20 years of journalism: From manual to digital age

Journalist Ngoc Thu, Deputy Head, in charge of the Law, Life and Readers Department of Dong Nai Newspaper (3rd from left) discusses professional matters with reporters in the department. Photo: Le Duy

Each period brings its own pressures and challenges, but in my opinion, to stick with journalism, one always needs a sense of responsibility, dedication, professional courage and constant innovation and adaptation to work requirements in each period.

The early days were difficult.

Starting my journalism career at Dong Nai Newspaper in early 2005, I and many other reporters of the 7X and 8X generations were considered to be a generation of reporters trained in difficult conditions because at that time the internet was not yet popular, and Google search features were not widely available. Looking up legal information and data needed for articles depended heavily on books, newspapers and printed documents in the library.

I have been a reporter for the readers section of the Readers' Section for more than 10 years (later the Law - Life and Readers Section, Dong Nai Newspaper). I still remember that at that time, writing an article to verify a reader's petition was very difficult. A case had to contact many authorities and verify the facts in remote areas, some cases were hundreds of kilometers away, but it still could not be completed in one day, but took several days to collect information. Not only was it difficult to travel, even when writing articles, I had to spend a lot of time searching for and comparing relevant legal regulations. However, it was that difficult period that trained me to be careful, meticulous and have a serious work ethic.

Since the mid-2010s, technology has begun to develop. The Internet has become widespread, and Google features have become increasingly complete. At this time, I worked as a reporter for propaganda in many different fields: politics (People's Council activities, administrative reform, propaganda), and health. These are large areas of information, with a lot of specialized knowledge. Searching for documents and information from Google helps save time, expands the source of materials, and helps me respond more quickly to the flow of news.

I quickly adapted, proficiently used the internet, Google's support tools to write news, articles; processed information, images quickly and promptly. However, along with speed comes the pressure of continuous updates, requiring reporters to not only be fast but also accurate, objective and have a way of presenting good, attractive news, articles to attract readers in both print and online newspapers.

Overcoming challenges from social networks and digital technology

In 2018, I was assigned by the Editorial Board to be in charge of the Law Department, which at that time had 7 members. In 2019, when Dong Nai Newspaper merged with Dong Nai Labor Newspaper to become Dong Nai Newspaper, the Law Department merged with the Readers Department to become the Law - Life and Readers Department (with 8 members). At this time, digital technology and social networks were developing strongly, and I and the members of the department received strong support from technology but also faced many challenges.

The overwhelming information sources on social networks are really a great pressure for journalists. I and many members of the committee have to work with high intensity and high pressure to review, check, and verify information to have quick, timely, socially oriented news for hot incidents happening in the area. We use social networks as a tool to support information sources, but to have accurate information, we still have to check and verify with relevant authorities. Thanks to that, information related to security, order, traffic safety, fires, etc. happening in Dong Nai are all reported by Dong Nai Newspaper quickly, accurately, and promptly orienting public opinion.

Recently, AI has become a powerful support tool for journalists - from drafting, translating, creating multimedia content to data analysis. However, the pressure of the AI era is not light. When tools can create content in seconds, the requirement for journalists is to surpass machines: to have quality, depth, humanity and an independent perspective. Fake news and misinformation created by AI are also big challenges that require journalists to verify more carefully than ever.

In the face of new pressures, in my opinion, to continue to stick with journalism, it is important to constantly practice the profession, maintain journalistic ethics and learn to master technology instead of being controlled by technology. In addition, focusing on researching specialized knowledge and legal regulations to improve content quality, having a profound and humane perspective is what every journalist needs to practice in the journey of true journalism in the era of AI technology explosion.

Ngoc Thu

Source: https://baodongnai.com.vn/xa-hoi/202506/20-nam-lam-bao-tu-thu-cong-den-thoi-dai-so-4100a06/