Some stories change society not because they are new, but because someone finally tells them. Years ago, when images of children in mountainous regions having to swing across rivers to get to school appeared in newspapers, millions of Vietnamese people were moved.
The bridges that were built afterward, the support programs that were implemented, and the positive changes that followed led many to believe that the press had created the change. But a closer look reveals that what the press truly created was neither the bridges nor the material resources. What the press created was societal attention.
Those children existed before. Those rivers existed before. Those hardships existed before. Only the rest of society hasn't seen them. And when a story is told with honesty, responsibility, and compassion, what changes first is not the reality itself, but how the community perceives that reality.
National Assembly representative Be Trung Anh. Photo: National Assembly.
Perhaps this is one of the most profound functions of journalism. In the common understanding, journalism is a place that provides information, reflects life, conveys policies and guidelines, and creates social forums. All of that is true. But if we delve deeper into its nature, journalism also does another job: helping society see what exists in its own life. Journalists do not create reality.
They don't replace government agencies in solving social problems. Nor are they the creators of the achievements or difficulties they reflect. But by selecting, connecting, and recounting stories of life, they make existing things tangible in the public consciousness. In a sense, journalism not only reflects society but also contributes to society's self-awareness.
Looking back at more than a century of revolutionary Vietnamese journalism, what is valuable is not only the great works or important historical milestones. More valuable are the countless ordinary stories that have been heard and retold. These could be a classroom in the middle of a vast forest, a soldier on the border, a family that has just escaped poverty, a small initiative by an ordinary citizen, or a long-standing problem in daily life.
At first glance, these seem like isolated stories. But the history of every nation shows that major changes often begin with very small signals. The difference lies in whether anyone sees them, recognizes their significance, and shares them with the community for reflection.
The press center for domestic and international journalists covering the 14th National Congress of the Party. Photo: VGP.
Therefore, if we had to find a concise way to describe journalism in the 21st century, it would probably be storytelling. However, this is not the kind of storytelling for entertainment or amusement. It is the profession of telling society the stories of society itself. This work is more important than we often think, because life is always much larger than what each individual can directly experience. A person living in the city can hardly fully appreciate the lives of people in border regions. A young person can hardly fully understand the sacrifices of previous generations.
A businessman may not fully grasp the anxieties of a farmer facing a failed harvest. A healthy person also struggles to fully understand the difficulties of a sick person. Therefore, people always need stories to understand each other, and journalism is one of the social institutions that consistently fulfills this role.
Each article, in a sense, is a bridge connecting individual experiences into a broader understanding of the community. It helps people in the lowlands better understand the highlands, helps urban dwellers better understand the countryside, helps the present engage in dialogue with the past, and sometimes helps society as a whole realize that the future is silently taking shape from the smallest signs of today. That is why journalism cannot be simply understood as the act of transmitting information.
Information itself does not create awareness. A number may be very accurate but is meaningless if not placed in the right context. An event may be very significant but is quickly forgotten if not explained. A phenomenon may exist for years but remains unnoticed if no one points out its significance. The value of journalism, therefore, lies not in who has more information, but in who helps society recognize what is worth paying attention to.
This is perhaps what makes journalism so special in today's context. We live in a world where data is increasingly abundant, information is increasingly plentiful, and technology is increasingly advanced. Never before have people had so much access to information. But paradoxically, when everything can appear on a screen, what is truly scarce is not data, but attention.
Domestic and international reporters cover activities at the Presidential Palace. Photo: Manh Quan.
A society may know a great deal but still miss important things. A community may have access to countless pieces of information but still fail to recognize the changes happening within itself. In this context, journalism is no longer measured by its ability to transmit information faster, but by its ability to help communities understand more deeply. The job of journalism is not to compete with technology in generating data. The job of journalism is to find meaning in data, connect the disparate pieces of life, and help society recognize which issues are truly worth caring about, reflecting on, and acting upon.
It's noteworthy that these issues aren't always major events. Sometimes it's just a very small change in the life of a community. A new model emerging locally. A people's initiative. A difficulty quietly accumulating. A new trend among young people. A cultural value facing the risk of disappearing. It is often these seemingly small things that are the source of major future changes. And many times in history, the press has been the first to help society recognize these signals.
But simply helping society see is not enough to fully explain the meaning of journalism. Because seeing is only the beginning. More importantly, it's about helping the community understand the significance of what they are seeing. A bridge being built is not just a story about a construction project. It's also a story about children's educational opportunities, people's access to public services, and the aspirations for development of a region. A growth figure is not just an economic result. It's also about jobs, income, confidence, and opportunities for millions of people. A new technology is not just a technical advancement. It's also a story about how people will live, work, and interact with each other in the future.
Vietnam encourages US businesses to expand investment in high technology.On the morning of June 26th, at the Government Headquarters, Deputy Prime Minister Ho Quoc Dung received Mr. Jeff Place, Supply Chain Director of Coherent Group (USA). During the meeting, the Deputy Prime Minister affirmed that Vietnam encourages US businesses to expand investment, especially in high-tech, innovation, and semiconductor industries. At its deepest level, journalism is therefore more than just reporting news or telling stories. It is a profession that helps society recognize what is both important and meaningful. These two aspects must go hand in hand, because not everything important naturally receives attention, and not everything meaningful naturally gets noticed. Journalism is the bridge between what is important and what is meaningful; between policy and life; between data and people; between the major changes in the country and the very specific experiences of each community and each individual's fate.
Journalism helps society recognize things that are both important and meaningful. Photo: VGP.
Perhaps that is also the most silent yet enduring contribution of journalism to national development. A country does not develop solely through investment, technology, or human resources. A country also develops through its ability to understand each other, trust each other, and work towards common goals. In social sciences, this is social capital – an intangible resource but one of special significance for sustainable development. And journalism, by telling the stories that need to be told, by ensuring that issues of concern are not obscured, is contributing to building that precious capital every day.
On the occasion of the 101st anniversary of Vietnam's Revolutionary Press Day, perhaps the most commendable aspect lies not only in the awards, achievements, or advancements in media technology. More importantly, it is in the individuals who dedicated their youth to traveling a little more, listening a little longer, observing a little more carefully, and asking a few more questions before writing. Thanks to them, many lives have been heard, many issues have been recognized, many positive values have been spread, and much faith has been nurtured within the community. Because, after all, what journalism brings to society is not only the ability to see reality, but also the ability to recognize the meaning of that reality.
Source: https://nongnghiepmoitruong.vn/nhung-nguoi-giup-xa-hoi-nhin-thay-d817343.html
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