Media 2023 food and clothing are no joke

Two major events, marking the beginning and end of 2023 – the Journalism Economic Forum and the National Press Conference – both focused on the issue of media revenue, demonstrating just how complex and challenging the economic problems have become for media organizations. On the eve of its 100th anniversary, Vietnamese journalism is being forced to undergo a significant transformation to adapt to the new media landscape, but this transformation is not easy, especially given the current economic pressures.

1. If asked what is currently the biggest concern for newsrooms, the most common answer would undoubtedly be the economic aspect, specifically revenue.

Currently, the country has 6 major multimedia press agencies; 127 newspapers, 673 magazines; and 72 radio and television stations.

They differ in type but share a common situation of declining revenue, especially for television stations and news agencies that are completely financially independent.

In fact, this difficulty has been brewing for many years. According to data from 159 print and online media outlets (81 newspapers, 78 magazines), total revenue decreased during the two years of the pandemic. Specifically, newspaper revenue in 2021 decreased by 30.6% compared to 2020 (2020: 2,855 billion VND, 2021: 1,952 billion VND); magazine revenue decreased from 307 billion VND in 2019 to 259 billion VND in 2020 and continued to decline sharply to only 170 billion VND in 2021. Radio and television revenue in 2021 also decreased by 10% compared to 2020.

In 2022, and especially in 2023, with declining growth, businesses increasingly fell into a spiral of difficulties, and advertising revenue for media outlets plummeted almost vertically. Deputy Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Thanh Lam exclaimed at the 2023 Journalism Economic Forum (Quy Nhon, Binh Dinh, February 2023): "The economics of journalism is now a daily concern."

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2. And if asked what weighed most heavily on journalists' minds in 2023, the answer would undoubtedly be the decline in professional ethics, the increasing number of journalists violating professional ethics and breaking the law. The recent uproar surrounding the prosecution of three individuals by the Criminal Police of Ha Tinh Province for "Abusing influence over persons in positions of power for personal gain," led by Le Danh Tao, born in 1966, is just the latest in a series of cases involving journalists and contributors at various newspapers and magazines who have been prosecuted for similar crimes in 2023.

According to the latest statistics from the Inspection Committee of the Vietnam Journalists Association, there have been 90 cases of journalists, members, and reporters violating regulations. Of these, 75 cases involved violations of the law and 10 articles of the Code of Professional Ethics for Vietnamese Journalists. The Council for Handling Violations of Professional Ethics for Journalists at the central and local levels has reviewed and processed over 30 cases of violations of the Code of Professional Ethics for Vietnamese Journalists, ranging from reprimands and warnings to expulsion and revocation of membership cards.

Among these, journalists and reporters are frequently involved in extortion. Experts acknowledge that these figures are heartbreaking, but they do not fully reflect the "hidden aspects" of current journalistic practices, such as violations of the law, copyright infringement; plagiarism; abuse of the profession, intimidation of businesses for personal gain, and bribery...

This reality is causing journalists themselves to reflect, while the public and society as a whole are extremely concerned, worried, and even experiencing a decline in trust in the press.

Faced with this distressing reality of Vietnamese journalism, a nagging question has been raised: Is it economic pressure that leads journalists astray?

Discussing this issue, Mr. Nguyen Duc Loi, Permanent Vice President of the Vietnam Journalists Association and Chairman of the Council for Handling Violations of Professional Ethics of the Vietnam Journalists Association, noted that currently, due to the autonomous mechanism, many newsrooms assign economic quotas for media coverage to reporters, leading to pressure regarding work and income, making journalists susceptible to misconduct. Sometimes, reporters prioritize securing economic contracts over focusing on the quality of their articles. A phenomenon arising from the abuse of the autonomous mechanism is the situation where reporters of specialized online magazines "break the rules" by writing articles exposing corruption or PR for businesses, but in reality, it is to extort money, demand advertising or media contracts for personal gain, or to submit to the unit under the guise of "supporting the newsroom." This phenomenon, known as "journalizing magazines," greatly affects the honor and reputation of genuine journalists and misleads society into misunderstanding the role of journalism.

Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Thi Truong Giang – Deputy Director of the Academy of Journalism and Communication, also believes that the difficulties and impacts of the market economy force each journalist to struggle with "making ends meet," and newsrooms to worry about the economics of journalism… On the one hand, they must fulfill their obligations and responsibilities in the economics of journalism, and on the other hand, they must fulfill the political tasks of the profession. Therefore, this is also an obstacle that needs to be overcome to create a mechanism to encourage, incentivize, and protect the development of journalism so that journalists can flourish and be creative, and news organizations can be freed to focus only on fulfilling the extremely noble tasks and missions entrusted to them by the people and society. That is the responsibility to the truth, to the public, to the people. That is the responsibility to news, the responsibility to the issues of the times…

Dr. Nguyen Tri Thuc – Member of the Editorial Board and Head of the Special Topics and Special Issues Section of the Communist Magazine – affirmed that a harmonious balance must be struck between economic interests and the political tasks of media organizations in particular and the press in general. Until the economic issues of journalism are resolved, and journalists are not able to work and contribute with peace of mind, many difficulties will remain related to maintaining, nurturing, and promoting professional ethics in their work.

Clearly, the idea of "desperation leads to reckless actions" cannot be justified, especially for those who bear the sacred mission of conveying information. However, it cannot be completely denied that the pressure of making ends meet is one of the many reasons for the decline in professional ethics among many journalists today.

3. We have talked a great deal about the mission of revolutionary journalists. For nearly 100 years, and for the next 100 years, Vietnamese journalism has been, is, and will continue to strive to fulfill its noble mission: to continue accompanying the nation, always being a core force, playing a crucial role on the ideological and cultural front; making significant contributions to the revolutionary cause of the Party, building and defending the Fatherland; protecting the Party's ideological foundation; fostering social consensus; igniting the flame of knowledge; and contributing to the cultivation of revolutionary will, spirit, and aspirations for prosperity and happiness among all strata of the people…

Vietnamese journalism is revolutionary journalism, and Vietnamese journalists are revolutionary journalists who have a responsibility to fulfill that mission, even though it is a very large and challenging one.

There's an old saying, "You can't uphold morality without sustenance," and "You can't make dough without flour." To survive in a difficult economic climate and to achieve financial self-sufficiency, most media outlets now have to find solutions to the revenue problem... These solutions, in the current context, are diverse, varying depending on the resources and conditions of each media organization: some struggle to secure media contracts from businesses, others compete for audience share with social media platforms, and some seek to generate access fees... by returning to high-quality journalistic works and rediscovering core values to increase competitiveness and attract readers back.

However, the economic downturn, the difficulties faced by businesses, and the increasing cuts in advertising and media spending; the failure to achieve the expected results from charging for online news content; the lack of a mechanism for state-commissioned journalism; and the unresolved issue of copyright infringement… All of these factors have severely impacted the economics of journalism, leaving media organizations increasingly facing extremely difficult “double challenges.” The problem of resolving the economic difficulties of journalism has become so complex that the self-efforts of newsrooms are insufficient. It is time for additional support from the State…

Over the years, authorities have made many efforts to create mechanisms and policies for the economic activities of the press. Currently, regular budget allocations for the press account for approximately 0.5% of the total regular budget expenditure. However, many issues in the existing mechanisms and policies still need to be addressed.

Along with the Ministry of Information and Communications, the Vietnam Journalists Association and several media agencies have recently registered to work with the Ministry of Finance on the difficulties and obstacles they are facing. These difficulties and obstacles mainly concern regulations on the financial autonomy mechanism of public non-business units as stipulated in Decree 60/2021/ND-CP dated June 21, 2021 (Decree 60). In addition, there are difficulties regarding the mechanism for assigning tasks, placing orders, or bidding for the production and provision of public services using state budget funds as stipulated in Decree 32/2019/ND-CP dated April 10, 2019 (Decree 32); and tax policies for media agencies…

Reaching its centenary, the revolutionary press of Vietnam is preparing to embark on a new path of development, with the requirement for greater sustainability and a healthier approach… And to achieve this, in addition to the efforts of press agencies, addressing the difficulties and obstacles should also be done immediately.

Journalist Nguyen Uyen - former Head of the Association Affairs Department of the Vietnam Journalists Association - once reflected on her profession, saying: To be a journalist, one must have the skills and a beautiful heart to hope to bring about good things for oneself, for people, and for society... Along with the heart comes virtue. Virtue refers to the value and character of a person. "Dao" means path, virtue is good character. Moral virtue is a person with beauty in their life and soul, in their lifestyle and actions.

Those are undoubtedly the core values of journalism. But to return to those core values, I believe it requires the synergy of many factors and solutions, including addressing the mechanisms and economics of journalism. Journalists, like other workers, need to be guaranteed a decent salary, royalties, insurance, travel allowances, and rewards to ensure their livelihoods and allow them to dedicate themselves to serving the public. After all, making a living is no joke for anyone.

Nguyen Ha

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