Media from China and Africa must cooperate to provide a perspective that can counter inaccurate reports from dominant Western sources, said an expert on Tuesday at the International Seminar on International Media Coverage of China-Africa Relations.

Chinese and African media cannot rely on Western media outlets, which sometimes make misleading reports on Sino-African ties based on the personal values of reporters or motivated by the company's drive for profit, said Yang Guang, an expert on African studies with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

Chinese and African media should further promote communication between media staff members and send more reporters to work in Africa and China by themselves, said Wang Nan, a researcher from the China Chahar Institute.

Most voices on Sino-African ties do not come from Chinese or African media, so it is essential to develop media cooperation between the two regions, said Zhang Yonghong, a professor from Yunnan Universty

Zhang said 90 percent of reports on African affairs are from Western media, while Western media account for 75 percent of the 300 main media outlets around the world.

It is necessary to improve the professional skills of media staff members from China and Africa, said Liu Shuiming, deputy director-general of the international department of People's Daily.

"Chinese and African media should be more careful when reprinting stories reported by Western media", Liu said, adding reporters and editors from China and African should verify the information used in reports from Western media.

Because Chinese and African media cannot exchange reporters immediately, experts suggest the recruitment of local media professionals.

"It is a good idea", said Jacob Jomogoa, a Kenya media professional working Chinese radio station China Radio International.

"Local people surely have more advantages when doing local reports, especially those who are familiar with China."