There are mornings when the city awakens to the familiar sound of car horns, to the hurried crowds moving back and forth on the streets, to the relentless rhythm of a society accelerating day by day.
For many people, it has become a habit to have a phone with a lit screen. News constantly flashes by. An incident that just happened somewhere. A controversial video . A touching story. Information that outrages the public. In just a few minutes of swiping their fingers, people can experience the full spectrum of life's emotions.
It's quite strange. Never before have people had access to so much information as they do now, yet never before has skepticism been so prevalent. Amidst a multitude of voices, it's not always easy to know what to believe. Amidst the rapidly shared social media posts, the truth doesn't always come first. Some stories are celebrated in the morning only to be exposed by the afternoon. Some people who were considered role models yesterday are now the focus of disappointment. Some information, upon its appearance, is commented on, judged, and concluded by thousands of people, even before the facts themselves have been fully verified.
Much is said about the information crisis. But perhaps more worrying is the crisis of trust that is silently unfolding behind the powerful waves of information.
Trust, though intangible, greatly influences many tangible aspects of social life. A society can only function healthily when people trust each other, believe in positive values, trust in justice, in kindness, and in shared standards. When trust declines, everything seems more fragile. People doubt the motives behind good deeds. They are hesitant to accept calls for sharing. They easily dismiss positive efforts simply because of a few negative incidents.
Perhaps this is one of the most thought-provoking consequences of the social media age. Never before have negative things had such a powerful opportunity to spread. A single upsetting incident can dominate the internet for days. An inappropriate statement can attract more attention than hundreds of positive stories. The unusual always has the potential to generate more interest than the ordinary. Therefore, sometimes just by looking at the flow of information on digital platforms, one gets the feeling that society is overflowing with disappointing things.
But real life isn't quite like that.
An investigative report that sheds light on a negative incident is an act of building trust. A series of articles reflecting on shortcomings to promote policy change is an act of building trust. A heartwarming story about kind people shared with the community is also an act of building trust. Every time the press stands on the side of truth, defends what is right, and promotes human values, social trust is further strengthened.
Out there, millions of people are silently doing their jobs every day with all their responsibility and self-respect. There are still dedicated teachers in remote areas. There are still doctors who stay up all night fighting to save patients' lives. There are still soldiers on the borders and islands, workers on construction sites, and ordinary laborers who are contributing to the normal functioning of society.
They don't create public storms. They don't become internet sensations. They don't appear in headlines. But they are the solid foundation of life. The problem is that in a world where attention is the most precious resource, these enduring values are sometimes obscured by fleeting noise.
That was also the time when the role of the press became more important than ever.
Since its inception, journalism has never been solely focused on reporting news. If the goal is simply to know what's happening, social media today is even faster than traditional journalism. Within minutes of an event emerging, images, videos, and comments flood across platforms. This speed is something that traditional journalism can hardly compete with.
But journalism was never born to simply race against time. The core value of journalism lies elsewhere. It is the ability to verify information amidst a sea of unverified information. It is the ability to peel back the layers of emotion and prejudice that reveal the true nature of an issue. It is the ability to provide the public not only with facts but also with context, depth, and perspective to understand the true nature of events.
A society can accept differences in opinion, but it cannot function on a foundation of misinformation. A society can engage in heated debates, but it cannot make sound decisions without reliable facts. In that sense, mainstream journalism is not simply a channel of information. Journalism is a social institution whose function is to preserve the truth and protect public belief in the truth.
For many years, numerous people have questioned whether journalism is losing its prominence in the face of the rapid growth of social media. This question is not unfounded. The public is changing how they consume information. Digital platforms are dominating users' time and attention. The advertising market is shifting. Traditional news reading habits are also rapidly changing. But from another perspective, this very competition is creating opportunities for journalism to better recognize its unique value.
In an environment where anyone can become a disseminator of information, what makes the difference is no longer the ability to deliver news the fastest, but the ability to deliver the most reliable information. In an environment where emotions often take precedence over reason, the value of caution becomes even more crucial. In an environment where algorithms constantly push controversial content to the forefront, the need for objective, balanced, and responsible information becomes even more urgent.
If social media creates an ocean of information, then journalism must become a lighthouse guiding the public through that ocean. If social media provides countless voices, then journalism must become a voice capable of credibility. If social media often chases after what is trending, then journalism must help society focus on what truly matters.
It's a competition not about speed, but about reliability. Not about noise, but about depth. Not about the ability to attract a fleeting crowd, but about the ability to create lasting value. And ultimately, what gives journalism its lasting strength doesn't lie in view counts or shares. That strength lies in its ability to nurture social trust.
An investigative report that sheds light on a negative incident is an act of building trust. A series of articles reflecting on shortcomings to promote policy change is an act of building trust. A heartwarming story about kind people shared with the community is also an act of building trust. Every time the press stands on the side of truth, defends what is right, and promotes human values, social trust is further strengthened.
Therefore, in today's era, perhaps the most important mission of journalism is not only to bring information to the public but also to keep the flame of faith from being extinguished amidst the headwinds of the times. Because a society may lack many things, but it cannot lack faith. And a genuine press, ultimately, is one of the last places where that faith can find its firm footing.
Source: https://baovanhoa.vn/bao-chi/noi-niem-tin-tim-duoc-cho-dung-238563.html
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