East Asian countries may be going through a process of dazzling development, but when it comes to the mass media, Western countries are still the world's prime movers. Since 1998 the Sasakawa Pan Asia Fund has supported a variety of projects to foster journalists in Southeast Asia. Building on the accomplishments thus far, the present project aims to expand networks of journalists across the entire Asian region and consolidate a foundation for transmitting news to the world from Asia.
The Asian Journalist Forum was held in Bangkok January 29-30, 2004, with the theme "Media, Democracy, and Human Rights." Discussions were held among 26 participants, including some from Central Asia, the Middle East, and the United States, representing 11 countries. In March 2004 the online magazine AsiaViews, which is jointly produced by editors at five influential Southeast Asian media organizations, was launched (www.asiaviews.org). This marks an initial step toward the establishment of a foundation for transmissions from Asia of original Asian news, uninfluenced by the value systems of the Western media.