Head of the Central Propaganda Department: The press must be profound in perception and resolute in action.

Dear Comrade Nguyen Van Nen - Politburo member, Secretary of Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee,

Dear leaders of the Party, State, leaders of central departments, ministries and branches, leaders of Ho Chi Minh City and localities,

Dear veteran journalists,

Dear delegates and public!

Today, in Ho Chi Minh City, the city honored to be named after beloved Uncle Ho, the city of "epic poems", the symbol of Vietnamese revolutionary heroism, the symbol of dynamism, creativity and innovation, I, along with the leaders of the Party, State, leaders of central departments, ministries and branches, leaders of Ho Chi Minh City and localities and journalists nationwide, happily and excitedly attend the opening ceremony of the 7th National Press Festival - 2024.

Head of the Central Propaganda Department Nguyen Trong Nghia speaks at the opening ceremony of the 2024 National Press Festival. Photo: Thanh Cuong

This is a very important and meaningful event, truly a festival for all levels of journalists' associations and journalists nationwide; an important step in preparation for the 100th Anniversary of the Vietnamese revolutionary press (June 21, 1925 - June 21, 2025). I warmly welcome the leaders of the Party and State, leaders of central departments, ministries and branches, leaders of Ho Chi Minh City and localities, veteran journalists, distinguished guests, journalists and the public nationwide to attend today's festival of the press.

This is the first time the National Press Festival has been held in the Southern region with many activities, events, professional forums, and booths displaying press products nationwide. The new point of this Press Festival is that in addition to press issues, the press public nationwide will be able to visit, introduce, connect and purchase OCOP products from many regions of the country. I believe that the Press Festival will attract a large number of journalists, the public and domestic and foreign tourists.

Dear delegates, journalists, readers and listeners!

During the 3-day Press Conference, the public and the press nationwide will see the whole picture of Vietnam's revolutionary press in 2023: from the results of information and propaganda work to professional press activities; from the discoveries, reflections, recommendations, and interpretations of the press to the transformation of those proposals and interpretations into practical operations and management; is the implementation of the mission of "building trust for cadres, party members, and people in the noble cause of our Party and nation".

Head of the Central Propaganda Department Nguyen Trong Nghia beats the drum to open the 2024 National Press Festival. Photo: Thanh Cuong

The Press Festival will also be a place for journalists and the public, and those who love journalism to discuss important issues of modern journalism; a place for connection, exchange, interaction and collaboration for mutual development between the press, businesses and the public... From the scale, guest list, program content, to the organization method... it has shown new features, innovations, especially in management thinking, in the method of gathering and mobilizing social resources to participate in the organization; strengthening the spirit of solidarity among all levels of the Association, press agencies, journalists and the press public nationwide.

I appreciate the preparation, spirit of innovation, creativity and pioneering activities of the press over the past year, the new ways of doing things that have brought practical results of the Organizing Committee and the agencies participating in the 2024 Press Festival, in line with the theme of the Press Festival "Vietnamese Press - Pioneering, Innovating for the revolutionary cause of the Party and People".

Comrade Nguyen Trong Nghia - Secretary of the Party Central Committee, Head of the Central Propaganda Department visited the exhibition booths of press agencies. Photo: Thanh Cuong

Dear comrades!

99 years is a glorious tradition, a proud mark of the Vietnamese revolutionary press. We have a revolutionary press with the noblest goal, the most sacred mission of serving the Fatherland, serving the People; being a bridge between the Party and the people; being a place for the People to send their feelings, faith, love and trust in the Party and the State. Vietnamese journalists have the right to be proud of the revolutionary press founded and trained by President Ho Chi Minh; proud of the glorious tradition, of the worthy contributions of the revolutionary press to the cause of building and defending the socialist Fatherland of Vietnam; proud of generations of journalists, with their talent, enthusiasm, creativity and even their blood and bones, to build, preserve and develop a revolutionary press for the people, for the country, for the ultimate interests of the Vietnamese people. The generation of journalists from our fathers and brothers is a source of pride and a shining example for journalists and members today to reflect on, correct themselves, practice virtue, and hone their skills to do journalism properly and well, to wholeheartedly and wholeheartedly contribute, worthy of the tradition of our fathers and brothers over the past century.

