Editor-in-Chief in the saying "every beginning is difficult"
After Hanoi resounded with the triumphant sound of military anthems, the capital entered a new period of reconstruction with urgent demands arising from the realities of development. Facing the need for an "official" daily newspaper, the voice of the Party Committee, the government, and the people of the capital, on February 26, 1957, the Hanoi City Party Committee passed Resolution No. 93-NQ/ĐBHN "On the publication of a daily newspaper in the capital." In March 1957, journalist Dinh Nho Khoi, former Head of the International Department of the Nhan Dan Newspaper, was transferred by his superiors to become Editor-in-Chief, working with his colleagues to oversee the "behind-the-scenes" aspects of publishing the Hanoi Moi Newspaper.
Journalist Doan Chiem, one of the veteran journalists of Hanoi Moi Newspaper, recounted: “The preparation work was incredibly busy and complex. The principles and objectives were clear, but how to structure the newspaper's content to suit the readers in the capital city was a matter of discussion. What sections should there be? Should it be published daily from the start, or two or three times a week? Should the newspaper be large or small?... So many questions needed to be answered.”
As the person who laid the first brick for the nascent newspaper, journalist Dinh Nho Khoi brought his knowledge and professional experience from decades of journalism before the August Revolution, during the resistance against the French, such as the newspapers Cuu Quoc and Giet Giac, along with the accumulated knowledge and lessons learned from his time working at Nhan Dan newspaper. Together with the Editorial Board, he discussed and laid the first bricks to shape the newspaper. Overcoming countless difficulties, the first issue of Hanoi Moi Daily was launched on October 24, 1957. This is a historically significant milestone for the Party newspaper Hanoi Moi in particular, and revolutionary journalism in general.
Over 10 years as Editor-in-Chief was an extremely difficult period: inadequate and makeshift facilities, rudimentary journalistic equipment, and many staff members lacking formal training... With his virtue and talent, the leader Dinh Nho Khoi was able to gather professional journalists with diverse styles, sharing the same vision and working together in harmony. He often reminded them: "The way a reporter works must be vastly different from the way the old-fashioned civil servant 'carries an umbrella to work in the morning and carries it back home in the evening.' A news article, written for tens of thousands or millions of readers, must be understood and believed by the readers to be effective."
As a dedicated and visionary journalist, Editor-in-Chief Dinh Nho Khoi considered training a top priority. Journalist Le Nguyen recounted that during a meeting of the Editorial Board on training young reporters, he firmly stated: “Why don’t we train our colleagues who specialize in a particular field, creating opportunities for them to delve deeper into those topics, instead of spreading ourselves too thin? We desperately need journalists who excel in various genres: feature stories, investigative journalism, and reportage… But training those capable of writing insightful commentary is certainly something we should do, especially for a daily newspaper…”
During the difficult and fierce stages of the resistance war against the US, some reporters went to the battlefield, and some sacrificed their lives. At this time, in addition to their journalistic duties and reorganizing the newsroom, Editor-in-Chief Dinh Nho Khoi and the Editorial Board also had to take care of the lives of the staff and reporters, such as setting up a daycare center, evacuating them, and assigning them to raise pigs so that there would be food to share during Tet (Lunar New Year)...
In the eyes of the journalists at Hanoi Moi newspaper at that time, Editor-in-Chief Dinh Nho Khoi was a shining example of a revolutionary journalist: “Working alongside him, we learned many valuable lessons for a daily journalist. His quick wit and meticulous work ethic were two outstanding qualities… Usually, he wouldn’t go back to his room until around 1:30 AM. Many nights, Mr. Khoi wouldn’t get any sleep until 4 or 5 AM because he had a ‘habit’ of always having to check the next day’s issue, still smelling of fresh ink, to make sure there were no errors before he would go back to his room…”
A model, unassuming journalist.
His aptitude and experience forged him into a highly knowledgeable and notoriously demanding journalist. During his lifetime, journalist Ham Chau recounted: “Dr. Nguyen Khac Vien told me: In his youth, Mr. Dinh Nho Khoi was renowned for his literary talent, and was even invited by the scholar Nguyen Khac Niem, Dr. Vien’s father, to be his tutor in French. During the Indochinese Democratic Front, Mr. Khoi wrote many articles in French for the Party’s public newspapers, led by journalists Truong Chinh and Vo Nguyen Giap…”
But from another perspective, according to journalist Doãn Chiêm's recollections, Editor-in-Chief Đinh Nho Khôi was "a gentle, simple man, not outwardly lively but clearly steady and mature." According to journalist Lê Nguyễn, "he lived a relaxed, open life, easily getting along with those around him, paying little attention to the 'trivial' matters of his colleagues, being forgiving and never holding grudges against anyone..." "In his work, if anything went wrong, he would offer sincere advice, guiding them thoroughly, and then let it go, not holding a grudge. Living honestly, being close to him, I felt that in his way of dealing with people, he was quite clearly influenced by Confucian etiquette..."
Among the anecdotes about the humility and simple lifestyle of Editor-in-Chief Dinh Nho Khoi, there are countless stories recounted by his colleagues: “Mr. Khoi lived a model life of simplicity. When going on business trips, if the reporters rode bicycles, the Editor-in-Chief would also ride a bicycle…”; “When the newspaper office was still at 6 Hai Ba Trung Street, his family was given a room of over 10 square meters on the second floor, which was scorching hot. When the office moved to 44 Le Thai To Street, he also moved his family to a small room on the second floor of the editorial office. At that time, the City Party Committee offered him a better place, but he flatly refused, citing the reason: ‘I live right next to the newspaper office so that if anything happens at night, it will be easy to react…’”
Later, after retiring, journalist Dinh Nho Khoi still cycled daily from his home in Giang Vo to the newsroom, diligently and regularly as he did when he was working, reading the newspaper, meeting friends or young female reporters who had just started their careers, like an old gardener devoted to the trees and plots of land where he had sown seeds and cultivated them with so much heart and effort...
Since the first daily issue of Hanoi Moi Newspaper, with journalist Dinh Nho Khoi as Editor-in-Chief, was published, the Party newspaper of the capital city has gone through many stages of development and continues to strive to fulfill its assigned mission. The generation of journalists at Hanoi Moi understands that everything achieved today stems from the initial foundation laid by Editor-in-Chief Dinh Nho Khoi and his colleagues.
- Journalist Dinh Nho Khoi (1910 - 1988) was born in Son Hoa commune, Huong Son district, Ha Tinh province - a region known for its scholarly traditions. Even while still in school, Dinh Nho Khoi participated in the patriotic movement, read progressive books and newspapers in French, contacted patriots and revolutionaries, and quickly became enlightened...
- Under the leadership of journalist Dinh Nho Khoi, the expansion of the newspaper's size, from small 30 x 40cm (1957) to medium 32.5 x 47cm (1958), and then large 40 x 60cm (1959), affirmed the stability and maturity of the content in each issue. The newspaper's headquarters also moved from 6 Hai Ba Trung Street to the spacious and imposing building at 44 Le Thai To Street, overlooking Hoan Kiem Lake, with the printing house right next door.
- In 1968, journalist Dinh Nho Khoi transferred to work at the Vietnam Journalists Association , serving as a member of the Executive Committee of the Vietnam Journalists Association (3rd term) until his retirement.
Source: https://hanoimoi.vn/nha-bao-dinh-nho-khoi-nguoi-dat-nhung-vien-gach-dau-tien-cho-hanoimoi-hang-ngay-705787.html
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