The Non-Aligned Movement, of which Thailand is inexplicably a member, has just taken its greatest decision since its heady Cold War days. NAM has voted to set up an international news agency, to be called Non-aligned News Network (NNN) and based on the Internet. The decision was reached at a meeting of information and propaganda ministers of the 114 member nations in Malaysia. That alone was fitting, since Kuala Lumpur has railed for the past 25 years against the power of western news media, and lobbied for a third-world alternative. Instead of the tightly controlled organisation with United Nations-licensed journalists once envisaged by Malaysia, NNN is to be a consortium of news agencies from NAM members.

It always has been possible to sympathise with Malaysia and other countries in their criticism of Western media companies. US and European media have long been the primary source of news, analysis and worldview for almost all the world, bar hermit states like North Korea and Burma. Nor can anyone deny that other regions have important and riveting stories to tell, and opinions to consider. But NNN, although it deserves every chance to succeed, seems unlikely to be a success. In fact, if it only aggregates government news agencies, it will not be. News in our time has largely been dominated by big, Western media, but there are a growing number of exceptions. The successful media dominate the newsstands and airwaves the same way that Hollywood and Bollywood dominate cinemas around the globe, Finnish mobile phones dominate the malls and Thai food dominates restaurants. Thai food, says the Kansas City Star, is "as ubiquitous as burgers, as familiar to many Kansas Citians as fried chicken." That's because it's good, not because it's government-approved. The Qatar TV network al-Jazeera has easily broken the western media broadcast monopoly in the Middle East, by providing independent news and views. People generally choose their media based on whether it is attractive to read, hear or watch, but more importantly and continuously on credibility. Even the slickest, most readable government news agencies are not credible.

Every newcomer must get a chance, but it seems unlikely NNN can be more credible than the sum of the government news agencies it seeks to publicise. A few of these - and this includes the often surprising Thai News Agency - contain gems of excellent reporting and editing. Most, however, are nothing but government mouthpieces and often for dreadful, unhealthy governments at that. Ironically, the Thai delegate to the NAM meeting was able to put his finger directly on the problem faced by NNN - "ironically", given the unrelenting anti-press campaign of his government. Adviser to the PM's Office Sorajak Kasemsuvan told the Kuala Lumpur meeting NNN faces failure unless it can meet three criteria which breed public confidence: Truthfulness, accuracy and trust. "Without these," said Dr Sorajak, "it will be hard to gain early credibility and success for this highly useful initiative." Many of the NAM governments are repressive, and relatively few encourage a free press. Malaysia, which has democratic elections, keeps the media on a short leash attached to a tight choke collar. NAM membership provides an alphabetical roll call of media-unfriendly nations, from Belarus and Cuba to Vietnam and Zimbabwe, with many in between. That these nations might contribute to an objective news agency providing factual and credible reports is difficult to believe.

Of course, only time will determine the fairness of NNN's reporting, and only world citizens will determine its success and viability. If anything, NNN seems destined to duplicate national agencies, and thus fly in the face of the wisdom to "think global, act local". Most people want to read news from close to home, not from the other side of the world, even if it is credible. NAM has missed an opportunity to help the media by encouraging local journalists. When NAM members have a good, credible, local media, they will succeed in getting their stories to the world.