When print journalists become television journalists

In the era of information explosion, to meet the demands of their newsrooms, print journalists have become multi-talented journalists, producing multimedia journalistic products. Overcoming initial awkwardness and learning as they go, print journalists have become increasingly knowledgeable.

Memorable "first times"

In 2018, a team consisting of one print journalist, one online journalist, and one print layout technician was tasked by the Editorial Board of Khanh Hoa Newspaper with developing a video about the dilapidated state of school toilets for the online newspaper. The team, lacking experience in video journalism, was quite apprehensive: how to create a script; how to organize the footage; how to plan an impressive intro and outro; what content to include and where to place it appropriately… Many times, the team had to reshoot scenes because they forgot to pay attention to the background or supporting characters. One day, they arrived early without breakfast, and the technician's hands trembled as he carried the camera chasing after the children. The narration, though only a little over a hundred words and memorized, suddenly faltered in front of the camera… Despite this, the team constantly encouraged each other to persevere. To capture authentic scenes, the crew didn't hesitate to work in incredibly foul-smelling restrooms. On one occasion, Thanh Thảo and Minh Khang had to stand in a garbage pit to film the background of the scene depicting a dilapidated restroom. On other occasions, the crew had to carry their equipment on foot in the midday sun to a school in a remote mountainous area…

Journalists Thanh Thảo and Minh Khang working in Ninh Hòa town, November 2018.

In August 2024, while writing an article about the traditional basket-weaving group of the Ede people in Ninh Tay commune (Ninh Hoa town), after interviewing and taking photos, Ms. Thieu Hoa asked the locals about the basket-weaving technique. Hearing one resident say, "You have to do it to understand; it's hard to explain," she suddenly had the idea to create a video clip to insert into the article for easier understanding. The following week, she returned to the village to film the clip using her mobile phone. "Four days after the inserted clip was published, the Khanh Hoa Newspaper Branch organized a training session on video shooting and editing. Several clips, including mine, became 'teaching tools' for learning. The guidance from the branch was invaluable initial knowledge about video journalism for me," Ms. Thieu Hoa shared.

Reporter Kim Dung reports on the "Issues Today" column at the Department of Education and Training, September 2024. Photo: NGOC HOA

In September 2024, when Khanh Hoa Newspaper launched its two television segments, "Good Morning" and "Today's Issues," on its online platform, reporter Kim Dung was one of the two presenters. Having studied print journalism and spent 15 years working in print media, her first foray into television journalism made her a self-taught journalist. "The first time I sat in front of the camera, trying to read the news, I ended up reading the audio instead of just the presenter's notes. The words constantly scrolling on the teleprompter made me flustered; I tried to 'read along,' forgetting to emphasize intonation and expression, sometimes stumbling and running out of breath because of the long sentences. When filming interviews, I also had to practice interacting with the interviewee naturally…," Kim Dung shared.

I love journalism even more.

Kim Dung's experience working in television journalism helped her better understand the hardships faced by television reporters and the importance of teamwork. She recounted: “Many times, provincial events were held in the evening, and finishing the ‘Good Morning’ news broadcast meant… it was also the start of the new day at the office. Everyone was tired, but still happy because we had delivered timely news. For me, working in television journalism was a memorable experience that made me love and become more committed to the profession.”

Reporter Cong Dinh participated in the livestream of the 30th anniversary celebration of Au Co Secondary School (Nha Trang City), April 2025. Photo: HOANG NGAN

Television reporters already have a tough job, but print reporters working in television journalism face even greater challenges. For example, covering a conference requires simultaneously working for the print newspaper, filming, and then editing the video for television. Some moments last only a dozen seconds; prioritizing photo shoots means missing opportunities for good shots, while filming beforehand means missing out on good shots, and having someone else film for you results in… hit-or-miss quality. Some reporters only realize after leaving that they missed crucial scenes, making the footage illogical and inconsistent with the sequence of events. Some individuals agree to be interviewed but then shake their heads when they see the camera… Post-production is sometimes a real challenge: accidentally pressing the mute button can lead to endless attempts to add music, or the editing software won't recognize the footage… Despite this, according to Ms. Kim Dung, after each program, the feedback and suggestions from readers and colleagues provide her with invaluable knowledge about television journalism. For Ms. Thanh Thảo, the poignant feeling remains even after many years of making videos about school restrooms. Witnessing the inadequate and outdated facilities of rural schools reminded her of her own childhood and made her feel more compassion for the children. Therefore, the team tried to create a video to reflect the reality and propose improvements to the children's learning conditions. Although their first product still has some flaws, the team is happy because it brought genuine emotions to the viewers.

Reporter Chau Tuong filmed a video at the folk dance festival "Melodies of Victory - Dances of Peace," in April 2025. Photo: NGOC THONG

Decades ago, print journalists only focused on writing news articles, while photojournalists handled the photography. Later, each journalist took on both writing and photography roles; the work became more stressful, but also more rewarding and proactive. “From bringing back shaky footage that looked like seasickness, sweating all day just to edit a 1.5-minute clip, print journalists now know how to use images to convey messages, create scripts, add music, and dub… Although we know journalism is always stressful, we are very grateful to the agency's leadership for always setting new goals, forcing us to push our limits and become increasingly versatile in producing multimedia journalistic products to serve the public,” Thiều Hoa confided.

NGUYEN VU

Source: https://baokhanhhoa.vn/xa-hoi/202506/khi-phong-vien-bao-in-lam-bao-hinh-31219bf/