The press cannot fight 'dirty content' alone.

For many years, Vietnamese journalism has been fighting, albeit somewhat isolated, the problem of content plagiarism.

A newsstand in the middle of a city street, but behind it lies a larger story about content ownership and the role of journalism in the digital media ecosystem - Photo: QUANG DINH

But now, it's time for a larger alliance between news organizations, between platforms and content producers, between law and technology, and also between journalism and users.

Dr. Nguyen Dinh Hau - Institute of Journalism and Communication Training, University of Social Sciences and Humanities (Vietnam National University, Hanoi) - believes that the fight against copyright infringement requires many solutions, many actions, and from many sides.

He reminded: "Recently, the State has had clearer policies and more decisive actions in the fight against copyright infringement."

However, from the perspective of consumers of products and services, the general public and newspaper readers in particular can absolutely contribute to the fight against copyright infringement. This means seeking out, reading, and watching information from legitimate and reputable news organizations instead of illegal websites and channels that violate copyright and "profit from" the press.

Fake news uses artificial intelligence to "sweep" social media - Screenshot

Like Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Van Thang Long and Dr. Pham Hai Chung, Dr. Nguyen Dinh Hau believes that in the current context of diverse and multi-faceted information, users are increasingly gravitating towards more civilized criteria, wanting to consume "clean" and copyrighted products.

Dr. Nguyen Dinh Hau

"In particular, this shift is even more pronounced as the public today is gradually realizing the many risks of information theft or the promotion of inappropriate cultural values ​​when receiving information on copyright-infringing channels, blacklisted links, malicious websites, gambling advertisements, etc.," Mr. Hau added.

Journalist Tran Trong Dung - Vice President of the Vietnam Journalists Association , in charge of the South - argues that:

"To thoroughly address the issue of copyright infringement in the digital environment, it is first necessary to perfect the legal framework in a way that is clear and sufficiently deterrent. When legal regulations are established transparently, the authorities will have a solid basis to identify what constitutes copyright infringement and then take effective action."

However, protecting journalistic copyright cannot rely solely on state management agencies. Media organizations need to be more proactive in building mechanisms to control, monitor, and protect their own content. In the context of digital content being copied and disseminated at extremely rapid speeds, the application of technology to detect and track violations will become an indispensable part of the intellectual property protection strategy of modern journalism.

Therefore, we need technology and tools that are good enough to count, control, and prove copyright infringements. To achieve this, news organizations themselves must improve their ability to digitize their journalistic works and share data with reputable technology companies to receive support in tracing and identifying infringing activities."

Journalist Tran Trong Dung

From a management perspective, Mr. Dung believes that a media copyright alliance is needed, as well as a more closely coordinated mechanism between media organizations, technology platforms, and management agencies to build a synchronized copyright protection ecosystem.

In particular, establishing a common database of journalistic works and applying content recognition and plagiarism detection technologies will be necessary steps in the era of explosive growth in artificial intelligence and digital content.

Mr. Dung said: "In the initial stage, newsrooms can come together to form a representative body for the copyright alliance."

This agency will advise on policies for developing laws to protect journalistic copyright. The Ho Chi Minh City Journalists Association should also have a streamlined department with specialized legal staff to advise and support newsrooms when issues arise."

Equally important, according to Mr. Dung, is rebuilding awareness of copyright respect within the internet user community.

He also acknowledged that this is a difficult but necessary issue, because if society remains indifferent to information theft, the damage will ultimately not only affect the revenue of news organizations but, more importantly, will impact public trust in receiving unofficial, or even inaccurate, information.

The government has just issued Decree 174 on administrative penalties in the postal and telecommunications sector, effective from July 1st. According to Article 95, the act of sharing journalistic works, artistic works, and publications on social media without the owner's consent or when their circulation is prohibited will be fined from 20 to 30 million VND.

This penalty also applies to the unauthorized use of social media to produce content in the form of news reports, investigations, and journalistic interviews. Using social media to provide false, misleading, defamatory, or insulting information that damages the reputation of organizations and personal honor is also subject to a fine of 20-30 million VND.

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QUYNH NGUYEN - THIEN DIEU

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/bao-chi-khong-the-mot-minh-chong-lai-content-ban-20260528092933613.htm