Minh Hang (reporter for Thanh Hoa Newspaper): Overcoming the limitations of a "local journalist"
I don't know if I'm lucky or not to have worked at a local Party newspaper – something I never imagined while I was in university. Because in my mind, and that of my friends at the time, we always thought that working at central press agencies would provide access to the latest media methods, allow for creative freedom, and offer the best conditions for expressing critical opinions through journalism. However, after more than 10 years working at a local Party newspaper, I've realized that this is a good environment for me to hone my political acumen and integrity in my writing – the most essential qualities of a journalist.
My hometown of Thanh Hoa is undergoing a dramatic transformation, and I am always proud to be a small part of this journey, bringing the name of my hometown to the attention of thousands of readers, businesses, and investors. Over 10 years working at Thanh Hoa Newspaper has also been a time when I witnessed the newspaper's spectacular transformation. The print newspaper has not only added many new and distinctive publications with diverse writing styles, beautiful photos, and attractive presentations, receiving much praise from readers, but the Thanh Hoa online newspaper has also become timely, responsive, and up-to-date with multimedia trends. In recent years, our reporters have received training and been equipped with many skills to become multimedia journalists. This includes not only reporting news quickly and accurately so that news can be published on the online newspaper as soon as possible, but also proactively incorporating new methods of presentation to bring vibrancy to our work. Accordingly, breaking news that is attracting public attention largely appears in Thanh Hoa Newspaper earlier than other media outlets, or some central newspapers with bureaus in Thanh Hoa.
As an economics reporter, I know this is a difficult, dry, and specialized field, requiring a fundamental understanding of economics, and the information conveyed in the article must be understandable to a wide readership and possess a certain value. We often share the saying that economics journalists "learn as they write." When tackling a new topic or a challenging field, we usually conduct thorough research to explore the issue from multiple perspectives in a more insightful and in-depth manner.
Many of my colleagues often say that their glory doesn't come from awards, but from the burning passion for their profession. Field trips are always wonderful experiences. For journalists, the profession requires not shying away from difficulties or hardships, but rather immersing themselves in the field to promptly reflect the pulse of life, acting as a bridge to convey the thoughts and aspirations of the people to the Party and the State, and vice versa.
Journalism, often called a grueling profession, is a profession of sacrifice. The work is relentless; while others are resting, reporters are busy writing, transmitting news and articles to their offices for timely editing and publication. And after each article, reporters immediately begin gathering information and planning for the next issue… However, this “dry field” has instilled in me a greater sense of caution and meticulousness in every word; it has helped me understand that behind every article, or short news item, lies the hard work of the entire newsroom, with many people silently working from early morning until late at night… All of this demands carefulness and accuracy to provide readers with timely news and quality articles.
Minh Hai (reporter at Thanh Nien Newspaper's North Central Region Office): Each person, each article is an indelible mark of my profession.
Being a journalist is not simply about completing a job; it has also given me invaluable life experiences through each assignment, each story, and each person I've met. After 15 years in journalism and thousands of articles, there are memories I will never forget.
Eight years ago, but the incident of three gold miners suffocating in a cave on the mountaintop of the Pù Luông Nature Reserve was perhaps the most memorable experience in my 15 years of work. Upon receiving news of three gold miners suffocating in a deep cave on the mountaintop of the Pù Luông Nature Reserve, on the night of June 5th, 2016, I, along with several other reporters from various media outlets, traveled over 80km from Thanh Hóa City to the mountainous district of Bá Thước to reach the scene the following morning. Local residents and an official from Bá Thước district guided me through numerous forests and jagged mountain ranges. It took over four hours to travel from the center of Kịt village to Nước cave – the site of the suffocation. By the time we arrived, it was past noon, and dark clouds were gathering, forcing us to work quickly within an hour to descend the mountain in time, otherwise we wouldn't know the way out once it got dark. In less than a day, I and several colleagues had to walk for nearly nine hours through the mountains and forests. Having gone without food or rest for so long, only occasionally drinking water to sustain ourselves, by the time we reached the center of Kit village, we were all exhausted and worn out. We lay down in the open field, relieved to know we were still alive.
Another memorable experience was the journey of over three hours through the forest and mountains to reach Sa Ná village in Na Mèo border commune (Quan Sơn district) – the site of a devastating flash flood on the morning of August 3, 2019, which swept away 15 people and more than 20 houses. Upon arrival, witnessing the sorrowful faces of both the elderly and young children weeping in anguish over the loss of loved ones and the disappearance of all their possessions in an instant, I couldn't hold back my tears. Those cries tore through the quiet of the Western mountains, and then faded into despair as their loved ones never returned.
