Amending the Press Law to promptly resolve difficulties and obstacles of the press

Amending the Press Law to promptly resolve difficulties and obstacles of the press

After 6 years of implementation, the 2016 Press Law and documents guiding the implementation of the Law have created a legal corridor for press activities to develop remarkably, and the people's freedom of the press and freedom of speech in the press are guaranteed and promoted within the framework of the Constitution and laws. Along with many positive assessments from ministries, branches, localities and press agencies, in the process of implementing the Law, there are also difficulties and obstacles that need to be promptly resolved and adjusted. These are existing limitations that need to be comprehensively amended to meet the requirements of press development in the coming period in accordance with the spirit of the Resolution of the 13th National Party Congress: "Building a professional, humane and modern press and media".

Regarding this issue, reporters from the Journalist & Public Opinion Newspaper had an interview with National Assembly Delegates to record their opinions.

National Assembly Delegate Nguyen Thi Viet Nga - Deputy Head of the National Assembly Delegation of Hai Duong province:

Developing Vietnamese journalism stronger and more comprehensive

National Assembly Delegate Nguyen Thi Viet Nga said: Reviewing and amending the Press Law at the present time is very necessary, both to improve the effectiveness of state management of the press and to promptly remove difficulties and obstacles that the press is facing, in order to develop the Vietnamese press more strongly and comprehensively.

edit newspaper law to timely handle the difficulties of newspaper image 1

Improving the effectiveness of state management of the press

+ Dear National Assembly Delegate, many opinions say that with the rapid development of social life, especially the digitalization of mass media and social media activities, the development of the press sector itself, the increasingly diverse needs and levels of public reception of press information... have posed new challenges and requirements for the management of press and media activities. Therefore, the current Press Law needs to be amended to meet practical requirements. What is your opinion on this issue?

- The Press Law was issued in 2016 and since the Law came into effect, we have clearly seen the effective impact of the Press Law. It can be said that after 6 years of implementation, the Law has contributed to better state management of the press and contributed to accelerating and promoting the development of Vietnam's modern press.

edit newspaper law to meet the difficulties of newspaper image 2 — National Assembly Delegate Nguyen Thi Viet Nga.

Over the years, since the 2016 Press Law came into effect, the face of the press has changed significantly. Compared to other professions, the press is one of the fields that modernized early, always pioneering in many fields. State management of the press is increasingly stricter and more professional. I see that the press operates very effectively.

As for why it is necessary to amend the Press Law, in the process of implementing the 2016 Press Law, a number of shortcomings and difficulties have been revealed.

Firstly, as I said, journalism is a fast-growing and powerful form of journalism. With the advancement of technology, journalism has made great strides. Meanwhile, there are provisions in the 2016 Press Law that are no longer appropriate. There are even new forms that have emerged and we have not yet regulated them in the Press Law, so we need to review them and amend them accordingly.

Thus, it is necessary to consider amending the Press Law at the present time, both to improve the effectiveness of state management of the press and to promptly remove difficulties and obstacles that the press is facing, in order to develop the Vietnamese press more strongly and comprehensively.

The "autonomy" mechanism makes press agencies very confused.

+ So, if the Press Law is amended, what issues will you be most concerned about?

- I think we should focus on some "sticky points". The first sticking point is about funding for press activities.

Currently, I also received feedback that funding for press activities is still very lacking. In particular, the mechanism we give autonomy to press agencies makes press agencies very confused. They have to carry out political tasks in propaganda work, but on the other hand, they still have to shoulder responsibilities and financial obligations, making it difficult for press agencies to carry out very heavy tasks.

Therefore, this is also one of the reasons that recently led to a particular situation where some press agencies were too busy "chasing" the financial autonomy mechanism, so they somewhat neglected their main expertise. There have even been negative aspects related to this, especially in branches, representative offices, and resident reporters of small newspapers.

Of course, not all, but there have been cases of law violations that have been discovered and handled according to regulations. I see the press reporting that this reporter or that reporter has been prosecuted for “blackmailing” businesses or “colluding” with businesses in press and media activities to commit negative acts and violate the law. This also stems in part from the financial burden that newspapers face. That is a huge pressure.

Therefore, in my opinion, we need to study and review carefully the political tasks of the press. The press is a very effective tool in the propaganda work of the Party and State's policies and laws. So if we want the press to best promote this function, we must also consider a truly satisfactory financial mechanism for the press, avoiding the situation where the financial burden makes the press sometimes very confused.

+ According to you, when amending the law, how should we focus on educating and fostering professional ethics for journalists in the current context of press activities?

- I think that this time, if we amend the Press Law, we need to build a separate chapter regulating the ethics of journalists. We need to review it carefully and have very specific regulations on this issue.

