Lesson 2: Political and ideological work "leading the way"

(DONG THAP PROVINCE) In addition to combating and handling violations, Dong Thap province focuses on strongly innovating political and ideological work towards a more proactive, flexible, and effective approach. In particular, promoting positive information, using truth to counter falsehoods, and using official information to "green" and "dilute" harmful and toxic information flows are identified as key and overarching solutions.

This is also a consistent direction, demonstrating Dong Thap 's determination to build a healthy information environment, strengthen social trust, and firmly protect the Party's ideological foundation in cyberspace.

CONTINUOUSLY INNOVATING POLITICAL AND IDEOLOGICAL WORK

With the official implementation of the two-tiered local government model, political and ideological work in Dong Thap has been undergoing a strong, comprehensive, and substantive transformation.

In particular, the implementation of Regulation No. 19-QD/TW dated April 8, 2026, of the Central Committee on political and ideological work within the Party is creating a strong shift in awareness and action. Previously, political and ideological work was primarily directional and encouraging; now it has shifted to specific, mandatory requirements, quantified by the results of political tasks and the level of public satisfaction. This shows a fundamental change, moving from a "qualitative mindset" to an "effective mindset," from form to substance.

Officials, Party members, and speakers from Dong Thap province attend the monthly Central Speakers' Conference to promptly update and orient information and propaganda work. Photo: SONG AN.

More importantly, Regulation 19-QD/TW continues to affirm the requirement to persistently protect and promote the "four steadfast principles," including: steadfast application and creative development of Marxism-Leninism and Ho Chi Minh Thought; steadfast commitment to the goal of national independence and socialism; steadfast adherence to the Party's reform line; and steadfast adherence to the Party's organizational and operational principles. This is considered the overarching foundation for Party committees, organizations, cadres, and members to achieve political, ideological, and behavioral unity in the context of the new challenges posed by cyberspace…

In Dong Thap, that spirit has been and is being concretized through proactive and flexible approaches. According to the Provincial Party Committee's Propaganda and Mass Mobilization Department, immediately after the merger, the province quickly reorganized the Provincial Steering Committee 35, established Working Committees 35 at the commune and ward levels; proactively "greened positive information," strengthened interaction, guided public opinion, and promptly handled misinformation at the grassroots level.

Instead of focusing solely on refuting misinformation in the traditional way, the province is gradually building a positive online media ecosystem. Many fan pages and community groups, such as the Mocha35 “DT35” group, the Facebook group “Pho Sen”, and the “Dong Thap Reaching Further” fan page, are becoming increasingly effective, regularly posting information reflecting the development of the locality and the country; and disseminating the policies and guidelines of the Party and State in a way that is accessible and relatable to the people.

Simultaneously, Dong Thap province organized and launched a provincial-level political commentary contest on protecting the Party's ideological foundation; at the same time, it directed core forces to regularly share and disseminate positive information, proactively post news and articles, participate in commentary, and combat false and distorted arguments on the internet in accordance with the direction of the Central Government and the province.

In particular, Party committees at all levels place special emphasis on promoting the exemplary role of cadres and Party members, especially those in leadership positions. This is concretized through political and ideological conferences with the theme "Promoting the cultural strength of the people of Dong Thap; upholding the responsibility of cadres and Party members, building a culture of integrity according to the thoughts, ethics, and style of Ho Chi Minh" in 2026.

Accordingly, the requirement of "daring to think, daring to act, and daring to take responsibility" is set forth as a criterion of public service ethics; at the same time, it creates motivation to promote innovation in leadership, management, and task implementation methods, contributing to improving the effectiveness and efficiency of political and ideological work and creating a ripple effect throughout the entire political system.

Recently, at the conference summarizing one year of implementing the two-tiered local government model, Comrade Trinh Van Loi, Secretary of the Party Committee and Chairman of the People's Council of Dao Thanh Ward, emphasized: "Cadres and Party members can only perform their duties well when they are truly close to the people, understand the people, and their words match their actions. Arranging and assigning cadres according to their capabilities, strengthening administrative discipline and order, improving public service ethics, and promoting the training of cadres with innovative thinking are key requirements to meet the demands of the two-tiered local government model in the new phase."

Recognizing that political and ideological work is increasingly being reformed in a direction closely linked to reality, using effectiveness in serving the people and social stability as a measure, this affirms a new approach: more proactive, flexible, and comprehensive in protecting the Party's ideological foundation in the digital age.

SPREADING POSITIVE INFORMATION, FORMING A "SOFT SHIELD"

The Provincial Party Committee's Propaganda and Mass Mobilization Department has proactively advised on and implemented a comprehensive range of solutions, closely combining traditional and digital media, ensuring that official information always "stays one step ahead," spreading widely and creating social consensus.

The column "Protecting the Party's Ideological Foundation" in Dong Thap Newspaper contributes to spreading positive information, guiding public opinion, and strengthening the "soft shield" in cyberspace.

In this context, press agencies both within and outside the province, operating in the area, play a core role in the information and propaganda front; proactively guiding public opinion, spreading positive information, and promptly reflecting issues of public concern. Notably, positive information is no longer limited to traditional news bulletins and political commentary columns, but is increasingly present in the digital space through short videos, podcasts, infographics, and visual graphics.

In particular, Dong Thap's newspapers, radio, and television continue to play a leading role on the ideological and media front with many in-depth news articles and reports that comprehensively, objectively, and promptly reflect issues of public concern; actively disseminating the Party's guidelines, the State's policies and laws, as well as the outstanding achievements of the locality in the fields of economy, culture, society, national defense and security, and Party building…

Currently, Dong Thap Newspaper and Radio & Television maintain 5 daily news bulletins; nearly 90 television features, sub-features, and programs; 20 radio features and programs; and have launched many special pages and features such as: "Bringing Resolutions into Life"; protecting the Party's ideological foundation... Propaganda work has shifted strongly towards the digital environment with more than 20 media platforms such as YouTube, Facebook, TikTok, Zalo, online newspapers, etc., attracting over 7.5 million followers.

Beyond traditional methods of information dissemination, many radio and television programs are edited into short clips, podcasts, and graphics after broadcast to spread on social media; in-depth articles in print newspapers are also summarized in infographics or short videos of 1-3 minutes, catering to the rapid information consumption trends of young audiences. This approach demonstrates the dynamic spread of information in response to modern media trends, while also clearly reflecting a proactive mindset in "maintaining the information landscape" in the digital environment.

Simultaneously, communes and wards throughout the province have proactively built and operated official local information websites, promptly providing information on administration, administrative reform, grassroots activities, and direct interaction with the people… This contributes to narrowing the information gap and limiting the environment for fake news, misinformation, and distorted narratives to spread on the internet.

It is clear that the "soft shield" that Dong Thap is building is not just a system of fanpages, media channels, and social media interactions, but more fundamentally, it is the strengthening of people's trust in the Party, the government, and the political system. This is also a crucial foundation for firmly protecting the ideological battleground in the digital age – where every piece of positive information disseminated acts as an "antibody" against false and harmful information.

LIGHTHOUSE (to be continued)

Source: https://baodongthap.vn/bai-2-cong-tac-chinh-tri-tu-tuong-di-truoc-mo-duong--a241293.html