There were many sad memories, but also many happy ones during my time as a journalist. For me, the greatest happiness in journalism is perhaps hoping that my work can change someone's life. At the end of 2019, I wrote an article appealing for support for PTH (from Dinh Thanh commune, Yen Dinh district), a girl with parotid gland cancer who needed a large sum of money for urgent surgery. H.'s family was in extremely difficult circumstances; her mother suffered from depression and was too ill to work, and her maternal grandfather, over 90 years old, was bedridden. After the article, readers of Thanh Nien Newspaper donated over 230 million VND to help H. receive treatment and alleviate her family's difficulties. Thanks to the support of our readers, H.'s condition has now stabilized, and she is a law student about to graduate from a university.
For a journalist like me, every person and every journalistic work is a memory. There are happy memories and sad ones, which help me gain more experience in life and work.
Hoang Mai (reporter at Thanh Hoa Radio and Television Station): Journalism - a profession of experiences.
If someone were to ask me what I enjoy most about my profession, I would毫不犹豫地 say it's the trips. I travel to gather information and report on the diverse aspects of life on radio and television; I travel to find topics and material for journalism, and to listen to and reflect the thoughts and aspirations of the people. Each trip brings me, as a journalist, many interesting experiences that help me grow professionally.
Back in high school, when I was applying to journalism school, my mother used to say that choosing journalism as a career was tough, involved a lot of traveling, required good health, and wondered what would happen to my husband, children, and family later on. At the time, I told her, "Journalism is a profession I love. I like traveling and experiencing life."
Having been associated with Thanh Hoa Radio and Television Station for nearly 13 years, it has become a common home for me to learn and hone my writing skills. Journalism, alongside the joyful days and trips that bring back a wealth of information and beautiful images of life, homeland, and country, also brings many instances where, despite prior appointments, reporters are refused work or information; and encounter people who behave uncivilly and disrespect journalists... But above all, after each trip, reporters like me discover interesting, unique, and beautiful things to share with listeners. Journalism is a demanding and stressful profession, but it also brings me many emotions, pride, and even glory from being dedicated to and passionate about the work I love.
As a radio reporter covering national security and defense, I frequently interact with the military, police, and border guards, listening to their stories to better understand the difficulties, hardships, and sacrifices they make in the cause of building and protecting the Fatherland. Among these experiences, my assignments in mountainous areas have left me with many memories. One such example was in August 2022, during a trip to Ta Com village, Trung Ly commune (Muong Lat district). To reach the village, we had to travel about 50km from the district center, through Muong Ly commune, and then cross the Trung Son hydroelectric reservoir by boat for a few more kilometers to reach Ta Com village – a key area with complex drug trafficking issues. Only by being there did we truly understand the danger and complexity of this land. Just one year prior, Major Vi Van Luan, a police officer from Muong Lat district, had bravely sacrificed his life while pursuing drug criminals. The trip helped me and my colleagues witness the hardships and difficulties, and further increased our admiration for the silent sacrifices of the officers and soldiers. This served as the inspiration for my high-quality journalistic work. And the piece "The Story of Settling in Ta Com Village" won the Golden Hammer and Sickle Award at the provincial level in 2022.
I remember the experience from May 2021, when the COVID-19 pandemic was at its peak, coinciding with the elections for National Assembly and People's Council representatives at all levels for the 2021-2026 term. I was assigned by my superiors to report directly on the radio about the election atmosphere in the concentrated quarantine area of Thuong Xuan district. When I received the assignment, I was very worried about how to both ensure pandemic prevention and control while providing information to listeners as quickly as possible. Because we were working in the quarantine area, we couldn't have direct contact with the citizens undergoing quarantine. In this difficult situation, I cleverly utilized the advantages of radio broadcasting to fulfill my task: conducting telephone interviews with voters to reflect their thoughts and aspirations regarding elected representatives, as well as their responsibility in complying with COVID-19 prevention regulations in the quarantine area and during the election. Thanks to that, I was able to complete my task, promptly reporting to listeners the joy and excitement of voters exercising their civic rights in the quarantine zone.
For a journalist, the joy and happiness come from seeing their creative works well-received by listeners and winning top prizes in competitions organized by the central government and the province. Most recently, in 2022, I won a Silver Medal at the 15th National Radio Festival with the work "Awakening the Dawn"; 3rd Prize in the 2022 National Journalism Competition for the Cause of Vietnamese Education with the work "The Companion"; an Encouragement Prize in the 2023 National Journalism Competition on Party Building; B and C prizes in the Tran Mai Ninh Journalism Competition in 2021; and a C prize in the "Exemplary Figures Following Uncle Ho's Teachings" competition (commemorating the 75th anniversary of Uncle Ho's first visit to Thanh Hoa)... These are the rewards and motivations that drive me to continue striving, overcoming difficulties, and keeping the flame of passion for the profession alive.
Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/tu-hao-nghe-bao-217268.htm
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