Further promoting Vietnam Revolutionary Press’ role in national construction and defence

13/12/15
Nhan Dan newspaper presents Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong’s article of his thoughts and suggestion for journalists across the nation in celebration of the 90th anniversary of the Vietnam Revolutionary Press Day (June 21, 1925-2015).
Following is the full text:
“In celebration of the 90th anniversary of the Vietnam Revolutionary Press Day, I would like to convey my greetings and best wishes to journalists across the nation. I hope for journalism to increasingly develop in the country, to accompany the renovation process, as well as national construction and defence.
The more a society develops, the more the press becomes particularly important. During his revolutionary journey to seek ways to liberate the nation, especially in preparation of the establishment of a political party to lead the revolution, Nguyen Ai Quoc, President Ho Chi Minh, published Thanh Nien (Youth) newspaper on June 21, 1925. He said that the first step in carrying out the revolution is spreading the revolutionary ideas of Marxism-Leninism, as well as mobilising, organising, and assembling revolutionary forces. The revolutionary press is an extremely important tool to fulfill that task and is also a means to constantly push forward social development.
Over the last 90 years, Vietnam’s revolutionary journalism founded and led by President Ho Chi Minh, has always followed the valiant struggles of our Party and our people, for national independence and for socialism. In the heroic struggles against aggression to defend the motherland, the press has been an important arm of the ideological front. Many press works have actually been revolutionary edicts urging all people to fight for national independence. Hundreds of journalist soldiers made brave sacrifices, writing the pages of Vietnam’s revolutionary press, reporting on the heroic Vietnamese people.
Entering the renewal process, for the past 30 years, the national press has made many significant achievements, contributing greatly to the national development. The press continues to be the main force in shaping public opinion, as well as informing, cheering and encouraging the whole Party, people and army to successfully implement renewal policies initiated by the Party. Journalists are always abreast of reality to provide information and insightful analysis on daily happenings in all fields in every corner of the country, actively combating the negative manifestations of corruption, and wastefulness, protecting sacred national sovereignty, rejecting truth-distorting rhetoric from hostile forces, and safeguarding the Party’s guidelines and policies. The press is also actively involved in monitoring, criticising, and giving comments to build the Party and State's guidelines and policies. It has contributed greatly to expanding foreign relations, introducing the country, people, and Vietnamese culture to international friends, and serving as an important bridge to help domestic readers understand more about the region and the world’s current events.
In summary, the press has an important contribution to the cause of national renewal, and that process helps the press and journalists to continually develop. We have never had as many journalists and media outlets as today. As reported by the Ministry of Information and Communications, the country currently has 849 print press agencies, 67 radio and television stations, 98 e-newspapers and electronic journals, and one National News Agency. In 2009, there were 31,000 people working in the field of journalism, and now the figure is at 35,000, of which nearly 18,000 are professional journalists. The proportion of journalists having a university and postgraduate degree is at 95.9%.
Looking back on the past 90 years, we can be absolutely proud of the enormous contributions and the development of Vietnam’s Revolutionary Press.
Currently, the entire Party, people and army are pushing comprehensive renovation, the national industrialisation and modernisation process, and proactive international integration for rapid and sustainable national development. This is a tremendous undertaking. Besides the opportunities and advantages, difficulties and challenges exist, requiring the entire society to work together with firm belief, willpower and effort. Journalists must seek ways to contribute to building up the determination and synergy for the renovation. Every journalist and press agency should promote the traditions of generations of journalists over the last 90 years to uphold social responsibility, civic duty and professional ethics to fulfill their functions and duties, to be worthy of the trust of the Party and the expectations of the people.
Thanks to the strong development of science and technology, journalists now have many advantages, especially in the use of information; with only a few minutes on the Internet they are able to know what is happening around the world. Thanks to the development of the types of press, we have many forms of media available. That could not happen in the war time. However, besides the development on the scale and nature to bringing many benefits to readers, viewers, and listeners, trust in the media is worryingly declining. This is due not to less information in the mass media today, but because of dishonest, bias, or even distorted reporting.
The explosion of information and development of a market economy requires competition among newspapers. Competition is to develop and attract readers, so there must be healthy competition by providing as instant, accurate, honest, objective and compelling information as possible, rather than sensationalism. To do so, journalists must adhere to the Party’s guidelines and go deep into life to learn about the thoughts, feelings and aspirations of the people. The press not only gives information but also analyses comments to help readers, viewers, and listeners understand current events, thereby helping people protect and follow the right for the good and peaceful life of everybody, every family and the entire society.
