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Hearing from one side, how objective?
Hearing from one side, how objective?
6/5/14
On every World Press Freedom Day (May 3), some
unfriendly voices from abroad appear again to smear press freedom in Vietnam.
This year, a number of radios, anti-communist organizations and two U.S. congressmen have cooperated to induce a
group of people who are not journalists from Vietnam
to the United States for attending
the so-called “hearing on Vietnam
freedom of press”. So what is the truth behind this story?
It is not
the spirit of World Press Freedom Day
Group of people socalled “independent journalists” are
actually the bloggers from Vietnam participated in the hearing including Nguyen
Thi Kim Chi, Ngo Nhat Dang, Nguyen Dinh Ha, To Oanh and Le Thanh Tung. Several
were also invited to the hearing including: Pham Chi Dung, Nguyen Lan Thang and
Anna Huyen Trang. These people are assigned roles seem very important such as “warming
up independent journalism in Vietnam”, thay were also in contact with
officials, human rights organizations, a number of internet companies and
participated in “training court for communications and electronic security”.
It is first heard as a meaningful activity but when
considering carefully it is really divergent from principles and purposes of
the World Press Freedom Day because of many hidden malicious intents.
In fact, World Press Freedom Day 2014 theme was “Media
Freedom for a better future” and focussed on the problems: “Media freedom,
State Jurisdiction, Professional journalism is part of development”. Based on that
criteria, the so-called “hearing”, “workshop” in America all went against the spirit.
First of all , the organizers throughout the years always harass democracy and
distort situation in many countries around the world such as RFA, Reporters Without
Borders and socalled Viet Tan - a terrorist organization that has carried out
many activities against the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. And two Congressmen of
Loretta Sanchez and Zoe Lofgren long regarded as two hawks by the international opinion often
make subjective opinions on democracy and human rights in Vietnam as well as many other
countries. On ther part of the U.S. Rep. Sanchez frequently lobby the U.S.
House of Representatives to pass bills and resolutions on the human rights
situation in Vietnam.
The people organized the hearing only referred to one side of “media freedom”
but not mentioned state jurisdiction and
also forgot “professional journalism” when they invited speakers who are unreal
journalists but political oppotunists associated with the extreme
anti-communist organizations, hostile forces against Vietnam. They use blogs,
facebook to spread fabricating and distorting or anti - government messages,
inflating personal grievances under a flashy hat of “press freedom” and
“patriotism”.
Talking about these “journalists”, Mr. John Lee,
editor of an overseas Vietnamese newspaper in the United States said that: “Those
political opportunists are real political opposition to national interests, as they
feed a vicious malice they will never obey “press freedom” in the true sense of
this word. In fact, they are against the spirit of the Press Freedom Day 2014.
We can not achieve press freedom if people discuss it do not know anything
about journalism so.
The “experts
at screaming”
To mention an example when Nguyen Lan Thang was banned
from exitting Vietnam, he
sent a letter to Loretta Sanchez for distorting that no-press-freedom situation
in Vietnam
would cause serious harm as the lack of information about the current measles
disease.
In terms of how to organize the hearing we can
immediately see the lack of objectivity. The people were invited including Pham
Chi Dung, Ngo Nhat Dang, Nguyen Lan Thang, Huyen Trang, Kim Chi all just
represent the discontent and extreme voice. No article on their blog, facebook
reflected the reality in our country excepting distorted and jaundiced
detractors about the Party and State. Cu Huy Ha Vu is a clear example when most
of them went against tradition, revolutionary ideology of the family. They were
condemned by not only society but also their family. Many people in this group
gave up their jobs to distort situation in Vietnam on their private blogs or
facebook and now continue misrepresenting press freedom abroad. If it is truly
for freedom of the press, the U.S. Representative must be towards
multidimensional and basic information as such from press agencies, journalists
or independent surveys... If they need more reliable and independent information,
they can fully access the research of Mr. Falemavaega Congressman Eni, a senior
member of the foreign Relations committee of the U.S. House of Representatives
Human Rights Council United Nations last February 8 in Geneva Geneva,
Switzerland. In his statement, Congressman Falemavaega highly appreciated the
achievements of Vietnam
about freedom of the press, freedom of speech, freedom of association, ensuring
the rights of prisoners, freedom of religion. Freedom of speech, press and
information in Vietnam
is reflected clearly through the number of newspapers, publications, radio and
television channels, these rights are recognized in the Constitution and
protected by law. Last April 7, the U.S. House of Representatives recognized
the full text of the above statement of Congressman Falemavaega the official
documents of the U.S. House of Representatives and handed the Congressional
Record for Vietnam Ambassador to the U.S,
Nguyen Quoc Cuong. Why did not the congressmen and the “independent
journalists” understand and record this information?
Biased
hearings will lead to discredit
No state has the absolute freedom to the press even
the U.S is claimed that there is no real freedom of the press. So it should not
because the emotional inference to judge wrongly on the situation of press
freedom in Vietnam because the more they distort reality, the less reputation
of every congressman, every major human rights organizations and participants
to world Press Freedom Day will increasingly impaired. Even public awareness
and advancement of the people will turn against those events. There probably was
precedent in Singapore.
Last year, the organization of Reporters Without Borders (RWB) published annual
“Press Freedom Index” to evaluate Singapore at 149th position out of
179 countries, Prime Minister of Singapore Lee Hsien Loong urgently said that
the “Freedom of the press” means nothing. He said that the media system “is a
very self transmission over the Interne , people can receive information instantly
anywhere in the world. The newspapers have right to publish freely all kinds of
news but also to have high responsibility”. The organization of Reporters
Without Borders considered the “press freedom” of a country including the
consideration of legislation to control press but did not consider the quality
of the press and media in that country.
Constitution of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam
continuously confirm and broaden freedom of the press. In terms of both
quantity and quality, Vietnam
is a country with developing journalism and good performance of press freedom.
With the spirit of world Press Freedom Day 2014 was Media freedom, State Jurisdiction, Professional
journalism is part of development has shown progress in improving the system of
law relating to the human rights, freedom of the press in which the highest
purpose is that Vietnam Constitution must be recognized. It is unable to resist
impose and make wrong judgment. All the “hearings” like this are unnecessary
and lack of objectivity!
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All comments [ 10 ]
Still the same persons distort about the Party and State of Vietnam. Did not these people see their actions as ridiculous?
The forum like this have had little credibility and a voice at all . It's just a place to spark hatred attitude.
These hostile people need to review the operating principles of a journalist to know what is true freedom of the press.
Where do the organization and individuals base on to judge the democraty and freedoms of others countries?
What is journalism? In your country if one person posts unfounded information about politics of your country on the social networking site, will they be considered a journalist?
I no longer believe the conclusions from the hearings on the situation of press freedom in the world anymore.
Let those people go to live in the U.S to see how is freedom of the press as they think.
Subjective, one-sided and distorted facts.
No state has the absolute freedom to the press even the U.S is claimed that there is no real freedom of the press. That’s right!!!
“We can not achieve press freedom if people discuss it do not know anything about journalism so” – I agree with him.
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