Tighten discipline

(NB&CL) At the 2024 Press Conference, reporting on the assessment of professional activities and the implementation results of the 10 Articles of the Code of Professional Ethics for Vietnamese Journalists and the Rules for Using Social Networks for Vietnamese Journalists in 2024, the Vietnam Journalists Association said: The phenomenon of reporters and collaborators of some press agencies (mainly magazines belonging to social organizations and socio-professional organizations) taking advantage of the name of the press to operate illegally, harass agencies, businesses, and localities, has shown signs of increasing and becoming more complicated.

Ethics issues are still a concern, especially in the magazine sector.

In fact, last year, there was a phenomenon of some reporters and collaborators forming groups with behaviors that exceeded their functions, tasks, and powers, operating in a manner that was not in accordance with the principles and purposes stated in their licenses, providing one-sided, unverified information about the shortcomings and errors of agencies, businesses, and localities to suggest, pressure, and even threaten, and then propose to sign media and advertising contracts or make illegal profits, especially during the time near Lunar New Year and major holidays.

Many reporters and journalists have even been prosecuted and arrested by authorities for taking advantage of their profession for personal gain... The case that occurred at the Vietnam Environment and Urban Magazine is a sad story, a warning bell, a wake-up call for individuals who still have wrong perceptions, take advantage of the name of journalism activities for personal gain, and commit painful violations of the law. Journalist Nguyen Duc Loi - Permanent Vice President shared: "Painful. One thing worth pondering is the phenomenon that some journalists have violated professional ethics and even violated the law. Here, there is a lax management of journalists, especially collaborators of press agencies, especially magazines".

To rectify ethical violations, from the beginning of 2024, the Council for Handling Violations of Professional Ethics of Vietnamese Journalists issued Official Dispatch No. 01 dated January 9, 2024 requesting the Journalists Associations of provinces and cities, the Inter-Associations and affiliated Sub-Associations: Strengthen the work of political and ideological education, professional ethics, social responsibility, and civic duty for the team of journalists; review and strictly manage, regularly urge and remind the team of reporters, especially resident reporters and collaborators in localities to strictly implement the provisions of the Press Law, 10 articles of the Regulations on Professional Ethics, and the Rules for Using Social Networks of Vietnamese Journalists; closely monitor and manage the use of press cards, membership cards, and letters of introduction issued to cadres and reporters; Urgently review, establish and strengthen the Council for handling violations of professional ethics according to the regulations in the Regulations on the operation of the Council for handling violations of professional ethics of Vietnamese journalists...

Vietnam Journalists Association inspects and supervises the implementation of the charter at the Front Magazine Association.

At the same time, implementing the 2024 regular inspection and supervision plan, the Standing Committee of the Association has established independent inspection and supervision teams for grassroots Association units. As a result, up to now, it has worked with 16 units, including 2 Associations: Banking Industry Journalists Association and Dan Tri Newspaper Journalists Association, 5 Provincial Journalists Associations including the Provincial Journalists Associations of Bac Giang, Bac Ninh, Lang Son, Binh Dinh, Phu Yen; 2 Journalists Associations: Education Times Newspaper and VnExpress Newspaper; 7 Magazine Associations: Manager Magazine, Business and Border Trade Magazine, Social Insurance Magazine, Community Health Magazine, Securities Economics Magazine, Vietnamese Talent Human Resources Magazine and Corporate Finance Magazine.

In November and December 2024, the Vietnam Journalists Association continued to implement the monitoring plan for 3 provincial and municipal Journalists Associations and 10 Newspaper and Magazine Journalists Associations. In general, local press strictly implemented the Association's Charter and complied with legal regulations, the rate of violations in the central press mainly concentrated in the Bloc of electronic Magazine agencies...

It can be seen that, with the functions and tasks of a political, social and professional organization, the Vietnam Journalists Association regularly urges and grasps information on the situation of complaints and denunciations at all levels of the Association to have timely solutions. Strengthen inspection and supervision activities at the grassroots level to remove difficulties and obstacles in the process of resolving complaints and denunciations of members and journalists. Timely correct limitations and weaknesses, strictly handle individuals and organizations that violate; correct and strictly handle cases of members, officials, reporters and editors who use social networks to make unstandard statements, have "two-faced" nature, violate the Rules of Use of Social Networks, and violate the 10 Articles of professional ethics for Vietnamese journalists.

Efforts in monitoring, inspection and handling

Promoting the role and responsibility of the Violation Handling Councils, as the standing body of the Council, the Inspection Committee has received over 100 petitions, complaints, and reports of press reports that are false and violate the Press Law. 100% of the above petitions have been studied, classified, and processed. When there are conclusions from the competent authorities, the Council for Handling Violations of Professional Ethics handles or recommends strict handling of individual members and journalists who have violated the law. In 2024, the Central Council for Handling Violations of Professional Ethics handled 8 cases involving 17 cases of reporters and collaborators who violated the law and were arrested at Giao Thong Newspaper, Open Sky Magazine, Business Magazine, Dai Doan Ket Newspaper, Vietnam Environment and Urban Magazine, etc.

According to the report from the Inspection Board of the Vietnam Journalists Association, the Council for Handling Violations of Professional Ethics of Vietnamese Journalists has issued a decision to expel and revoke 5 illegal membership cards of the Vietnam Environment and Urban Magazine; and is carrying out procedures to expel and revoke 2 illegal membership cards that have been legally enforced. The Council for Handling Violations of Professional Ethics of Journalists at all levels also monitors and makes timely recommendations on cases where journalists use social networks to post false information, affecting the reputation and honor of agencies, organizations and individuals.

With the viewpoint of “building” to “fight”, the Standing Committee of the Central and Provincial Councils has prevented, discussed, dialogued, and reminded many cases of members who have not properly and fully implemented the working process or have made inaccurate statements on social networks. All cases that have been reminded have removed information from their personal pages, seriously accepted, learned from experience, and committed not to repeat the offense.

In particular, with effective coordination from functional agencies, in 2024, there were 225 administrative penalty decisions in the press field, with a total fine of more than 3.5 billion VND. Some leaders of press agencies who committed violations were not reappointed due to requests for dismissal, some press agencies had their operating licenses revoked, 7 journalists had their press cards revoked by the Ministry of Information and Communications, 80% of the penalties were carried out by the Departments of Information and Communications, showing that localities are increasingly promoting their supervisory role, after being decentralized and delegated. Mr. Pham Van Bau - Chief Inspector of the Department of Information and Communications of Ha Tinh shared: "In 2024 alone, the Inspectorate of the Department of Information and Communications of Ha Tinh coordinated with the provincial police and functional agencies to issue 7 penalty decisions, including a fine of 70 million VND to a magazine...".

It can be said that tightening discipline is also to purify the press environment, maintaining the mainstream position in the news flow. In 2024, press activities in general, and the Vietnam Journalists Association in particular, will have many positive and timely changes, including rectifying and handling ethical violations in the spirit of promoting the role and function of the Council for Handling Violations of Professional Ethics of Vietnamese Journalists.

Ha Van

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/hoi-nha-bao-viet-nam-quyet-liet-siet-ky-cuong-post326342.html