The Mongolian mass media obtain their material and sources from domestic and foreign news agencies, internet, correspondents at home and abroad and from direct research. This is a principal function exercised by the Mongolian News Agency (MONTSAME). MONTSAME's role is to "efficiently supply domestic and foreign news to mass media in the country, and inform the world of Mongolia's diverse heritage and contemporary culture". The principles of transparency, objectivity, efficiency and pluralism are the basic standards which MONTSAME news agency sets for all information. Domestic clients receive a comprehensive selection of domestic and translated foreign news items, which cover politics, economics, social affairs, culture, sciences and sport.
MONTSAME clients include government agencies, public and private companies and foreign organizations as well as Mongolian newspapers and broadcasting industries. The agency has its reporters in all 21 aimags and resident correspondents in Moscow, Beijing, Berlin, Washington, Astana, Praha, Seoul and Hanoi. MONTSAME's photo news desk provides photo graphic services -running a special archive and reference information service. The Agency is in the process of "going digital" and issues its photographs to other agencies/newspapers via email with greater speed. Ten years have passed since MONTSAME published the first issue of its weekly 'Human Bichig' newspaper, which is written entirely in the traditional Mongolian script.
Human Bichig is the contribution to preserving Mongolia's intellectual heritage, traditional script. MONTSAME has published the English language "Mongol Messenger" since 1991, the Russian language "Novosti Mongolia" since 1993, the Chinese language "Mengu Syao Shibao" since 1998 and the Japanese language "Mongory Tsushin" since 2003. "MONTSAME News" (Evening urgent news) daily magazine is published since May, 2001, which covers national and international current news. These publications are printed in modern printing houses and serve as a core information source for both domestic and overseas subscribers. Foreign news bulletins are issued daily in English and Russian and provide our subscribers with a comprehensive review of up-to-date news gathered from Mongolian daily newspapers.
Embassies, press offices and foreign organizations operating in Ulaanbaatar subscribe to the bulletins in return for subscription fees. MONTSAME constantly adapts and repositions itself to face its challenging role in the information and communications age. It is the first news agency in Mongolia to ever issue a series of nine "Golden rules", which define MONTSAME's purpose, and guides its employees in improving their standards and raising the competitiveness of the agency. MONTSAME has a cooperation agreement with such news agencies as ITAR-TASS, RIA Novosti (Russia) REUTERS (Great Britain), XINHUA (China), VIA (Vietnam), PT1 (India), YONHAP (Korea), PRENSA LATINA (Cuba) and PPA (Poland) and receives news from the agencies via satellite and computer, supplying its clients with translated daily domestic and foreign news. The agency went online in October 1997.
The Internet opened up new opportunities for MONTSAME in disseminating its news directly to the public. The MONTSAME news agency is a member of the Organization of Asia-Pacific News Agencies (OANA), a regional organization with 32 members agencies. OANA serves as an effective Asia and Pacific information network and MONTSAME receives and supplies daily news to the network. A number of other private news agencies in Mongolia such as "Gamma", and "Business news bureau" specialize in the photo service and commercial advertisements began to operate in the mass media market.