However, I still want to emphasize that, in order to achieve harmony, in addition to strict regulations on journalistic ethics, we must also have a truly satisfactory mechanism for the press. If we still put the press in a situation where they have to worry about both professional work and economic matters - requiring so many qualities - it will be very difficult!

State agencies must allocate funds to "order" newspapers.

+ Policies to support and order press agencies play an important role in ensuring effective propaganda and the true purpose of the press. So, according to the National Assembly Delegate's point of view, what kind of mechanism should state agencies have for ordering press agencies?

- We have to be frank and admit that although the press is an extremely effective tool in the work of propagating and disseminating policies and laws, I think we have not really promoted the role of the press in propagating and disseminating policies and laws. Even for very big issues that contribute to changing people's behavior, we have not used the press as an effective tool.

This also comes from the perception that we have not paid due attention to the role of the media and have not allocated adequate funding for this. State agencies must allocate funding to “order” the press. We must further promote the work of communicating policies and laws.

I also hope that in the revised Press Law and future documents related to the implementation of the Press Law, we need to clearly recognize the important role of the media; as well as the responsibility of the newspaper management agencies, to arrange adequate funding for the press to carry out political tasks and propagate policies and laws. If we can do that, we will reap huge benefits!

Besides, the issue of journalism infrastructure and data exploitation of journalism needs to be given priority attention so that journalism can truly develop in a modern way and meet the needs and demands of today's life.

+ I would like to sincerely thank the National Assembly Delegate for the recent sharing!

National Assembly Delegate Pham Van Hoa - Member of the National Assembly's Law Committee:

Need to best meet the needs and information reception level of the public

It can be said that, with the rapid development of social life, especially the digitalization of mass media and social media activities, our press sector is constantly progressing. The increase in the public's demand and level of reception of press information has posed many challenges and requirements for the management of press and media activities. Therefore, the current Press Law needs to be improved and supplemented to meet the shortcomings that occur during this process.

edit newspaper law to timely handle difficult issues of newspaper image 3

I believe that the amendment and supplementation of the Press Law requires the participation and contribution of all relevant parties, including media organizations, journalists, the public and researchers. Only through close cooperation and the creation of a positive interactive environment can we build a suitable Press Law that best meets the challenges and needs of modern society.

The revision of the Press Law requires sensitivity and flexibility to adapt to the rapid development of technology and society. By considering and applying necessary improvements, we can ensure the existence and sustainable development of the press and media industry, while at the same time best meeting the needs and information reception level of the public.

To ensure a rich and diverse information environment, the revised Press Law should encourage the development of new media and ensure healthy competition among them. We should create appropriate conditions to encourage technological innovation in the media sector.

This includes supporting and promoting the development of new media platforms, digital media technologies and other innovative forms such as interactive, online and multimedia media. In addition, with the increase in the collection and use of personal information in the media sector, the revised Press Law needs to ensure that individuals’ privacy is protected and personal data is handled fairly and securely.

National Assembly Delegate Hoang Van Cuong, Member of the National Assembly's Finance and Budget Committee:

Allocate adequate resources for the press to effectively propagate legal policies.

The Vietnamese Revolutionary Press plays an important role in monitoring and contributing to the development of the country. It is necessary to adjust the Press Law to meet practical requirements. This creates an encouraging environment, meets the needs of the people, promotes diversity, creativity and quality in journalism.

edit newspaper law to timely handle difficult issues of newspaper image 4

Another issue is that when amending the Press Law, it is necessary to ensure the protection of citizens' privacy and personal information. In the developing digital age, amending the Press Law can ensure that personal data is protected and used properly, thereby creating trust and respect for press agencies.

In addition, I think the issue of journalism economics is also of great concern. Currently, many media outlets have to rely on advertising and external funding sources to maintain their operations. This can affect the independence and objectivity of journalism, because this dependence can create pressure to meet the demands of sponsors or reduce criticality in content.

Due to competition and financial pressures, many media outlets are forced to focus on making a profit. This can lead to a lack of investment in quality content and important social issues. Large media organizations can control market share and influence decision-making. This creates an imbalance in providing diverse perspectives and ensuring pluralism in content creation.

In the context of rapidly changing technology and audience consumption habits, media must find innovative ways to attract revenue and sustain operations. This issue needs to be carefully considered when drafting the revised Press Law.

State agencies need to have a mechanism to “order” the press to disseminate policies and laws to the people. The State ordering the press can be seen as a way to ensure that official and accurate information on policies and laws is fully and effectively communicated to the people. However, careful consideration needs to be given to how this is implemented to ensure fairness, diversity and independence in this process.

Nguyen Huong (Implementation)

Source