[e-Magazine] “Journalist Ha Dang and… “5 Twos”

When asked about his career, journalist Ha Dang often humorously summarizes it with "5 twos": two terms as Central Committee member, 6th and 7th terms; two terms as National Assembly delegate, 8th and 9th terms; Editor-in-Chief of Nhan Dan Newspaper and Editor-in-Chief of Communist Magazine; Head of the Central Ideology and Culture Committee and Head of the Steering Committee for drafting the complete Party Documents; along with two times as Assistant to the General Secretary, for General Secretary Le Duan and General Secretary Nong Duc Manh.

Talking to Knowledge and Life, veteran journalist Ha Dang said that his chance to become a journalist began with his concerns about current events. In 1947, at the age of 18, having just been admitted to the Party, he wrote his first article "Confessions of money in a safe" published in Phan Dau Newspaper (the predecessor of Phu Yen Newspaper). The article told the story of the contrast between poor people who were willing to collect every penny to support the resistance and rich people who were stingy with their money.

“It was my first article about the story of the money in the safe that connected me to journalism later on,” he shared.

Journalist Ha Dang said that the Vietnamese revolutionary press, since its inception, has been identified as a front, and journalists are soldiers on that front. "The core goal of journalism is to fight for the victory of the revolution, for the independence and freedom of the nation, for the interests of the country and the people," he affirmed. In that fight, the pen is a sharp weapon. Revolutionary journalists have the mission of pioneering, leading the people's struggle, fulfilling their responsibility to the country, not for the personal interests of journalists.

Ever since Uncle Ho founded Thanh Nien newspaper in 1925, this role has been defined. Although the context has changed, the view that journalism is a front and journalists are soldiers remains valid.

"Journalism is essentially about fighting for the victory of the revolution. The purpose is to clearly state the will of the people, gain independence and freedom, and later move towards a new society - socialism, bringing rights to all citizens," he emphasized.

According to journalist Ha Dang, to fulfill the mission, the prerequisite for a revolutionary journalist is revolutionary ethics and revolutionary ideology. "Only with revolutionary ethics can one make a revolution," he emphasized. Cultivating ethics is the foundation for journalists to be able to write good, valuable works that serve the common cause. He shared that to have revolutionary ethics is not a simple matter, and without revolutionary ethics, it is difficult to write good articles that move people's hearts.

He has learned many lessons in his career. The first lesson he learned when he joined Nhan Dan Newspaper was the sense of discipline and organization, because working for the Party newspaper was not for personal interest or ambition. The next lesson was the lesson of continuous learning, from books, work experience, teachers and friends. Self-study and self-training is an arduous process. Those who are subjective and complacent will not be able to progress, and even their pens will gradually become dull.

Journalist Ha Dang said that there are many different views on the path to journalism: some people think that formal training is needed, while others emphasize talent and passion. However, he affirmed that, for journalism, passion alone is not enough. One must train to gain knowledge, life experience; cultural and scientific knowledge, and experiential knowledge. One must always have the right perspective, look straight, and tell the truth; not report false news… Any talent must be developed through hard work.

Having witnessed and directly worked in journalism for decades, journalist Ha Dang has noticed the difference between journalism in the past and today. Although the means and working conditions have changed a lot, and readers are also more "critical", there is one basic common point: "Journalists must be skilled in their profession, have strong political will, and good moral qualities".

Revolutionary journalists must take the ideals of independence, freedom, and the building of socialism as their guiding principle. To produce valuable works, journalists cannot "sit and make up stories" but must "enter life, enter their own fight", examine reality to reflect, praise the good, criticize the bad, and contribute to the progress of society. Continuous training to become active, ethical, revolutionary-minded members who contribute to the development of the country is an essential requirement for every journalist.

In the current context, when the country enters a new era of development - "the era of national rise" - the press must demonstrate that spirit.

“The pressures of life can affect journalists. He believes that although journalists need to fight for their lives and need royalties from good articles to cover expenses, if they simply “do journalism for money”, it will be difficult for them to succeed in their journalism career,” he emphasized.