Press faces challenges of consolidation, convergence and digital transformation

On the morning of October 30, in Quang Ninh, the Center for Journalism Training - Vietnam Journalists Association organized a seminar with the theme "Organizing a multi-format newsroom and managing the quality of press content in the current context". Attending the seminar were leaders of the Vietnam Journalists Association, the Press Department, the Central Propaganda and Education Commission, representatives of local departments and branches, and leaders of central and local press agencies.

Unification for sustainable development

Speaking at the seminar, Mr. Le Quoc Minh, member of the Party Central Committee, Editor-in-Chief of Nhan Dan Newspaper, Deputy Head of the Central Propaganda and Mass Mobilization Commission, Chairman of the Vietnam Journalists Association, emphasized: The merger of local press agencies in recent times is an inevitable step in the spirit of Resolution 37-NQ/TW and the Party's directive documents, aiming to form a unified, streamlined, professional and more modern newsroom model.

Most recently, on September 23, the Secretariat issued Regulation 373-QD/TW on the functions, tasks, and organizational structure of press agencies under the Party Committees of provinces and cities, with the goal of streamlining focal points and improving operational efficiency.

This process is not easy, requiring great efforts from both the management agency, local leaders and the team of journalists directly at the base. Because it is not only a change in organizational structure, but also an adjustment in thinking, emotions and professional responsibility.

Mr. Le Quoc Minh, Editor-in-Chief of Nhan Dan Newspaper, Deputy Head of the Central Propaganda and Mass Mobilization Commission, President of the Vietnam Journalists Association, spoke at the seminar. Photo: TUNG VAN

“There are newsrooms that have been together for decades, now need to integrate, join hands to create a new image. In that process, there is faith, there is hope, but there are also many concerns,” the Chairman of the Vietnam Journalists Association shared.

According to him, the merger process is not simply about reorganizing the organization, but also about changing the mindset, emotions and professional responsibilities of the journalism team. Last October, the Vietnam Journalists Association organized a series of seminars on this topic in many localities, recording hundreds of valid contributions, effective models and specific proposals on human resource training, content management and digital technology application.

Mr. Le Quoc Minh speaks at the seminar. Photo: TUNG VAN

The President of the Vietnam Journalists Association also highly appreciated Quang Ninh province as a pioneer in implementing the model of merging press agencies, paving the way for modern and professional editorial management thinking. "I believe that today's discussion will continue the success of the previous two discussions, while adding valuable experiences and specific solutions to perfect the effective editorial model, suitable for the development requirements of the new period," Mr. Le Quoc Minh emphasized.

The President of the Vietnam Journalists Association also shared about the challenges that the press is facing in the digital age when many newsrooms are changing in terms of organization and personnel; many leaders of press agencies after mergers still lack experience in managing multimedia newsroom models. Meanwhile, the strong development of digital technology and artificial intelligence is putting the press under pressure to innovate faster than ever.

Therefore, to adapt, Vietnamese press needs to constantly innovate, transform strongly and be steadfast with its core values: "Maintaining principles and purposes; ensuring accurate and timely information; and at the same time organizing and operating the newsroom effectively - these are increasingly strict requirements. But it is in the challenges that we will find the strength to break through."

Converged newsrooms: Not just a trend

At the seminar, on behalf of the local government, Mr. Vu Quyet Tien, Deputy Secretary of the Quang Ninh Provincial Party Committee, presented important experiences, that is, the unification is not only about organizational arrangement, but also about unifying leadership thinking, journalism culture and content management methods; the press must be both a propaganda tool of the Party and the State, and a bridge of information - knowledge - trust between the government and the people. At the same time, the team of journalists needs to constantly innovate their thinking, be creative, improve their qualifications and political capacity to meet new requirements.

Leaders of press agencies and functional agencies attended the discussion. Photo: TUNG VAN

Meanwhile, Mr. Luu Dinh Phuc, Director of the Press Department, Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, stated that in recent years, the world and Vietnamese press have undergone a strong transformation process. The traditional newsroom model, where print, radio, television and electronic newspapers operate independently, is gradually giving way to integrated, convergent and digital models. Therefore, convergent newsrooms are no longer a trend but have become a mandatory requirement for modern media agencies.

Moreover, convergence is not only a matter of organizational arrangement, but also closely related to leadership thinking, journalistic culture and content management methods, thereby improving the efficiency, quality and ability to spread information in the digital age.

At the seminar, there were discussion sessions on the following topics: Trends in organizing modern newsrooms in the context of multi-platform and press agency consolidation; Restructuring the press system - an inevitable trend and the problem of effective management; Content organization model - from production to distribution in digital newsrooms; Solutions to improve management capacity, foster leadership skills, and operate local press agencies after mergers.

Journalist Nguyen Khac Van, Acting Editor-in-Chief of SGGP newspaper, spoke at the seminar.

Speaking at the seminar, Journalist Nguyen Khac Van, Acting Editor-in-Chief of Saigon Giai Phong Newspaper (SGGP), said that the new SGGP Newspaper was formed on the basis of merging the newspapers of Binh Duong and Ba Ria - Vung Tau. The new space of Ho Chi Minh City has an area of over ^6,700km2 , with more than 14 million people, 168 communes, wards, and special zones, so the organization of operations for the new SGGP Newspaper agency can only be effectively implemented when digital transformation is strong on the basis of building a convergent, multi-type, multi-platform newsroom. This is the work that SGGP Newspaper is currently striving to do and deploy.

Journalist Nguyen Khac Van emphasized that applying the centralized convergent newsroom model with a Hub (a center for connecting, collecting and sharing information) will provide multi-format, multi-platform press products to better serve the public.

Through the discussion, leaders and managers of press agencies exchanged frankly, shared practical experiences and sought solutions to improve the quality of information serving the public, contributing to building a professional, modern and effective Vietnamese press.

KHANH NGUYEN

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/bao-chi-truoc-thach-thuc-hop-nhat-hoi-tu-va-chuyen-doi-so-post820797.html