on the development of traditional media.
