Antara, Bernama renew agreement in text, photo, video exchange

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (ANTARA) - Indonesian News Agency, Antara, and Malaysian News Agency, Bernama, strengthened their existing cooperation by renewing the memorandum of understanding (MoU) in the news sector, which now encompasses text, photo, and video news.

Antara Managing Editor Teguh Priyanto stated in Kuala Lumpur on Monday that the MoU renewal signifies progress toward strengthening cooperation in the news sector amid the turmoil in the current global media situation.

"In the future, we must improve cooperation to establish stronger media relevance, especially between Bernama and Antara in Southeast Asia," he remarked.

Meanwhile, Chief Executive of Bernama, Datin Paduka Nur-ul Afida Kamaludin, remarked that the two companies had previously inked an MoU focused on text news cooperation in 2021.

She recalled her discussions with Antara President Director Akhmad Munir in 2024, on the sidelines of the 53rd Executive Board Meeting of the Organization of Asia Pacific News Agencies (OANA) in Moscow, Russia, where they agreed to expand cooperation between the two news agencies.

Following continuous meetings from 2024 to 2025, Antara and Bernama agreed to advance their cooperation in text, photo, and video exchange.

Kamaludin then expressed hope as fellow national news agencies to facilitate the exchange of journalists and photojournalists between Bernama and Antara.

As fellow national news agencies, both parties realized the important role of each other's news agencies.

"We are no longer competing, but we can leverage each other's strengths to jointly utilize our content," Kamaludin affirmed.

She cited as an example that Malaysia would be leading ASEAN this year while Indonesia has a new leader and government under President Prabowo Subianto.

"So both news agencies can share news," she stated, adding that when the Indonesian Capital City (IKN) in East Kalimantan is completed, its news coverage can be further improved in Malaysia.

"The Malaysian prime minister and the Indonesian president are good partners. We can utilize the relationship in the form of news agency cooperation," she affirmed.

The exchange of MoU documents took place on the sidelines of the 54th OANA Executive Board Meeting in Kuala Lumpur on February 16-19, 2025, and was witnessed by Malaysian Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil and Chairman of Bernama Datuk Seri Wong Chun Wai.