Editor-in-Chief Forum 2024: What direction for traditional journalism?

On the afternoon of September 21, in Binh Thuan, the Vietnam Journalists Association coordinated with the Journalists and Public Opinion Newspaper to organize the Forum "Editor-in-Chief 2024: Directions for traditional journalism".

Attending the forum were Mr. Le Quoc Minh, member of the Party Central Committee, Editor-in-Chief of Nhan Dan Newspaper, Deputy Head of the Central Propaganda Department, President of the Vietnam Journalists Association; Mr. Nguyen Hoai Anh, alternate member of the Party Central Committee, Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Chairman of the People's Council of Binh Thuan Province; Mr. Phan Xuan Thuy, Deputy Head of the Central Propaganda Department; Mr. Nguyen Thanh Lam, Deputy Minister of Information and Communications and Mr. Nguyen Duc Loi, Permanent Vice President of the Vietnam Journalists Association, along with 100 editors-in-chief nationwide.

Traditional press is under great competitive pressure from social networks.

Opening the 2024 Editor-in-Chief Forum, Mr. Le Tran Nguyen Huy, Editor-in-Chief of the Journalists and Public Opinion Newspaper, said that traditional press (BCTT) has been and is under great competitive pressure from social networks. In fact, BCTT cannot compete with social networks in terms of news reporting speed.

Editor-in-Chief Forum 2024 organized by Vietnam Journalists Association in collaboration with Journalists and Public Opinion Newspaper

“On the eve of the 100th anniversary of Vietnam Revolutionary Press Day, the organizing committee chose the theme “Solution journalism: Directions for traditional journalism” for the 2024 Editor-in-Chief forum, aiming to find solutions and new directions for the press; ensure survival, generate revenue and retain readers,” Mr. Le Tran Nguyen Huy suggested.

With the theme of “constructive journalism”, Chairman of the Vietnam Journalists Association Le Quoc Minh said that the press is being challenged by the explosive development of artificial intelligence (AI) in the world . Therefore, the press needs to innovate to keep up with the development of AI.

Mr. Minh said that negative information seems to "become the DNA of journalism". Accordingly, articles about human tragedies such as natural disasters and global conflicts play a key role in stimulating people to read the news every day. Interest in fear-based news peaked in 2020, when news organizations around the world witnessed a surge in digital subscriptions and content consumption during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Donate money to support flood victims at the forum

“Negative news can play an important role in providing information and warnings, but it also has harmful effects on readers, such as fear, anxiety, anger, and skepticism. As a result, readers turn away from the press. According to Reuters’ 2022 report, the rate of news avoidance in Brazil and the UK has doubled since 2017,” said the Chairman of the Vietnam Journalists Association.

According to Mr. Minh, when trust in the media is eroded and news avoidance occurs, the press agency must find out the reasons, find ways to attract, interact with and retain readers. Negative news is often considered one of the main causes, so the press must determine how to report the news without alienating readers. From there, Mr. Minh believes that the current direction must be constructive journalism, journalism with solutions. When reporting news, the press must also propose solutions or explanations to bring hope to readers.

Mr. Le Quoc Minh presented a paper on the topic "Construction Journalism"

Solution journalism is a trend.

In his speech to the forum, journalist Nguyen Ngoc Toan, Editor-in-Chief of Thanh Nien Newspaper, said that solution journalism is a trend that is receiving attention and attention from society and management agencies, but it is also a big challenge for press agencies in terms of both recognition and practice. With the added attribute of “usefulness to society”, solution journalism carries the expectation of surpassing itself as a media channel.

“Solution journalism does not have clear boundaries as a genre, nor is it a set of rules, criteria, or classification definitions. There are many paths for solution journalism to form and create its own path suitable for each press agency,” said the Editor-in-Chief of Thanh Nien Newspaper.

Journalist Nguyen Ngoc Toan, Editor-in-Chief of Thanh Nien Newspaper, speaking at the forum

According to journalist Nguyen Ngoc Toan, at Thanh Nien Newspaper, the concept of solution journalism needs to be based on a solid foundation, created from objective data sets, explained using scientific thinking methods and finally "packaged" with the multimedia skills of modern journalists.

Regarding solutions in data journalism, journalist Nguyen Ngoc Toan said that some data articles in Thanh Nien Newspaper in recent times have been developed with a structure that starts with a hypothesis; then asks questions to find answers, clarifying the hypothesis. “It can be said that a solution is not only the answer to the problem, but also the key factor that helps a data article become complete, constructive and have a profound impact. A good data article does not stop at exposing the problem, but also points out solutions, directions, ways to solve and even predict possible impacts,” journalist Nguyen Ngoc Toan further analyzed.

Also at the Forum, journalist Nguyen Ngoc Toan suggested that there should be solutions to remove difficulties and obstacles in financial policies for financially autonomous press agencies such as Thanh Nien Newspaper, especially in paying productivity-based income to employees, in order to stabilize and retain quality human resources, ensuring sustainable development of the press.

The "Editor-in-Chief 2024" Forum has 100 editor-in-chief delegates attending.

Mr. Pham Manh Hung, Deputy General Director of Voice of Vietnam, said that currently readers have more than enough information, but lack information that is knowledgeable and useful. Many concepts in today's society may be correct today, but no longer appropriate tomorrow; the press needs to explain and clarify.

“Positive information will have a positive effect on listeners and readers, bringing positivity to readers. That requires reporters to have a sharp, positive mindset; in which the editor-in-chief needs to play a good guiding role. Finally, the mechanism, policy, and finance for the press are still the decisive solutions,” said Mr. Pham Manh Hung.

Chairman of Vietnam Journalists Association Le Quoc Minh delivered a closing speech at the forum.

Focus on policy communication, reduce negative information...

Mr. Phan Xuan Thuy, Deputy Head of the Central Propaganda Department, commented that currently, in addition to solution journalism, constructive journalism or construction journalism needs to balance constructive information and multi-dimensional criticism to create positive information.

Mr. Thuy said he really likes investigative reports by reporters that expose negative issues. Those articles not only reflect the negative, but also create solutions or ways out, explaining the shortcomings in a constructive way to create positive information for society.

Deputy Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Thanh Lam said that to find a solution for the press, the important issue is still the human factor. Therefore, newspapers need to focus on training and retraining reporters. "If you want a solution for the press, you need to have a solution for yourself first." Mr. Lam said that the main solution for the press is to focus on policy communication, reducing negative information that has a bad impact on society.

Concluding the forum, Chairman of the Vietnam Journalists Association Le Quoc Minh said that the press is facing the rapid development of digital technology and AI. The Vietnam Journalists Association advocates orienting the press towards solutions to create different, in-depth journalism, avoiding boredom for readers.

Speaking at the 2024 Editor-in-Chief Forum, Mr. Nguyen Hoai Anh, alternate member of the Party Central Committee, Secretary of the Binh Thuan Provincial Party Committee, affirmed that solution journalism and constructive journalism not only bring new and positive approaches to journalism but also provide opportunities for press agencies to affirm their role in shaping and promoting social development. On the other hand, solution journalism can help mainstream journalism affirm its position in the face of strong competition for information from social networks , demonstrating its role in serving the Party, State and people.

The Secretary of the Binh Thuan Provincial Party Committee sincerely thanked the press agencies for their help and support in the past time; at the same time, he hoped to continue to receive the companionship and support from the press agencies in the coming time, to help Binh Thuan soon realize the aspiration of making the province develop more strongly and sustainably.

Thanhnien.vn

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/dien-dan-tong-bien-tap-2024-huong-di-nao-cho-bao-chi-truyen-thong-185240921170655243.htm