Perceptions that social media is more trustworthy than newspapers are a topic the upcoming Publish Asia conference in Kuala Lumpur plans to address... and a reminder to get Media Awards entries in!

High level speakers include president of the World Editors Forum Marcelo Rech, who is also editorial vice president of Brazil's RBS Group, and Hiu-tung Ng, founder of Hong Kong's FactWire.

The conference, from April 18-20, will be a call for action on rebuilding trust in news media. Though newspapers enjoy unmatched credibility in the media world, news readers trust user generated content even more, with 50 per cent considering social networks trustworthy against 44 per cent for newspapers.

The fake news scandal in the US elections has highlighted a major threat to media credibility in the social media era, but it has also opened up opportunities to rebuild the public's trust in quality journalism as it is practiced by legacy media organisations.

Organisers WAN-Ifra says Publish Asia will dedicate a plenary session to review what news media can do to reassess their journalism practices, optimise their news verification processes and strengthen their brands. Later a breakout session for editors will initiate a debate on the specific challenges that misinformation/disinformation represent in Asia Pacific, and will kickstart a conversation on the opportunity to create an Asian fact-checking task force.

Rech, 55, is editorial vice president of RBS Group, which owns 18 TV stations, two community TV stations, 25 radio stations and eight newspapers and internet portals, among other media businesses. A former reporter who specialised in internal and international conflicts, he covered five expeditions to Antarctica, the fall of the Soviet Union and the economic transition in Russia, and the Gulf War.

Don Ng worked for a number of local newspapers including the Hong Kong Daily News, Wah Kiu Yat Po and the South China Morning Post before joining TVB's newsroom, where assignments took him to North Korea, East Timor, Afghanistan, London and Washington. Later he joined the China desk of Cable News, and was assigned to Baghdad and Kuwait during the US invasion in Iraq. He has received many international journalism awards, including the RTNDA Edward R. Murrow Award, New York Film Festival Gold Award, and the Human Rights Award.

Among others speaking to the topic is Bambang Harymurti, chief executive and group editor in chief of Tempo Inti Media in Indonesia.

Check the full programme and register here

• Winners of this year's Asian Media Awards 2017 will be presented at Publish Asia. Registration is open, but the closing date for entries is tomorrow, February 10.

Pictured: Marcelo Rech (left) and Bambang Harymurti