Arya News - Celebrating 30 years of supporting independent journalism, KAS Media Programme Asia brought together over 100 journalists, alumni, and partners in Chiang Mai to champion ethical reporting, trust, and cross-border collaboration in the era of AI.
CHIANG MAI – Building trust across borders: KAS Media Programme Asia and Asia News Network continue shared mission to bring Asia closer together
Over 100 journalists, alumni, and partners of the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS) Foundation are joining the KAS Media Programme Asia 30th Anniversary Conference from November 5-7, 2026 in Chiang Mai, Thailand.
Fabian Wagener, the Director of the KAS Media Programme Asia, said in his opening remarks that KAS’s mission has remained clear: “To foster a free, responsible, and ethical press across the region – a commitment that remains at the very core of KAS work today.”
KAS was founded in 1996, and Thomas Stehling, founding Director of the KAS Media Programme Asia, and Christian Echle, Head of KAS’ Asia/Pacific Department in Berlin, also attended the event.
“The overarching goal of our work as the Media Programme Asia is to support an ethical press, to promote young talents on their way into journalism, and to bridge continents by connecting leading Asian journalists with partners in Germany and across Europe,” said Wagener.
Christian Echle, in his opening address, said that the media landscape today has become so different from 30 years ago. Before, the question was how to get the information to reach the public; today, it is increasingly how to establish which information the public can trust.
Christian Echle, Head of KAS’ Asia/Pacific Department in Berlin, gives his opening address. PHOTO: GEELA GARCIA
Echle said that KAS’s role in the foundation is to offer opportunities, connections, platforms, and support, and it is this understanding of partnership that has guided the KAS Media Programme Asia for the past 30 years.
“The fundamental ambition of the programme is to promote free, responsible, and ethical journalism, to strengthen professional standards, and to connect media professionals across national borders. I believe one of the programme’s greatest achievements is that it has remained faithful to its mission while constantly adapting to a changing world,” Echle said.
“Its history is not simply a history of projects and publications. It is a history of people, ideas, and partnerships. The Asia News Network is one important example,” he added.
KAS Media Programme Asia helped in the establishment of the Asia News Network (ANN) in the mid 1990s. ANN is an alliance of twenty leading newspapers across Southeast, East, and South Asia, working together to cover the defining stories of the region.
Asia News Network chairperson and Star Media Group chief content officer Datin Paduka Esther Ng, in her partner address, emphasised that journalists and editors at the conference may be different in terms of the type of media houses and the political, economic, and cultural environments they belong to.
However, they are similar as editors facing the same geopolitical tensions, especially with the rise of artificial intelligence, along with climate change and economic uncertainties.
Despite all these, the journalists and editors present serve the Asian public, many of whom share the same hopes, concerns, and dreams.
Asia News Network chairperson and Star Media Group chief content officer Datin Paduka Esther Ng giving her partner address. PHOTO: GEELA GARCIA
“At the heart of it all, Asians want to live in societies where their voices are not pushed aside, where their identities are respected and where progress is shared all round. This want is our common ground, and this is something we at ANN should hold on to strengthen,” said Ng.
Asia News Network chairperson and Star Media Group chief content officer Datin Paduka Esther Ng, in her partner address, emphasised that journalists and editors at the conference may be different in terms of the type of media houses and the political, economic, and cultural environments they belong to.
However, they are similar as editors facing the same geopolitical tensions, especially with the rise of artificial intelligence, along with climate change and economic uncertainties.
Despite all these, the journalists and editors present serve the Asian public, many of whom share the same hopes, concerns, and dreams.
Journalists, alumni, and KAS partners attend the conference in Chiang Mai, Thailand. PHOTO: GEELA GARCIA
“At the heart of it all, Asians want to live in societies where their voices are not pushed aside, where their identities are respected and where progress is shared all round. This want is our common ground, and this is something we at ANN should hold on to strengthen,” said Ng.
Going back to Echle’s opening remarks, the Head of KAS’ Asia/Pacific Department said that journalists carry an enormous responsibility, and this responsibility requires fairness, accountability, and independence not only from governments but also from political parties and commercial interests – KAS aims to support independent journalism to defend journalists’ right to question institutions.
“We do not support independent journalism because we expect it to provide the answers we like. We support it because democratic societies need the freedom to discover answers we may not like. That is the meaning of the press as it falls in the state. It is not another branch of government. It is an independent institution of public scrutiny,” said Echle.
“Let us celebrate 30 years of achievement, 30 years of partnership, and 30 years of asking the right questions. And let us look forward to the next 30 years. The future of journalism may be uncertain, but the need for independent journalism is not.”
“Freedom of the press is not freedom from professional standards. It requires accuracy, fairness, transparency, accountability, and the willingness to correct mistakes. And it requires independence, not only from the government but also from political parties and commercial interests, said Echle.
The KAS media conference in Chiang Mai isn’t just to look back at 30 years of history and collaboration; journalists and alumni of the programme are invited to also look forward – and to continue serving the public.
Over the next few days, journalists will be attending panels on press freedom, technology, disinformation, and climate reporting, as well as one-on-one labs and networking sessions.