Weaknesses in the current press, firstly because of the lack of political and professional strictness on the part of fledgling journalists, and especially the lack of social responsibility and ethics violations. The heads of some press agencies loosen information management and supervision over their staff of reporters, editors, collaborators, while over-stressing entertainment and chasing profits, overlooking important functions of the press, even taking advantage of the press to pursue personal and group interests. During the resistant wars with numerous difficulties and hardships, with danger and death always imminent, journalists held guns and pens to fight against enemies and create journalistic works to link millions of people as one towards one goal: the liberation of the country and maintaining national independence. Today, in peace, alongside genuine journalists, there are those who want to stand outside the cause of building and protecting the country, taking advantage of social criticism to speak contrary to the principles and objectives of the press and lack of social responsibility and professional ethics. That is unacceptable.
Journalists need to understand all the great responsibility of journalism – a noble and sacred profession, especially in the new phase of the country's renovation, to continuously self-develop and raise awareness of political, professional qualifications and journalists’ ethics. The more Vietnams go deep into market economy development and international integration, the more journalists must uphold their pioneering role on ideological front, while preserving and promoting the moral values and Vietnamese cultural identity for formation and development of good characteristics, lifestyle, and the soul of the people of Vietnam, especially the younger generations. In the era of an explosion of information, revolutionary journalists must retain their revolutionary spirit to best meet the rights of all social strata for information access. In other words, revolutionary journalists must have a revolutionary spirit that protects the good and the common cause of the country, as well as the spirit of self-renewal and self-improvement. The press management authorities should improve the quality of consulting activities, building guidelines and direction for the development and management of the press towards ensuring the principles of: Journalism is under the leadership of the Party and the administration of the State, in accordance with national practices and the common development trend of today. Journalism is an effective tool of the Party on the ideological front.
Incidentally, it should be recalled that the press is a tool of social struggle, national struggle, and class struggle. Revolutionary press is neither a pure media, nor merely an entertainment tool, but it has the function of propaganda, agitation, gathering and organising a mass revolutionary struggle, while educating and the guiding actions of society. Around the world, whether spoken or unspoken, political forces and socio-economic organisations use journalism as a tool for their interests. Despite much talk of objectivity, democracy, freedom, and entertainment from the press, the fact is that people still use newspapers for political purposes, regarding it as an effective weapon. Let's see what their daily press says. Why do they just put issues but not other matters in their news? What is the way they comment? Who are they attacking and defending? Is it true that they are not subjected to the management of a boss? So we cannot be vague, firstly not unambiguous in nature and function of the press, to thereby define a place, perspectives and views in the acquisition, analysing and disclosure of information. Everyone says that the media must provide true information and must be objective. But what is the truth and to be looked under which angle. Is that beneficial or harmful for anyone? Speaking that to build or to destroy? This is the key problem bearing an extremely important and decisive role. President Ho Chi Minh, our beloved leader and the mentor of Vietnam revolutionary press, has repeatedly asserted: Press is the pioneering force on ideological cultural front. Press workers are also revolutionaries; their pens and paper are their sharp weapons. Thus, the responsibility of the press is extremely heavy and glorious.
The Party organisations and press management agencies should strengthen leadership, direction and management to prevent the commercialisation of the media, while regularly co-ordinating in synchronisation and orientation of information, especially for major events or the problems with many different opinions, to timely provide accurate information to the people. Strengthening management should be in line with providing information, creating favourable conditions for journalistic activities and creating a common voice and high consistency between press management agencies and the press. Investment for modern journalism development and good implementation of journalism network planning is necessary, while innovating and strengthening the Party's leadership and enhancing the effective and efficient management of the State over the press is also another requirement to ensure the press’ operations are on track and effective in the context of market economic development conditions, international integration and the explosion of ICT. It is important to accelerate the institutionalisation of the Party’s viewpoints and policies on the press and create strong institutions. Better managing the use of Internet services and Internet-based e-information and effectively preventing a part of the press and publishing with improper operation principles and purposes are also necessary. The governing bodies have great responsibility in leading and managing the press.
These days, we are conducting the Party's Congress at all levels towards the XII National Party Congress. To contribute to the success of the congress, press agencies must master the content of Directive No. 36, dated May 30, 2014 of the Political Bureau to hold a media campaign on this important political event, focusing on cheering the movement of successful implementation of Resolutions by the XI Party's Congress and by the Central Party Committee, while collecting comments from the people to the Congress’s plans. This is an important information channel, to promote the intellectual and democratic spirit, enthusiasm and responsibility of officials, This is an opportunity for us to affirm the Party's standpoint and renewal policy, resolutely combat the distorted fabricated allegations by hostile forces, abusing freedom and democracy to claim for pluralism and a multi-party system, abusing the fights against corruption to exaggerate the weaknesses and shortcomings of a number of cadres and Party members to smear the regime and lower the prestige of the Party and State, causing suspect and internal divisions. Journalism is a pioneer on the ideological front, and must be awake and alert, and take the vivid reality of the innovative country to strengthen the people's confidence in the Party, State and regime.”
PARTY GENERAL SECRETARY NGUYEN PHU TRONG
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All comments [ 16 ]


