Moscow - The World Media Summit opened in Russia on Thursday with welcome messages from President Vladimir Putin and United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki Moon.
The summit will focus on issues related to mass media all over the world.
At least 300 managers representing more than 213 mass media from 102 countries are participating in the summit. Among them are presidents, directors general and chief editors of news agencies, television channels and radio stations such as Associated Press, BBC, Reuters, NBC, Al Jazeera, Kyodo, Xinhua, MENA.
Leaders of nine international organisations, including UNESCO, as well as the delegation of the European Parliament have been invited to take part in the summit.
The forum entitled "Global Media: Challenges of the 21st Century" is being organised by the Russian Itar-Tass news agency.
Delegates will over the next few days discuss issues relating to the development of electronic mass media, the significance of social networks in the present-day world, the relationship between mass media and business, and problems of journalistic ethics.
They will also discuss the role of the press in world political changes, the model of mass media survival amidst the economic crisis and key tendencies for the transformation of traditional media.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon told the opening of the gathering via a video message that a free media was critical to true democracy and sustainable development.
"This is a time of great transformation in the way people produce and receive information. Your roles are changing. And you have come together in Moscow to discuss emerging issues and pressing concerns.
Changes in media are opening a world of opportunities," he said.
In his welcome remarks to the participants, President Putin said it was the diversity of media resources - from daily newspapers to television channels and electronic mass media and the Internet - that largely determined the current and future realities in world politics, the economy and in all spheres of life.
"This role requires high professional civil and moral responsibility."
He said it was for this reason that the summit should discuss key issues such as the evolvement of ethnical norms for the mass media community to follow, enhancement of the guarantees of impartiality and independence of journalism, guarantees of the freedom of speech, the promotion of an equitable and constructive dialogue with bodies of state power, business circles and non-governmental organizations.
