Vietnamese press faces challenges from technology and social networks

Faced with challenges from technology and social networks, journalists and newsrooms need to innovate and build a model based on three pillars: content, business and technology.

Pressure of Vietnamese press in the new social context

According to experts, journalism is currently facing many challenges, first of all the crisis of trust, the development of social networks and the "emerging force" of artificial intelligence (AI). According to a report by Global PR Hub (a business providing communication solutions consulting), in 2024, up to 42% of global journalists consider changing information consumption behavior of users to be the biggest challenge, 58% are concerned that AI will affect the quality of content and trust in journalism. Readers today do not simply "read the newspaper" but increasingly tend to "listen" and "watch".

Vietnamese press is no exception to this trend. As a market with great potential thanks to the rapid development of digital platforms, Vietnamese press also has to face pressure from users to change, competition from technology platforms and increasingly high demands for content quality. The pressure for press innovation is more urgent than ever, especially in the context of sharp decline in revenue.

Sharing at the workshop “Foreseeing the future of journalism: Building a sustainable model ”, Mr. Nguyen Van Ba, Editor-in-Chief of VietnamNet Newspaper, said that currently, our journalism is standing at a stage of many impacts, especially social networks, the wave of AI technology, besides the implementation of organizational arrangements including press agencies. The urgent question is how to make journalism survive and develop sustainably in the digital age. To develop sustainably, each press agency needs to identify models and methods suitable for itself, based on the pillars of content, business and technology.

Journalist Nguyen Van Ba, Editor-in-Chief of VietnamNet newspaper, shares about the current difficulties of Vietnamese journalism. (Photo: Minh Hoan)

First is about content, this is the central pillar, the core value of journalism. Content today is not only to "report news quickly" but also to "understand and serve readers", must shift from quantity to quality, from views to social value.

“Investing in content and creating quality content is a prerequisite. But content alone is not enough. Along with content, there must be technology. Without technology, no matter how good the product is, it will just be like keeping it at home. With technology, press products will be more widely disseminated to the public. At this time, it will become an opportunity for the press to gain not only the value of trust but also added value and revenue,” the editor-in-chief of VietnamNet newspaper emphasized.

He also affirmed that investing in content and focusing on technology to distribute information content is a prerequisite that any press agency must determine to keep up with the trend. The press cannot stay out of the digital transformation process.

According to statistics, currently 53% of journalists in the world have used generative AI in their work, a sharp increase compared to 47% last year. In Vietnam, many newsrooms have also begun testing the integration of AI into the process of producing news articles, checking content, optimizing display and personalizing the reader experience.

“Keyword” of development

According to Mr. Le Quoc Minh, Chairman of the Vietnam Journalists Association , Editor-in-Chief of Nhan Dan Newspaper: “In the future, if we want to develop, we must innovate. Continuous innovation is the only “keyword” to make journalism more attractive. However, nowadays, users’ interests change very quickly, especially with young people. Today, this topic is still a trend, tomorrow it will disappear. Today this product is hot, but tomorrow it will be a different product… The demand for news is the same.”

Journalist Le Quoc Minh – Chairman of Vietnam Journalists Association, Editor-in-Chief of Nhan Dan Newspaper. (Photo: Minh Hoan)

The President of the Vietnam Journalists Association analyzed that with the constant development of technology today, the life cycle of technology is even less than 6 months. Today it is new but after a while it becomes outdated. Therefore, journalists must change constantly. In the future, if the press wants to survive, it must continuously innovate its products.

Sharing the same view with journalist Le Quoc Minh, journalist Ngo Viet Anh, Director of the Center for Media Development, Nhan Dan Newspaper, said that data and technology are becoming new “creative materials”, not only helping to optimize operational processes but also contributing to building press products with depth and value.

Innovation and technology adoption are changing many newsrooms, with cutting-edge technology applications such as AR/VR and new content platforms in the form of interactive Q&A. Digital transformation of journalism is about putting technology at the center of the development strategy, using technology to create engaging content and conquer new reader groups, distribute content more effectively and generate greater revenue.

Currently, the media-tech model is the trend that many large press corporations such as the New York Times, Washington Post, Bloomberg, Wall Street Journal (USA), South China Morning Post (Hong Kong, China) are aiming for. In particular, New York is pioneering technological innovation with core values, fundamental strengths such as an unlimited content repository, accessing new technology trends, new products to serve the needs of readers, especially on mobile devices.

According to experts, one of the prominent journalism trends that has received attention recently is multimedia storytelling that combines text, images, sound, data and interactive elements. This is not only a modern and attractive way of making journalism, but also a solution to retain readers in an age of information overload.

In addition, building a product mindset in journalism is also identified as a vital factor. Instead of producing news articles, journalists need to understand user needs, orient content according to each reader segment, optimize distribution platforms and create long-term value.

In the flow of technology and data, journalism cannot just follow but must be one step ahead. Digital transformation is not simply about equipping tools but must be about changing mindset. The mindset of journalism for readers, for the community with in-depth, trustworthy and creative content. Only then can journalism affirm its leading role and continue its mission in a sustainable development model.

Minh Hoan

Source: https://vtcnews.vn/bao-chi-viet-nam-doi-dien-voi-thach-thuc-tu-cong-nghe-va-mang-xa-hoi-ar947532.html