John Smith 13/12/15 19:46

The Vietnam Journalists Association (VJA) assumed the position of President and Secretary General of the Confederation of ASEAN Journalists (CAJ) for the 2015 – 2017 tenure at the CAJ’s 18th General Assembly in Hanoi.

Gentle Moon 13/12/15 19:47

The Vietnamese press has witnessed qualitative and quantitative changes in both content and the methods of conveying information and news to and the capacity of influencing society.

LawrenceSamuels 13/12/15 21:38

After 20 years of renovation, alongside the strong development and great achievements of the Vietnamese economy, the press also witnessed unprecedented changes.

Red Star 13/12/15 21:39

The development of the Vietnamese press over the past 20 years has also witnessed the blossoming of types and forms.

yobro yobro 13/12/15 21:40

In 1986, there were only 5 daily newspapers across the country; this figure has increased to 20 daily newspapers currently.

For A Peace World 13/12/15 21:41

Besides the robust development of press products, the increase in the number of people who are involved in the press industry is also a noteworthy issue.

Socialist Society 13/12/15 21:44

At most press offices, websites exist in parallel to traditional press products.

Me Too! 13/12/15 21:46

The promulgation of the Law on the Press in 1990 and the guidelines of the Vietnamese Communist Party on the development and management of the press created due legal frameworks and an open environment for the development and expansion of the press.

Vietnam Love 13/12/15 21:47

In recent years, the press has played an increasingly important role in the process of promoting events. In other words, the press is not only the transmitter of information or the passive reflector of events.

Voice of people 13/12/15 21:49

But there are negative sides of the press today, we can not fully believe in all what the press says.

Unknown 15/12/15 06:13

It is unacceptable that there are those who take advantage of press freedom to pursue personal interests or against the cause of building and protecting the country

Funny Day 15/12/15 06:15

Despite much talk of objectivity, democracy, freedom, and entertainment from the press, the fact is that people still use newspapers for political purposes, regarding it as an effective weapon.

erica black 15/12/15 06:20

Vietnam has 849 print press agencies, 67 radio and television stations, 98 e-newspapers and electronic journals, and one National News Agency. In 2009, there were 31,000 people working in the field of journalism, and now the figure is at 35,000, of which nearly 18,000 are professional journalists. why did some people say Vietnam violated the press freedom?

Unknown 15/12/15 06:25

they wanted to distort the press situation in Vietnam in oder to against the State and Party of Vietnam

Unknown 15/12/15 06:27

should strengthen leadership, direction and management to prevent the commercialisation of the media, while regularly co-ordinating in synchronisation and orientation of information

Anthony Jones 15/12/15 06:32

the press must provide accurate information which is beneficial and constructive to the country and people

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