Written with heart and responsibility

Comrade Do Thi Thin, former Editor-in-Chief of Thai Nguyen Newspaper, and journalist Minh Hang pose for a photo at the National Journalism Award Ceremony on Party Building - the Golden Hammer and Sickle Award 2018.

1. On the evening of February 3, 2018, on the magnificent stage of the Hanoi Grand Opera House, I (journalist Minh Hang) and my colleagues stepped onto the podium to receive our honors. Amidst resounding applause and dazzling lights, the Certificate of Merit for the National Journalism Award on Party Building - the second Golden Hammer and Sickle Award - served as a confirmation: our quiet and persistent efforts had been recognized.

Back in May 2016, we – journalists in Thai Nguyen – were both eager and cautious about receiving information about the major competition. Writing about Party building is not easy! Words like "improving," "strengthening," "resolution," "policy"... seemed like heavy stones hindering inspiration. But the Editorial Board was determined to ignite a spirit of competition: inviting veteran journalists from the central level to share their experiences, organizing an internal competition, establishing a Steering Committee and a Preliminary Judging Panel… to encourage writers within the agency.

The entire Party Building and Internal Affairs Department sat down together, analyzing its own strengths and weaknesses. As a local newspaper, our "perspective" was narrow, limited by censorship and the fear of "offending" the public. So, we had to change. We had to choose a topic that was broad enough and in-depth enough – but still closely aligned with local realities.

We unanimously chose the topic: Innovating the Party's leadership methods and building a streamlined, effective, and efficient political system – a challenging but highly topical issue. As the Head of the Party Building and Internal Affairs Department, and the person who initiated this idea, I created a general outline, then detailed each article: from subtitles and main content to writers and submission deadlines. The entire department worked diligently and seriously as a team.

The following days were a busy series of events, filled with documents, field trips, editing, and updating. Ideas were constantly debated and revised. Six people, six different "sections," finally came together to form a unified series of five articles, consistent in both content and spirit: Facing the truth to innovate and streamline. The series reflected diverse locations, characters, ethnicities, and age groups. There were parts that were redundant, missing, or inconsistent, so Deputy Head of Department Duong Van Hien and I discussed cutting, splicing, and editing. When photos were needed, or when there was a lack of documentation or evidence, reporters Tran Quyen, Hoang Anh, Linh Lan, and Quynh Trang set out to villages and hamlets, meeting people, recording audio, taking photos, and gathering information.

Our writing was initially shaky, but the more we wrote, the more we "absorbed" the Party. We understood the Party not only through documents and resolutions, but also through the realities of life, through the breath of the people, through village meetings, and through conversations by the fire with a long-serving Party branch secretary. We "walked with the people, thought with the people," as veteran journalist Ha Dang once advised: writing about the Party must be truly "deeply felt," truly "alive."

When the first article was published, the response came immediately. Some praised it: "Courageous! Frank! Insightful!" Others worried: "With such sensitive content, will we get a reprimand?" But no, everything went smoothly. Perhaps it was because we weren't writing to "nitpick," but to look back at the problems together, to contribute to resolving them, and to bring the Party closer to the people.

With only 54 awards for nearly 2,000 entries, the team of reporters from the Party Building and Internal Affairs Department was recognized among the big names. It's a rare honor. But for us, what's even more meaningful is that the people understand more about what the Party is doing, what it's concerned about, and what reforms it's undergoing. This will lead to greater public trust and stronger support for the Party.

Years have passed, and that award is now proudly displayed in the traditional room of Thai Nguyen Newspaper. Every time I look back, memories of a journey come flooding back to me. It wasn't just a journey in journalism, but a journey of learning to be a writer about Party building with all my heart and responsibility.

The Editor-in-Chief of Thai Nguyen Newspaper poses for a photo with the group of reporters who won the C prize - the 2023 National Journalism Award on Party Building named

Editor-in-Chief of Thai Nguyen Newspaper, Nguyen Ngoc Son, poses for a photo with the group of reporters who won the C prize - the 2023 National Journalism Award on Party Building named "Golden Hammer and Sickle".

2. Receiving the Golden Hammer and Sickle Award – the national journalism award on Party building – for the second time (in 2024), my heart (Journalist Linh Lan) still beats as fast as the first time. It's not just an award, but also a recognition of the silent journey filled with sweat, tears, and profound responsibility of the reporters of the Thai Nguyen Party newspaper.

