Taiwan's CNA to mark 100th anniversary with events, new initiatives

Taipei, June 21 (CNA) The Taipei-based Central News Agency (CNA), Taiwan's national news agency, is marking its 100th anniversary with a series of events, including an international media forum, and the launch of Indonesian-language and net-zero-themed websites.

This year also marks the 28th anniversary of CNA being restructured into a nonprofit corporation that has served as the country's national wire service since 1996.

The centennial celebrations will showcase how CNA, which also reports news in English and Japanese on its Focus Taiwan website, is using new technologies, like AI, and its commitment to reporting global issues, including climate change and the path to net zero, it said.

The forum will be held on July 1 at the Grand Hyatt Taipei, and address issues including information manipulation and the impact of social media, with participants including global media executives, local journalists, scholars, and officials.

It will feature a keynote by Peter Limbourg from Deutsche Welle and panel discussions with experts from various international media organizations.

Notable attendees will include the founder of Taiwan AI Labs Ethan Tu (杜奕瑾), Lo Shih-hong (羅世宏), a professor with National Chung Cheng University, and YouTuber Shasha 77.

Meanwhile, CNA will launch an Indonesian-language news site on July 1, designed to cater to Indonesian migrant workers in Taiwan and increase the visibility of Taiwanese news in Indonesia.

CNA was founded on April 1, 1924, in Guangzhou, mainland China, and relocated with the Republic of China government to Taiwan in 1949.

Along with Taiwan's democratization, CNA was restructured into a nonprofit corporation and became the country's national news agency when a law governing its establishment was passed by the Legislative Yuan in 1996.

A new webpage providing a snapshot of CNA over the years has also been launched to mark the anniversaries.

Furthermore, an exhibition featuring photographs and artifacts kicked off at the Taiwan Contemporary Culture Lab in Taipei in March, and a book about the history of CNA, featuring more than 100 photos, will be published by the end of June.

CNA also released a book about carbon trading in May and launched its podcast on the net zero mission on June 21. The website dedicated to environmental matters and net zero will go live on July 1.

Forums on sustainability will be held in Taipei, Taichung, and Kaohsiung from June to August.