KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 21: The Non-Aligned Movement is to set up a Malaysia-based alternative news network for developing nations to counter what officials have termed “discriminatory and distorted” Western reporting. The decision was announced by Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi at a conference of the Non-Aligned Movement on Monday.

“The nature and flow of information is increasingly dominated and influenced by a handful of media players in developed countries,” Abdullah said in his speech at a meeting of NAM information ministers.

“As a result, the news and information that is reported may not necessarily reflect the needs of developing countries nor consider their perspectives and views,” he said in his speech which was read by Deputy Premier Najib Razak.

“Therefore there is a critical need to correct this imbalance and to improve the flow of information among NAM member countries,” Abdullah said.

The Kuala Lumpur-based NAM News Network (NNN), to be run by Malaysia’s national Bernama news agency, would allow developing countries the “opportunity to present their case to their world,” Najib later told a news conference.

“Quite often, the side of developing countries are not being conveyed in a proper perspective,” he said.

“The purpose of the triple-N is to give all countries a chance to convey their own perspective. If you think your side of the story has not been fairly transmitted to the world then you can utilise the triple-N service to tell your story to the world,” he said.

The NNN, to be operational by 2007, would be an Internet-based news outlet, using contributions from agencies and selected newspapers of member countries, according to a draft document discussed by senior officials at the weekend.

Najib declined to reveal the budget, which Malaysia will fund.

A draft paper discussed by senior officials over the weekend referred to “discriminatory and distorted” Western reporting.

Iranian Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance Mohammad Hossein Saffar Harandi told reporters: “What is at the moment prevailing in the world is just a one-sided flow of information from the north countries to the south.”

“If we look from the perspective of news from countries like America then there is a misperception of Iran, and the realities are not being shown,” he said when asked if he thought Iran was being portrayed accurately amid allegations it is developing nuclear weapons.

Dozens of delegates from more than 80 member states including Afghanistan, Indonesia, Myanmar, North Korea and Zimbabwe are attending the two-day ministerial meeting.

Malaysia is the current chairman of the Non-Aligned Movement, a grouping of more than 100 mainly developing nations formed during the Cold War as an alternative to the Western and Eastern power blocs.

In recent years the grouping has turned its attention to social issues as it struggles to maintain its relevance in the modern world.—AFP