Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Manh Hung said that when the Press Law is revised in the near future, the Ministry will have a section on press economics, allowing large press agencies to do business in content and the media sector.
On November 12, Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Manh Hung answered questions from National Assembly deputies. Debate on the issue of press economy, Deputy Do Chi Nghia (Phu Yen delegation) said that State support is necessary but needs to be clearly oriented, focusing on supporting the press to perform well its role of policy communication, not just as a source of revenue to maintain operations.
According to Mr. Nghia, the effectiveness of policy communication is the most important thing. Funding press agencies to carry out policy communication tasks is necessary, but it is necessary to ensure that the press must be autonomous and competitive with other information channels, especially social networks.
According to Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Manh Hung, the press has now turned to finding its own sources of income to survive and develop. Currently, 30% of press agencies receive funding from the budget, while 70% are self-funded. However, many influential press agencies are not supported and are completely dependent on the market.
Therefore, the State ordering media and paying for expenses is a form of press support. However, the ideal press model is a two-legged model, combining receiving orders from the State and finding its own revenue sources in the market.
Continuing the questioning, Deputy Nguyen Thi Yen Nhi (Ben Tre Delegation) requested that the Minister of Information and Communications provide solutions to rectify the situation of people reporting sensational, offensive, and untrue news as well as many advertisements that violate public morality and copyright, affecting consumers. So what solutions are there to enhance the role of the press and reduce the above negative situation?
Regarding this issue, Mr. Hung said that when social networks were born, they took away the profession of journalism. Social networks report news faster, and there are tens of millions of “reporters” who do not have to pay. Therefore, if the press wants to maintain its position, it needs to do things differently from social networks, returning to the core values of journalism: authenticity, accuracy, objectivity, accountability, and professional ethics. Instead of reporting news, it is necessary to analyze, evaluate, propose solutions, and guide and orient society.
“The press needs to improve the quality of its content so that information can lead public opinion on social networks. This is the orientation of the role of revolutionary journalism. The press needs to use social media technology to make news, considering social media as an environment to appear. On platforms and social networks, press agencies need to appear to better disseminate information,” Mr. Hung said.
Meanwhile, Deputy Ta Thi Yen (Dien Bien Delegation) asked Minister Nguyen Manh Hung to inform about the direction to improve the quality of traditional journalism and ensure the pioneering role of journalism on the cultural and ideological front, in the context of fierce competition with online platforms.
Regarding the above issue, Mr. Hung said that revolutionary press must be nourished by the revolution. Many years ago, when the market economy was new in Vietnam, businesses had to advertise to sell their products, so they spent a lot of money on advertising, and at that time the only means was the press. Despite the desire for autonomy and more flexible operations, traditional press agencies are facing a big challenge when revenue from online advertising is taken over by social networks. This becomes even more difficult when the number of press agencies is increasing while revenue is decreasing.
Mr. Hung also informed that in the Prime Minister's Directive on policy communication, ministries and local branches must consider communication as their own work and must have an annual budget to carry it out.
“In the past, we thought this was the job of the press, we didn’t know where they got the money, and we didn’t spend the budget on it. This is something that needs to change. Therefore, since last year, agencies have increased their budgets for the press. When the Press Law is revised in the near future, the Ministry will have a section on press economics, allowing large press agencies to do business in content and the media sector,” said Mr. Hung.
Mr. Hung also believes that if the press follows social networks, it will be left behind. Therefore, the press must have a different approach, which is to return to core values, use digital technology, regain the position, increase the number of readers, and attract advertising.
Recalling that the press planning contains the content that the State focuses on investing in key areas for 6 key press agencies to become media forces, creating special conditions and mechanisms for them, Mr. Hung hopes that the National Assembly will support the Government in building special mechanisms for key press agencies.
Source: https://daidoanket.vn/sua-doi-luat-bao-chi-se-co-mot-muc-ve-kinh-te-bao-chi-10294299.html
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