In June, thinking about Journalism with social advancements
It can be said that my 3 decades working in the career closely attaches to the trend and the policy of “renovation” of the country (1991 - 2021). This is a period in which Vietnam has witnessed many great changes in door-opening economy, in attracting waves of foreign investments and there have been important achievements in the progress of industrialization and modernization of the country, making Vietnam as it is today, being ready for greater opportunities in the international playground: achievements of the innovations.
While I was thinking about the success achieved, starting from the cool breeze of the 6th Party Congress (1986) with the strong message in the phrase “doi moi - renovation” which has received recognition from the world community for the past 35 years, with the contribution from the press. One of my co-worker gave me a call to invite me to take part in a forum with a topic: “Should the press be managed in accordance to principles and purposes?” and asked me to give the answer. Indeed, it was the question above, or more correctly, the topic discussed above that made me a little confused. The question in my mind is why we put this problem in the so-called the time of Industry 4.0?
In my opinion, humanity has entered the 3rd decade of the 3rd millennium. The era when science, technology, artificial intelligence... are proving their super capacity in their abilities to connect and lead the world with high frequency of creating revolution; the era when cognitive thinking of contemporary people is also affected and changed by the scientifictechnological achievements. And as a result, journalism concept - journalistic activitiesjournalistic thinking will be affected as well. This is inevitable.
The above question is not consistent with the objective reality of journalistic life, both in the international level and in Vietnam. Why?
» For a long time, the rights and obligations of journalists have been specified very clearly, specifically in the Press Law (refer to the Law on Press Amended 2016 - Article 25);
» Reality of journalism activities are not much influenced by the contents of “principles and purposes” stated in the license (they should be understood as provisions under the Law). Vividly, newspapers have been perceived and operated generally similar and consistent with great policies from the Party and the Government, with legitimate aspirations from the people. This is an important changing step, contributing to the great achievements of the country in various fields of economy, quality life, social progress and justice and Vietnam’s stature in the world. Vietnam’s press in 3.5 decades, together with policies of innovation from the Party and the Government, has had important contribution to the achievements.
From the approach, we should consider journalism a professional activity, a part of the legitimate State
Therefore, with new scientific technology achievements, we should not reduce the role of the press with regulations that set up principles and purposes to each press agency, which easily leads to division in journalism activities. When there are policies and guidelines from the Party and the Government that needs summoning, the press will lose its flexibility and motivations which have been contributing to the achievements of the country as they have been recorded.
From the approach, we should consider journalism a professional activity, a part of the legitimate State. This means we do not necessarily have to ask a question of whether we should manage the press through regulations, principles and purposes associated with the name of the newspaper (manchette)... As a result, it will limit the dynamism, creativity and the right of informing the truth of the press (from the perspective of journalists) - which are functions of the press and fulcrums of social developments.
In order to have a healthy journalism serving civilized progressive social values, there should be a force of journalists and a general quality for journalism: having good professional skills, good morality, the love of profession and patriotism. In the respect, it can be said that the press management agencies and associations of journalists have not performed will their roles for a long time: there have been no linkage in the press community through work of management, lack of human resource training, lack of professional ethic trainings attached to the responsibility of respecting the law from the journalist,… and the lack of the function of being a lead in developing the national journalism in the requirements of digitalization for integration in the new era.
In my opinion, we should focus on building journalism as a resource, a driving force for social progress and development, rather than struggling to find ways to cope in management work that are no longer consistent with the objective realities of press activities and requirements of innovation and development of the country.
