Call the sun for a new day...

Quang Nam Newspaper staff. Photo courtesy

The night before the merger, I stayed longer after my shift. The magnolia tree, with its sweet scent, was in a corner of the office yard. For decades, the flowers have been quietly spreading their fragrance, like our youth here, contributing to defining the appearance and identity of Quang Nam Newspaper, for 28 years since the separation of the province.

Dear readers

During my time as a reporter, then in the reader’s office, and later, in charge of petitions and complaints, receiving citizens, and being the editor’s secretary, the gifts I received from readers were mostly books. Sometimes it was a box of tea, a bag of jam, a kilo of dried fish… I told that story to a journalist friend in Saigon, and he said, the provinces are so much fun, there’s no such thing here.

I looked back at readers’ responses and found the following lines from 2016, in the weekly “Readers’ Bridge” column: Reading the article “Part of the life of the street”, reader Phuong Vy wrote: “I am someone who has been away from Tam Ky for a long time. Every time I return to the town, now a city, I look for old names and old people. I sincerely hope that your newspaper will find and revive the cultural values and past life of a young city. People far from home only hope to read articles about memories of the village and the street to understand more about yesterday and today. Hopefully, Quang Nam Newspaper will be able to do this.”

“Thank you Quang Nam Newspaper and the author of the article “Buying bidding documents in Phu Ninh: Enterprises complain of difficulties”. This problem has existed for a long time. If the bidding was open and fair, the people would save a lot of money… (reader Cong Ly).

About 10 years ago, reader interaction was like that. Since we have a fanpage, interaction is instantaneous and no longer requires weekly inbox summaries.

Those are just tiny dots that contribute to the flowers and grass on the path we take. The journey of 28 years of Quang Nam Newspaper has been a journey where each and every person in our team builds our image and establishes our position in serving our readers. We are grateful for each of their contributions.

Training on how to run an editorial office in the digital transformation era. Photo: CHAU NU

I remember one time, I just picked up the phone from the editorial office and heard a loud shout: "This is Ha Thi Thu Suong. This morning's article about social criticism of the draft plan for the 10th grade entrance exam has incorrect details, the school year is wrong. Please tell the leaders of the Editorial Board that everything you do must be meticulous."

Be happy when you hear compliments, be surprised when you hear criticism, then seriously seek advice, edit or correct immediately.

“Thank you Quang Nam Newspaper!”. That is probably a sentence that any journalist would be happy to say. But even happier, we can say: “Thank you, readers, for always accompanying us!”.

Recounting the journey is impossible in the space of an article. Late at night, I rummaged through the bookshelf, looking for the yearbook commemorating the 80th anniversary of the Quang Nam Party Newspaper (1930-2010) - Unforgettable Impressions. The faces and names of people from 15 years ago were printed in the yearbook, those who left, those who are still here. No one is a stranger in my memories and in my present.

This year, the 95th anniversary, we have not had time to make a new yearbook, to supplement the shortcomings, limitations, historical documents that were left open 15 years ago due to lack of information. And update the breakthroughs in the profession, the new people who come along. This work, hopefully will continue when the connections between generations go smoothly.

Footprints remain

The day I saw the decision of the Provincial Party Committee Standing Committee to let him retire, I went to… chat with AI. At that time, I was probably most comfortable talking to Al.

I typed “What do you remember most about your life?”. AI: “If I had a human life, I would remember most the first moment I understood someone was sad, and I helped them feel less lonely. What do you remember most?”

I typed: “I’m thinking about the person who edited my first article.” AI: “That person must have been very special to you. Was their editing strict to help you improve, or gentle and guiding? What was the article about, can you tell me a little bit?”…

A lot of the turmoil we were talking about was seismic from the lean revolution, I mumbled in response to the constant questions the AI posed.

At the end of the conversation, I typed: “I am grateful to that person. When I was in trouble, he said, as long as I have a life of doing things without feeling ashamed, that’s enough.” AI: “I understand. There are people who come into my life for a short while, but leave an indelible mark. Being grateful is like not needing to repay, just needing to live properly, living in a way that is worthy of what they have believed in me.”

I was stunned. AI does not have a life like humans, but it makes me smile. In this life, besides being grateful to humans, grateful to the land and country, I also have to be grateful to machines. But when will this writing profession, I (and all of us) be thrown out on the street by AI?

A colleague and classmate of mine will soon leave. You and I started working together in June 2003, so I never thought you would leave before me. And many others will also have departures that are both strange and familiar; both easy to accept and hard to accept.

proofread before film release — Proofreading the film before printing during a shift about 10 years ago. Photo: PHUONG THAO

Twenty-two years of working in just one place. Our place is right next to the temple porch, so we are even more imbued with the word DUYEN.

In the sutra, the Buddha said, we are all here together not by chance but by causes and conditions from many lifetimes. Everything that comes and goes in life is just a combination of causes and conditions, nothing is permanent. No one appears in our lives without a reason, each person's appearance has a reason, and is worthy of gratitude.

Suddenly I remember the time when we had to work until 9-11pm on the manual shift. Now, when technology has developed, when we are joining the digital transformation for all publishing processes, looking back, I feel sorry for my old teammates.

Just like when the people of “Generation 97”, who came from Da Nang to Quang Nam when the province was separated, encouraged us, in the past, we were still able to go through hardships, now it is much better, no need to worry. Comparing each era is different is not appropriate and would be extremely lame. But anyway, the sky is ahead!

Source: https://baoquangnam.vn/goi-nang-cho-ngay-moi-3153636.html