Delegates take souvenir photos at the exhibition booth of Nhan Dan Newspaper. Photo: Thanh Cuong

2024 is the fourth year of implementing the Resolution of the 13th National Party Congress, and also the third year of implementing the Resolution of the 11th National Congress of the Vietnam Journalists Association for the 2020-2025 term; an important year of preparation towards the 100th anniversary of Vietnam Revolutionary Press Day (June 21, 1925 - June 21, 2025). To be worthy of their glorious role and mission, I suggest that press agencies and journalists' associations at all levels continue to research, creatively apply, and effectively organize and implement the Party's guidelines and policies, the State's laws, especially Directive No. 43-CT/TW, dated April 8, 2020 of the Secretariat on strengthening the Party's leadership over the activities of the Vietnam Journalists Association in the new situation; Decisions of the Prime Minister on the National Press Development and Management Plan to 2025, on the Strategy "Digital transformation of journalism to 2025, orientation to 2030", regulations on professional ethics and rules on using social networks of Vietnamese journalists.

The Vietnam Journalists Association and journalist associations at all levels must closely coordinate with press management and leadership agencies to effectively and efficiently implement the above contents; must be profound in their awareness; must be resolute in their actions; must be creative and flexible in their self-application to gather and promote solidarity, unity and consensus in implementing those policies and orientations. We also need to continue to promote the movement to build cultural press agencies and cultural journalists. It is necessary to limit formal appeals and bring this content into depth, making it a daily cultural habit of each journalist and each member in the process of creating quality press products rich in good cultural values, arousing and orienting positive cultural flows in social life.

Dear comrades!

The continuous development of multi-platform, multimedia journalism, data journalism with digital tools such as artificial intelligence, blockchain technology, etc. has created both opportunities and challenges for press agencies as well as journalists. Artificial intelligence and technology can become virtual assistants for journalism. But we also have to face the risks of fake news, misleading news created by artificial intelligence and other digital tools, the challenge of illegal use of "data capital", press copyright in the digital environment. Journalists need to be proactive, united to find solutions to improve competitiveness, protect copyright, fight against fake news, push back bad, toxic information, misleading information, so that official press information becomes the most important mainstream information in the digital space, contributing to building a healthy information society, serving every reader, audience, serving the cause of building and defending the Fatherland.

Delegates visit the booth displaying OCOP products. Photo: Thanh Cuong

The press is facing turning-point issues to ensure the initiative in orienting and guiding information in the face of the strong development of social media. These issues require innovation in press activities. It is necessary to innovate from the methods of direction, leadership, management thinking to the practice of press activities. I believe that the 2024 National Press Conference, with the participation of representatives of the leadership of press management agencies from the central and local levels, and the press community nationwide, will have appropriate explanations and recommendations for press management agencies to respond to these requirements.

Dear comrades!

Promoting the 99-year tradition of Vietnamese revolutionary journalism, continuing the successes of journalism in the cause of innovation, journalism needs to actively and strongly transform digitally, strengthen human resource training in professional expertise, pay attention to public research and modern journalism and media trends. Journalistic works need to ensure orientation, specialization, attractiveness and personalization. Each journalist must always be self-conscious in studying, researching, and training himself to have political mettle, cultural foundation, technological skills and a spirit of dedication and humanity for the benefit of the nation, for the prosperity and happiness of the people. Each Party member who is a journalist must first of all be exemplary in moral qualities, contribute his or her intelligence and talent to Party building, and through his or her journalistic works, have a profound and strong impact on social development processes.

Delegates attending the 2024 National Press Conference offered flowers to commemorate President Ho Chi Minh. Photo: Thanh Cuong

The press must both study theory, summarize practice, communicate policies, continue to monitor and criticize society, fight against corruption and negativity; the press must truly become a bridge between the Party, the State and the people, be the propagandist, guide, and encourage the people to implement the Party and State's guidelines and policies, and at the same time be a broad social forum to promote democracy, promote progressive, modern cultural values rich in national identity; a forum for the people to participate in the country's affairs...

With solidarity, strategic vision and sense of responsibility, the Vietnamese Revolutionary Press and its team of journalists will stand firm in their pioneering and innovative positions for the revolutionary cause of the Party and the People.

I would like to sincerely thank and wish good health to the Party and State leaders, delegates and journalists nationwide. I wish you always have new successes and new victories in the 99th anniversary of the Vietnamese Revolutionary Press. I wish the 2024 National Press Conference great success!

Thank you very much!

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