Memories of amateur journalism days

Originally, I only studied literature normally, I did not expect that there would be days when I would write and have it published in newspapers. Indeed, during the summary of the "Famine Relief Like Firefighting" Movement of the Xuan Loc District Youth Union (formerly known as the Youth Union), Uncle Le Tu Huyen, Head of the Propaganda Department, Standing Member of the Provincial Party Committee, attended. When he heard the report about an example of a Union cadre who was ready to sacrifice when the floodwaters broke the Xuan Phu Dam, Uncle Tu asked why he had only reported it now, why he had not written it for newspapers and radio. I replied that we did not know how to write for newspapers. Uncle Tu said: "There is nothing difficult, we just need real people, real events, and as for words, there will be an Editorial Board. To make a movement, we must write for newspapers to have the power to spread."

Then I “risked my life” to write, only daring to send the news to the District Radio Station, not expecting the station to report it. And then I just kept writing. Of course, later, I asked Mr. Nam Ngan, former Head of the Propaganda Department of the Long Khanh City Party Committee, for advice; important news sent to Dong Nai Newspaper was edited and revised into articles by Mr. Tu and Mr. Nhut.

Learning about writing skills, I gradually realized how difficult it is: you have to have information that is both accurate and detailed, not general. Writing a newspaper is not literature but fiction; choosing a topic is not easy, you have to think about naming the article that is both true to the nature of the matter and attracts the attention of readers... Therefore, completing an article is a difficult process, especially for an amateur writer like me. But fortunately, when I worked in the province, the agency was near the newspaper's editorial office, and every time I was close to some journalists, such as Mai Song Be, Huy Thanh, Ton Hoan, Nguyet Ha, I learned a lot about the profession.

Regarding the topic, I often choose from my current work, Long Khanh - Xuan Loc as my hometown, especially the imprints of my comrades during the resistance years. Later, based on important events or newspaper articles but the content I did not agree with, such as "Communist Party member, who are you?". I immediately wrote "Yes, we are communist party members". Later, especially when I retired, working at the Provincial Veterans Association, I was assigned to be responsible for propaganda work, internal newsletters, had the opportunity to practice every day to gradually improve my "writing style", sometimes "poeticizing" an event like the article "Flowers from the same root". Then gradually progressed to participate in the Political Writing Contest on protecting the Party's ideological foundation, fortunately also won prizes in both the print newspaper and scientific political categories.

I believe that each article is a story in my own life with family, friends, work during my life and work that I feel. Usually with articles about memories, I write quickly, smoothly, and fluently. Maybe, because those things are mine, real feelings, very real joys and sorrows, I have experienced and felt them.

Thank you Dong Nai Newspaper for occasionally dedicating different corners of the newspaper for me to have the opportunity to send my memories and emotions to the readers. Thank you to the first “teachers” as our ancestors said “A word is also a teacher”. I am very grateful to the editors, who paid attention to the article titles, sometimes changing and revising them to make them more evocative. Many articles have been selected for publication, reaching readers with a shorter, more concise number of words. Perhaps when the article reaches readers, the readers’ emotions are different from those of the writer. Readers may have the same emotions as me, but sometimes they do not, or the emotions are more faint.

As an amateur journalist, sometimes early in the morning, when I open a new newspaper that still smells of ink and see my article, I am very happy. And there were times when I read the article, I cried.

Tran Thanh Hung

Source: https://baodongnai.com.vn/dong-nai-cuoi-tuan/202506/ky-uc-thang-ngay-viet-bao-nghiep-du-5c80d08/