Challenges for traditional journalism
On the afternoon of September 21, the 2024 Editor-in-Chief Forum "Solution journalism: Directions for traditional journalism" organized by the Journalists and Public Opinion newspaper took place at Novaworld Phan Thiet, Phan Thiet City, Binh Thuan Province with more than 100 editors-in-chief of central and local press agencies, press direction agencies, press management agencies...
Before the program, the delegates donated to the "Green Dream Fund" to support people in 26 northern provinces affected by storms and floods.
Mr. Nguyen Hoai Anh, alternate member of the Party Central Committee, Secretary of Binh Thuan Provincial Party Committee, spoke at the conference (Photo: Cong Luan Newspaper).
Speaking at the forum, Mr. Nguyen Hoai Anh, Secretary of Binh Thuan Provincial Party Committee, said that in the current period of rapid development of science and technology, the achievements of the 4.0 revolution, especially artificial intelligence, and applications of digital technology are posing many new problems in the activities of traditional press, creating both opportunities and challenges that traditional press needs to solve, in order to adapt flexibly and continue to develop.
In particular, solution journalism and constructive journalism not only bring new and positive approaches to journalism but also provide opportunities for Vietnamese press agencies to affirm their role in shaping and promoting social development.
Moreover, 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.
"With that meaning, Binh Thuan province is very excited and highly agrees with the Vietnam Journalists Association choosing the theme of the 2024 Editor-in-Chief Forum as "Solution journalism: A direction for traditional journalism". This is also the issue we are very interested in when Binh Thuan is entering a new development journey with new goals", said Mr. Hoai Anh.
Positive news can lead to increased user engagement or payment
This year's forum has 2 discussion sessions: Solution journalism - Trends and potentials; Implementing solution journalism: Which methods and models are effective?
Opening the discussion session "Solution journalism - Trends and potentials", Mr. Le Quoc Minh, member of the Party Central Committee, Editor-in-Chief of Nhan Dan Newspaper, Deputy Head of the Central Propaganda Department, Chairman of the Vietnam Journalists Association shared an overview of constructive journalism and solution journalism.
Delegates take souvenir photos at the Forum. Photo: Cong Luan
Mr. Le Quoc Minh said that negative information seems to have become the DNA of journalism; accordingly, articles about human tragedies, natural disasters, and global conflicts play a key role in stimulating people to read the news every day.
While negative news can play an important role in informing, warning, and holding those in power accountable, it can also have harmful effects on readers, such as causing fear, anxiety, anger, cynicism, and even apathy.
As a result, readers are turning away from newspapers. According to Reuters’ 2022 report, news avoidance rates in Brazil and the UK have doubled since 2017.
Negative news is often seen as one of the main causes, so the press must determine how to accomplish its reporting mission without alienating readers.
To deal with news avoidance, Mr. Le Quoc Minh presented 7 tips: Keep the content simple, concise and useful; Write articles that are relevant and have weight; Listen to readers (and take appropriate actions); Care about the community and build an ethnically diverse newsroom; Create more interactive formats; Rethink political reporting (in a constructive way); Find solutions and bring hope.
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 shared at the forum (Photo: Cong Luan Newspaper).
"A clear direction for the journalism industry is constructive journalism/solution journalism, in which press agencies, while reporting news, also propose solutions or elaborate explanations so that readers feel empowered and given hope," Mr. Le Quoc Minh stated.
According to Mr. Le Quoc Minh, it is necessary to see what readers want and what information they are willing to pay for. Many experts believe that constructive journalism/solution journalism is the key. The traditional 5W journalism (who, what where, when, why) is replaced by "what now" and "how".
News organizations that experiment with positive content or content that offers hope and solutions see positive results. While negative stories tend to get more views, positive stories can lead to increased engagement or purchases.
Mr. Le Quoc Minh stated: "Press agencies will have to change their habit of focusing on negative information - although changing this habit is not easy."
The press needs to find solutions for itself
Speaking at the Forum, Mr. Nguyen Thanh Lam, Deputy Minister of Information and Communications, stated that the press needs to completely change its approach to turn challenges and difficulties into opportunities.
To develop journalism, especially solution journalism, Mr. Nguyen Thanh Lam said that the most important issue to pay attention to is human resource training.
"We need to find solutions for ourselves before finding solutions for others," Mr. Lam stated, adding that the vision of press agencies is also very important.
Mr. Nguyen Thanh Lam, Deputy Minister of Information and Communications.
Deputy Minister Nguyen Thanh Lam also emphasized the need for the press to be restrained and not to report excessively on sensitive issues because sometimes the results are opposite to the original purpose and counterproductive.
Mr. Lam said: "For example, reporting too much and rushing about gold prices puts pressure on gold price management. Or there is a tendency to look for financial reports of enterprises to provide information but mainly to expose and judge that enterprise."
Mr. Nguyen Thanh Lam also said that press agencies need to see their own problems to promote their strengths and overcome their shortcomings.
Because Vietnamese journalism is revolutionary journalism and if there is an issue that needs to be called upon, oriented to society, and needs to gather forces to do great things, good things for the country, then the government system and the people always look to the press and find themselves in the press.
It takes a lot of resources to write a good solution article.
Participating in the discussion at the Forum, Ms. Nguyen Thi Hong Nga, Editor-in-Chief of Giao Thong Newspaper, asked: "So, how are solution journalism, construction journalism, and creative journalism different?".
Ms. Nguyen Thi Hong Nga, Editor-in-Chief of Giao thong Newspaper. Photo: Cong luan
Ms. Nguyen Thi Hong Nga mentioned a recent story when the Vietnam Fatherland Front made a statement of the donations for people affected by storm No. 3, there were many opinions that the spending should also be made public.
From that story, the Editor-in-Chief of Giao thong newspaper believes that solution journalism is not just simply reporting news, but also needs specific recommendations and solutions, what to do so that revenue is spent appropriately and recipients receive exactly what they need.
"Opinions and solutions presented by the press continue to need to be debated by the press to produce works that truly bring solutions to society and are properly implemented," said Ms. Nga.
The editor-in-chief of Giao thong newspaper also said that for a long time, editorial offices could not publish any article without a solution, but to produce an article with a solution, also known as a high-quality journalistic work, requires a lot of resources. In reality, the percentage of high-quality articles in a day's news in editorial offices is very small.
In addition, Ms. Nguyen Thi Hong Nga also emphasized the issue of funding to produce those works and said that it is a very important factor.
At the end of the conference, in his speech, Mr. Phan Xuan Thuy, Deputy Head of the Central Propaganda Department, said that solution journalism, constructive journalism, and creative journalism are contents that the public and state management agencies are particularly interested in.
Mr. Phan Xuan Thuy - Deputy Head of the Central Propaganda Department.
In the coming time, from the orientation of press management and press directing agencies, press agencies need to enhance their role, promote their strengths and develop solution journalism, contributing to building a Vietnamese revolutionary press that is increasingly modern, professional and humane.
Source: https://www.baogiaothong.vn/hon-100-tong-bien-tap-cung-ban-giai-phap-dinh-vi-lai-bao-chi-truyen-thong-192240921194010447.htm
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