Building a digital journalism brand

Staff and reporters of Thai Nguyen Newspaper talk with delegates before recording the discussion at the newspaper's studio. Photo: Lang Khoa.

From a small piece of news amidst the smoke of war

In the atmosphere of the 100th anniversary of Vietnam's revolutionary press, we - reporters of Thai Nguyen Newspaper met with former Editors-in-Chief and Deputy Editors-in-Chief through the periods to understand more about the development process of the editorial office. Listening to our predecessors tell stories about journalism in the past, we secretly admired the spirit and will of the Newspaper's reporters at that time, especially in the early days of its establishment.

The predecessor of Thai Nguyen Newspaper was Tin Thai Nguyen, published in 1958, consisting of 2 small pages, printed in 30x40cm size, 2,500 copies, one issue per week, distributed to the grassroots. The main content was to publish news on agricultural cooperation, highlighting typical advanced models in production, culture, and education. The journalism team at that time consisted of only 5-6 people, who wrote, printed, and distributed in extremely difficult conditions, with outdated equipment. However, the journalists all had a revolutionary spirit and were enthusiastic about contributing, sticking close to the grassroots to make the newspaper an effective propaganda tool in people's lives.

In 1962, Thai Nguyen Newspaper was officially born on the basis of Thai Nguyen News, becoming a forum reflecting the breath of life and the voice of the local Party Committee, government and people. Since 1965, when the resistance war against the US entered a fierce phase, Thai Nguyen became a strategic rear area, home to many key factories and enterprises. After the merger of Thai Nguyen and Bac Kan provinces, Bac Thai Newspaper became an important propaganda tool, encouraging production, fighting and supporting the frontline. The movements "Hammer in hand, gun in hand", "Three ready", "Five volunteering" were vividly reflected in the newspaper.

Despite the difficult conditions, the journalistic spirit of the team of reporters and editors is full of enthusiasm and high responsibility towards readers. Columns such as “Good people, good deeds”, “Reflections from the grassroots”, “Readers’ opinions”… help the newspaper become closer to the people, effectively fulfilling its role of reflecting reality and orienting local public opinion.

Go to the local newspaper

After the country's reunification, the press nationwide entered a new phase - reflecting the work of healing the wounds of war, restoring and developing the economy under difficult subsidized conditions. During this period, Bac Thai Newspaper maintained the form of periodic printing, gradually perfecting the apparatus, and improving the quality of the press team.

After the 6th Party Congress (1986), the country entered a period of renovation. The press became more open in reflecting reality, addressing economic, social and legal issues in a multi-dimensional and honest manner. Bac Thai Newspaper was no exception to this trend. From form, content to writing style, there were positive changes. Many investigative and social criticism articles were carefully carried out, affirming that the newspaper was not only a one-way propaganda channel but also played a role in checking and supervising society. At the same time, the newspaper gradually modernized the printing process, expanded the network of collaborators, improved the quality of press photos, and initially approached modern publishing technology.

Thai Nguyen Newspaper's studio is equipped with modern facilities for producing digital journalism works. Photo: LK

In 1997, after Bac Thai province was divided into Thai Nguyen and Bac Kan, Thai Nguyen Newspaper was officially established on the basis of inheriting Bac Thai Newspaper. This was the starting point for the strong development period of Thai Nguyen Newspaper. From 3 issues/week, the newspaper continuously increased the number of issues, reaching 6 issues/week in 2009 and officially became a local daily newspaper - one of the few provincial daily newspapers in the country at that time. In 2011, the newspaper launched the additional publication "Thai Nguyen monthly", contributing to expanding the scope of propaganda, enhancing the depth of content and diversifying the form of expression.

This period also marked a remarkable growth in the quality of human resources. The newspaper's team of reporters and editors were well-trained at major journalism schools, contributing to improving journalistic thinking, innovating approaches and reflecting information, gradually meeting the requirements of modern journalism.

During this period, Thai Nguyen Newspaper not only fulfilled its assigned political tasks well, but also affirmed its role as a trusted forum for the Party, government and people, contributing to creating social consensus and promoting economic, cultural and social development of the province during the integration period.

To date, the editorial office has nearly 80 staff, reporters, and workers, all of whom are politically steadfast, professionally skilled, and knowledgeable about digital technology. The newspaper has had a spacious printing house that has been operating stably for over 20 years, meeting the closed newspaper production process.

Transforming strongly in the digital age

In the wave of strong digital transformation of Vietnamese press, Thai Nguyen Newspaper is one of the pioneering local press agencies in building an electronic newspaper. In December 2001, the editorial office launched the Thainguyen online website and in 2004, it was officially licensed by the Ministry of Culture and Information to operate on the global Internet. The birth of the electronic newspaper marked an important turning point, opening up a new approach to readers and contributing to affirming the position of a dynamic, innovative and integrated Party newspaper.

Currently, Thai Nguyen Electronic Newspaper updates information 24/7, with more than 40 columns, published on multiple platforms such as website, mobile app, social network, helping to bring news quickly and accurately to all readers inside and outside the province.

The online newspaper has also invested heavily in digital content: News videos - televising journalism; Infographics - visualizing information; Podcasts - reaching readers through sound; Readers' perspectives - enhancing public interaction.

Modern interface, smooth operation, rich content have helped the newspaper maintain its role as an official information channel, and at the same time become an indispensable "spiritual food" for Thai Nguyen people in the digital age.

According to journalist Do Thi Thin, former Editor-in-Chief of Thai Nguyen Newspaper: The biggest breakthrough of Thai Nguyen Newspaper over the past years has not only been maintaining a stable print newspaper, but also developing journalism on a digital platform, being quick, accurate, in-depth, and on par with other central and local press agencies.

E-newspapers not only broadcast information but also play a good role in guiding public opinion, promptly spreading important issues on multiple platforms: Facebook, Zalo, YouTube. TikTok. And it is the development on digital platforms, the ability to transmit information quickly - accurately - promptly that has created the modern journalism brand of Thai Nguyen Newspaper.

Entering the 4.0 journalism era, Thai Nguyen Newspaper not only plays the role of the mouthpiece of the Provincial Party Committee, but also a reliable information center, where people come to update news, understand policies correctly, and spread confidence in developing their homeland.

Towards the future of comprehensive digital journalism, Thai Nguyen Newspaper is focusing on 6 core elements: digital subjects - digital content - digital technology - digital public - digital economy - digital ecosystem. This stage requires integrated thinking, multi-tasking skills of the leadership team, and the ability to master technology from the journalism team from reporters, editors to technicians.

With the goal of becoming a multi-platform, multimedia media agency, journalist Nguyen Ngoc Son, Editor-in-Chief of Thai Nguyen Newspaper, affirmed: We clearly define the goal of building a digital convergence newsroom, strongly applying AI, Big Data, and optimally exploiting social networks to bring press content closer to readers.

With the achievements and contributions of generations of cadres, civil servants and workers over the past 63 years, Thai Nguyen Newspaper has been honored to receive the First, Second and Third Class Labor Medals from the Party and State; and many excellent Emulation Flags, Certificates of Merit, and many other noble awards from the Government, Central ministries, branches and Thai Nguyen province.