The Glory of Journalism (Part 1): Journalism

The Glory of Journalism (Part 1): Journalism - the Challenges

Working in Muong Deng. Photo: Nguyen Hong Thuy

Pioneer in fighting corruption and negativity

Taking the lead in the fight against corruption and negativity, the press not only protects the interests of the people; but is also the eyes and ears of the Party, the bridge between the Party and the people. Practice in Vietnam in recent years has shown that many major corruption cases were discovered and reported by the press, from which the investigative agencies got involved.

The series of articles about the wrong allocation of support money to 178 households that were not eligible for support money with a total amount of more than 5.4 billion VND in Lang Chanh district ( Thanh Hoa ) is an example. With the participation of reporters from press agencies, and the determination in the direction and leadership of all levels, the disciplinary council disciplined 10 individuals with reprimands and reviewed the experience for 22 individuals.

Along with exposing corruption and negative cases, many journalists also invest their efforts and hard work in researching and identifying negative manifestations in the public authority apparatus when they first appear in order to promptly have a series of warning articles, deeply analyze the causes, find solutions, "remedies" to treat, and regain the people's trust in the Party and the State. In Thanh Hoa, the new rural construction has achieved many results. However, there is also a lot of waste due to mechanical and rigid thinking. In the article "Concretizing everything - the "rigid" way of doing new rural areas needs to be reviewed" by author Le Dong published in Thanh Hoa newspaper, it shows the inadequacies and waste when many shady tree banks were demolished to build surrounding walls right at the old location; rows of concrete pots of ornamental plants were placed right on the road, causing traffic insecurity...

Each work is the crystallization of the courageous spirit, the hard work, creativity, seriousness, sweat, and effort of journalists and above all, the spirit of "commitment" and courage. Journalist Lai Hoa, News Department (VOV1), Voice of Vietnam shared when making the series of articles "What medicine cures the fear of being wrong?" "We worked for 3 months, sometimes until 10 pm, still researching documents together, writing and rewriting, there were ministries and local branches that did not cooperate, even blocking access to information. But we know that without the press's drastic intervention, the situation of wasting public assets would not end, while people waited and looked forward to it every day."

Behind the articles against corruption, negativity, exposing the truth, there are many difficulties and even countless dangers that always lurk for journalists. These can be threats by force, mental terrorism, bribery by money. If journalists are not steadfast, not brave enough to go to the end of the matter, it will be difficult to have articles exposing the truth.

Race with social networks

According to statistics, there are currently more than 400 social networks (SNS) allowed to operate nationwide. As of early 2025, Vietnam has 76.2 million SNS users and each person has at least one SNS account. Journalists are also SNS users, and they use SNS as a channel to interact with readers, expand relationships and collect information. Up to this point, most press agencies have built fanpages or have their own channels on YouTube and their own pages on Facebook, TikTok, etc.

The great benefit that social networks bring to traditional press is to provide more readers. Besides, social networks are the source of information for the press. The most recent example is from his personal Facebook account, Mr. LQN (Soc Trang) spoke up to denounce the store of Vietnam Joint Stock Company in My Xuyen district for mixing sick pigs, sick chickens, and even pieces of rotten pork for consumption, not only causing public outrage but also showing lax management that loses the trust of consumers. From the source of information on that personal Facebook, journalists continued to have a series of articles, linking issues to bring information to readers, asking the authorities to intervene.

However, due to the pressure of information competition, laxity in work, and abuse of social networks, many journalists have published information and written articles with unverified and false information. These types of articles may attract some readers, but they have lengthened the list of poor quality press products, reduced readers' trust, and lost the role of the press in guiding public opinion.

In fact, in recent times, there have been many cases of fake news that have shocked and caused extreme confusion to public opinion nationwide and were only clarified when the press got involved. In Thanh Hoa, authorities have punished many cases of false information on social networks, negatively affecting the reputation of organizations and individuals, or more seriously, causing confusion among the people. Specifically, after storm No. 4 (September 2024), many social media accounts posted a series of images and information about the storm that flooded houses, causing hundreds of people in Thach Thanh district to go hungry... With curiosity and lack of verification, many people shared the above information and called for charity and kind hearts towards people in flooded areas.

100 years ago, on June 21, 1925, Thanh Nien Newspaper, founded by leader Nguyen Ai Quoc, published its first issue, marking the birth of Vietnam's revolutionary press. Since that historical milestone, the Vietnamese revolutionary press has had a century of glorious fighting, accompanying the country and the people, worthy of being the core force, pioneering on the ideological and cultural front with outstanding contributions in the cause of national liberation struggle, building, protecting and developing the country.

Immediately afterwards, reporters from Thanh Hoa Newspaper, Thanh Hoa Radio and Television Station (now the Newspaper and Radio - Television Station) and many central press agencies stationed in the area quickly arrived in Thach Thanh district to objectively inform about the damage caused by the storm's circulation. As a result, no one was injured or suffered from hunger due to the storm...

Many fake news cases spread on social networks but were stopped by the mainstream press. The image of hundreds of roofs in Quan Lao town (Yen Dinh) painted with the national flag once attracted the attention of the online community. However, this was actually just a product of photoshop technology. From this incident, the press agencies also informed people that painting the national flag on roofs, walls, and gates of houses is a way to express patriotism. However, the use of the national flag image must comply with the provisions of the law.

Not only being proactive and verifying information from social networks, the press also has to spread official information on social networks and digital platforms to not only reach readers more easily, but also promote innovation in the way of reporting.

Journalism economics and maintaining journalistic ethics

In the context of shrinking advertising revenue due to businesses shifting advertising to social media platforms, many newspapers and magazines have contracted revenue to reporters, paying salaries from a percentage of sales of propaganda contracts. Therefore, in order to fulfill economic targets, many reporters and journalists have defied the law, looking for violations and shortcomings of units and businesses to threaten and demand signing of propaganda contracts...

This has distorted information, and more seriously, pushed reporters and journalists into breaking the law. The case at the Environment and Urban Magazine is a typical example. By applying pressure, the magazine's reporters asked many agencies and partners to sign contracts to introduce information, participate in the "Golden Broom" program; the painting program for children... with sponsorship levels ranging from 50 to 300 million VND. According to the prosecution of the Thai Binh People's Procuracy, the 44 defendants have committed more than 80 extortions of property from individuals and businesses across the country with a total amount of more than 5 billion VND.

In fact, revenue at most press agencies is currently decreasing. According to journalist Xuan Hung, Head of the Lao Dong Newspaper Representative Office in Thanh Hoa, the number of our newspaper subscriptions in Thanh Hoa alone has been estimated to have decreased by more than 70% in July 2025.

Generating revenue for the press is not a new issue, it is a prerequisite for many press agencies to exist and develop. The economic "pie" for press agencies is getting smaller and smaller, causing many changes. Doing press business is legal, a necessary need of the economy and other social fields, as affirmed in the Press Law 2016. Regardless of the trend, the object that brings revenue value to the press agency is the reader. Therefore, developing content, increasing information content, new forms... are also the requirements of readers for press products.

In the 100-year journey, since its birth in the storm of revolution and its noble mission of serving the cause of building and developing the revolutionary country, the press has always been the voice of our Party and our People. That tradition is both a support and a driving force to inspire the spirit of dedication of today's journalists - the generation that is witnessing a historical turning point: the era of the Vietnamese nation's rise.

Article and photos: KIEU HUYEN

Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/vinh-quang-nghe-bao-bai-1-bao-chi-nhung-thach-thuc-252537.htm