Azernews.Az

A roundtable entitled "The Topical Issues of Mass Media in the Globalizing Information Network' organized by AzerTAc as part of the Third Baku International Humanitarian Forum kicked off at Kempinski Hotel Badamdar of Azerbaijani capital on November 1.

The roundtable features three separate panels as "New Technologies and Contemporary Media", the "Mass Media and Inter-Civilization Dialogue: from Polarity to Engagement and Tolerance" and the "Traditional Journalism and Social Networks".

The first panel moderated by Mr. Mikhail Gusman, first deputy Director General, ITAR-TASS agency, Russia, is to discuss the questions related to application of new technologies in new media.

The second panel will discuss the role of contemporary journalism once global humanitarian problems of humanity related to existence and welfare of a human being take topicality. In a new millennium when religious and interethnic tolerance, mutual understanding among peoples, races, cultures, religious and social groups become topical, it is journalism that has a special role in enabling people to know one another better, deepen understanding among them and strengthen tolerance.

The link between conventional news industry and rapidly developing social media will be the focus of discussions on the third panel.

The third Baku International Humanitarian Forum opened in the Azerbaijani capital at the Heydar Aliyev Center on October 31.

Baku International Humanitarian Forum is a high-profile global scientific and political platform for tackling the challenges facing humanity in the 21st century, holding dialogue, discussions and exchange of views on a wide range of issues of humanitarian cooperation. It is an annual event that brings together outstanding representatives of political, scientific and cultural elite of the world, including well-known statesmen, Nobel Prize winners in various fields of science and heads of influential international organizations.

President Aliyev and former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev initiated the Forum in 2010.

Representatives of natural, social sciences and humanities, as well as the cultural elite of the world who have set the ambitious task of forming a new humanitarian agenda with a view to further considering it on the worldwide scale are the organizers and participants of the forum.

With its rich traditions of cooperation among different cultures, civilizations and religions, Azerbaijan is the ideal venue for holding such events.