The government will build a special mechanism for the press economy.
Participating in the questioning, delegate Ta Thi Yen ( Dien Bien delegation) raised the question: In the context of fierce competition between traditional press and the internet and social networks, in addition to improving quality and promoting digitalization of press, how should the economic problem of press and the press business model be solved so that traditional press can compete and survive, play the role of "shock troops" on the cultural and ideological front, contributing to the sustainable development of the country?
Responding to questions, Minister Nguyen Manh Hung said that when the market economy develops, businesses are forced to advertise to sell products, so they spend a lot of money on advertising. Press agencies also want to be financially independent, but then social networks appeared, 80% of advertising is online, so the revenue of the press, especially the financially independent press agencies, has significantly decreased.
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| Delegates participate in questioning at the Hall. (Photo: TL) |
According to Minister Nguyen Manh Hung, in the Prime Minister's directive on policy communication, it requires ministries, branches, and local authorities at all levels to consider communication as their own job. In addition to proactively providing information, having a plan to provide information, having an information dissemination apparatus, having an annual budget to spend on policy communication, and using the budget to order newspapers.
According to the Minister of Information and Communications, this is a change. In fact, since last year, agencies and authorities at all levels have begun to increase their budgets for the press.
In the upcoming plan to amend the Press Law, there is also a section mentioning press economics, which allows some large press agencies to do business in content, do business around the media field, but do business to do journalism.
In particular, in the press planning, there is a very important content that the State focuses on investing in key areas for 6 key press agencies to become media powerhouses; at the same time, in the process of amending the law, the Government will build a specific mechanism on press economics for key press agencies.
Upholding the core values of journalism
Delegate Nguyen Thi Yen Nhi (Ben Tre delegation) raised the question: In the period of information explosion with the support of social networking platforms with high sharing features, the phenomenon of everyone working as a journalist, every household working as a journalist to create their own channel to post online, accompanied by advertisements, has many sensational, offensive, untrue contents, disturbing information, causing public outrage, many false advertising contents, contrary to good customs and traditions, violating copyright. The delegate asked Minister Nguyen Manh Hung to provide solutions to rectify the above situation, and at the same time, what solutions are there to enhance the role of the mainstream and revolutionary press to perform well the role of orientation and propaganda?
Responding to questions, Minister Nguyen Manh Hung said that social networks now report news faster than newspapers, social networks have tens of millions of "reporters" without paying, they are everywhere.
According to Minister Nguyen Manh Hung, when social networks were born, the role of the press in reporting news tended to decline. Therefore, if the press wants to maintain its position, it needs to do things differently from social networks, returning to the core values of journalism: authenticity, accuracy, objectivity, accountability, and professional ethics. Instead of reporting news, it is necessary to analyze, evaluate, provide solutions, lead, and orient the mainstream flow on cyberspace, with quality in both news and content.
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| Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Manh Hung answers questions from delegates. (Photo: TL) |
The Minister emphasized that the press needs to improve the quality of content, so that information in the press can lead public opinion on social networks.
According to the Minister, the Ministry of Information and Communications, the Central Propaganda Department and the Vietnam Journalists Association have identified this as the main orientation to redefine the position and role of revolutionary journalism.
Strictly handle and improve standards and quality of journalists
Regarding the direction of handling the issue of magazines not being turned into newspapers and operating according to their principles, Minister Nguyen Manh Hung said that the Ministry of Information and Communications should first announce the criteria to identify "what is turned into newspapers and magazines" and post them publicly on news sites and social networks for the whole society to monitor. These criteria will be used for inspection and examination, thereby assessing whether press agencies have violated or not. At the same time, the principles and purposes of 800 press agencies will be made public on the information portals so that any organization or locality can look up their functions, principles and purposes. "If they are not correct, they have the right to refuse, but if they are forced, there is a hotline to report". The Ministry of Information and Communications will inspect, examine and monitor more magazines that operate according to their principles and purposes.
Recently, the Ministry of Information and Communications has issued new regulations, which will consider handling the responsibility of the Editor-in-Chief when reporters violate the law. The Vietnam Journalists Association has also issued regulations on professional ethics for journalists. Therefore, Minister Nguyen Manh Hung hopes that National Assembly deputies will pay attention to amending the Press Law in the coming time, improving the quality standards of journalists.
Participating in the questioning, delegate Pham Van Hoa raised the issue of whether the negative situation of reporters and editors in recent times is due to the explosion of specialized newspapers and magazines in various fields, leading to low professional quality, going far from the purpose and objectives, and violating the law.
Responding to the question of delegate Pham Van Hoa (Dong Thap delegation), Minister Nguyen Manh Hung stated that the issue of journalist ethics has been receiving much attention in recent years. The Minister pointed out that the main reason is the press economy. Previously, 80% of online advertising belonged to the press, but now it belongs to social networks, which means that advertising revenue for press agencies has decreased significantly.
Minister Nguyen Manh Hung said that the Prime Minister has issued a 2023 Directive on policy communication, which clearly states that authorities at all levels must consider policy communication as their task, have an apparatus and an annual budget to place orders for the press. This will also be an additional source for the press to implement.
Realizing that the issue of press ethics has not received much attention for many years, Minister Nguyen Manh Hung affirmed that the Ministry of Information and Communications, the Propaganda Department, and the Journalists Association determined that in this term, they will focus on professional ethics for press reporters./.
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