The three-part series "Digitizing Party Work: Overcoming Challenges Right from the Start" led our team to win the Golden Hammer and Sickle Award in 2023. It's not simply a journalistic work – it's the culmination of a long journey that began with a seemingly simple question: "Can Party work truly transform to keep pace with the 4.0 era? And if so, where will it begin?"

That question prompted me from the very first information I read when Resolution No. 01-NQ/TU of the Thai Nguyen Provincial Party Committee on the digital transformation program for the 2021-2025 period was issued at the end of 2020. When the Provincial Party Committee launched the "Electronic Party Member Handbook" application, I suddenly understood: This was a major transformation in Party affairs – a digital effort to improve the quality of Party branch activities and the quality of Party members. And so I proposed the topic to the Editorial Board, and together with a team of reporters, we diligently began working on it. Unexpectedly, that journey lasted more than half a year.

As the team leader, I and the members developed a clear plan: I was responsible for contacting the Provincial Party Committee's Organizing Department, updating data, and reaching out to the grassroots; reporters in each area were responsible for filming, interviewing, and gathering materials; and reporters from the Electronic Media Department handled video post-production and graphics. All information was updated and feedback was shared through a Zalo group, like a mini newsroom.

From the center of Thai Nguyen City to the remote villages of Vo Nhai and Dinh Hoa districts, from school Party branches to village Party branches, in every place we visited, we were constantly pondering the same question: Can Party members, especially the elderly, keep up with this application?

I vividly remember a scene in a rural commune of Phu Luong district: an elderly man, over 80 years old and a long-time Party member, was being guided step-by-step by a youth union member to install the "Party Member's Handbook" application. Holding his phone, he listened attentively, his hands manipulating the application, and asked: "Now we don't need paper notebooks for Party branch meetings anymore, do we? Through this application, I can access a lot of official information!"

In another commune of Dinh Hoa district, a Party branch secretary recounted: "At first, we were worried, afraid we wouldn't be used to it. But the more we used it, the more convenient it became. Updating documents, monitoring Party members… all it takes is a single touch."

When writing this article, we didn't just "list achievements," but instead asked the question: What's wrong? What needs adjusting in the application of the electronic Party Member Handbook? From our field trips, the reporting team also frankly reflected on existing shortcomings: In some places, the application is still merely a formality, simply installed and then... left unused. Some older officials still have difficulty using it. In some localities, the network infrastructure is not synchronized, leading to interruptions in operation. It is noteworthy that these feedbacks were immediately addressed and adjusted at subsequent review and summary conferences.

The message our team of reporters wants to convey in this series of three articles is very clear: the "Electronic Party Member Handbook" is not just a tool. It must become a bridge between the Party and its members, between resolutions and practice, and to achieve this, it must stem from real needs and the support of the grassroots.

Perhaps what I remember most isn't the moment I stepped onto the stage to receive the award, but the two sleepless nights I spent writing. Dozens of pages of notes, typed text, images, and audio were pieced together, arranged, and then typed. Each line of text is a fragment of reality, each paragraph is the voice of someone involved. Authentic glimpses are interwoven with analysis and quotations, making the series not just information, but also the emotions, thoughts, and expectations of those in the Party and the writers themselves.

The series of articles "Digitizing Party Affairs: Overcoming Challenges Right from the Start" is not solely my work, but the culmination of a collective effort. However, I know that I wrote my part with both the seriousness of a journalist and the belief of a Party member in the Party's transformation.

As a reporter for a Party newspaper, specifically in the Party Building and Internal Affairs Department, I've heard many people say, "Writing about the Party is so dry, who would read it?" But I believe that if the writer truly goes, listens, sees, and feels, even seemingly dry things can be moving. Every time I look at the trophy on my desk, I tell myself: The Golden Hammer and Sickle Award is not only a professional reward for us, but also a reminder: Let's continue writing with passion, responsibility, and faith.

In the 100-year history of Vietnamese revolutionary journalism, I am proud to be among the ranks of the Party's journalists. Awards will fade, articles will be archived, but I believe what will remain is: words written from the heart, for a Party that is increasingly innovative and close to the people, and for a humane and upright revolutionary press.

Source: https://baothainguyen.vn/xa-hoi/202506/viet-bang-ca-trai-tim-va-trach-nhiem-b1c0b38/