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| Comrade Le Hai Binh, Alternate Member of the Central Committee of the Party, Deputy Head of the Central Propaganda Department, and Deputy Head of the Standing Committee of the Steering Committee for External Information Work, delivered a speech at the press conference launching the 9th National Award for External Information, on March 29. |
With the motto "leading the way" and "working together for development" in the continuous flow of the glorious revolutionary cause of the Party and the nation, ideological work truly plays a crucial role in building unity and cohesion in thought, will, and action throughout the Party, the people, and the armed forces. In this glorious cause, the press in general and the foreign press in particular play an important role, serving as a sharp weapon in protecting the Party's ideological foundation, fighting against hostile forces, and helping the world gain a correct and profound understanding of Vietnam.
Pioneering on the ideological front
The regular and important task of the revolutionary press in Vietnam is to propagate and encourage the implementation of the Party's guidelines and resolutions, and the State's policies and laws; to serve as an effective information channel in the Government 's administration; to promptly provide information, acting as a bridge between the Party and the people, and between Vietnam and the world; and to make a significant contribution to creating social consensus, uniting the people to work together to overcome difficulties, and enthusiastically contributing to the goal of building a civilized, prosperous, and strong country.
Over the past period, with its large and diverse journalistic force and rich variety of formats, the revolutionary press in our country has clearly demonstrated its pioneering role in the ideological and cultural front, making worthy contributions to the revolutionary cause of the Party and the nation; clearly showing its leading role in the struggle against erroneous and hostile viewpoints, and protecting the ideological foundation of the Party.
At the same time, the media has propagated and disseminated the moral and cultural values and good lifestyles of the Vietnamese people, as well as exemplary individuals and advanced models in various fields of social life. The media agencies have strictly adhered to and implemented the leadership, guidance, and information orientation of the Party and State, closely following the goal of maintaining political stability, creating social consensus, and strengthening the people's trust in the Party, State, and regime; providing timely, truthful, and comprehensive information on domestic and international political, economic, and social life; in particular, information and propaganda on protecting the Party's ideological foundation and combating and refuting erroneous and hostile viewpoints have been given systematic attention and investment with in-depth and high-quality special pages, sections, programs, and articles.
| The documents of the 13th National Congress of the Party emphasize the position and role of ideological work: "Taking utmost importance to building the Party ideologically"; "Continuing to strongly innovate the content and methods of ideological work in the direction of being proactive, practical, timely and effective; enhancing the fighting spirit, educational value, and persuasiveness in propagating and studying Marxism-Leninism, Ho Chi Minh Thought, the Party's viewpoints and guidelines, and the State's policies and laws." |
The revolutionary press in our country has played a very important role in carrying out the task of defending the Party's ideological foundation, truly serving as a sharp weapon in this field, a reliable forum for the people, contributing to raising vigilance, love for the homeland, strengthening the people's trust in the Party's leadership and the regime, firmly protecting the Party's ideological foundation, and creating a powerful driving force for the cause of building and defending the Fatherland.
The press has proactively criticized and refuted false and distorted narratives about the country's situation as well as its development strategies, plans, and policies; clearly pointing out and exposing the conspiracies of hostile forces aiming to incite and manipulate people to gather and file mass complaints. Several leading political newspapers and some newspapers belonging to ministries, sectors, and social organizations have focused on clarifying many theoretical and practical issues concerning ethnicity, religion, democracy, and human rights, affirming the humane, reasonable, and compassionate policies of the Communist Party of Vietnam and the State that respect freedom of belief and religion and guarantee human rights; clearly exposing the conspiracies, tactics, and schemes of hostile forces exploiting social media and foreign press to disrupt information and negatively impact the reputation of the Communist Party of Vietnam and the State. Analyze, demonstrate, and affirm the correct legal basis of Vietnam in the prosecution, detention, and trial of certain individuals who have violated Vietnamese law.
New context, new approach
Over the years, the global and regional situation has continued to be complex and unpredictable. Great power competition has intensified, eroding the principles and norms of international law, increasing mistrust, hindering international cooperation, and increasing pressure on small and medium-sized countries. The struggle for influence and the influence of various factions pose numerous challenges in foreign policy towards small and medium-sized countries. The Russia-Ukraine conflict, under the impact of great power competition, has contributed to the rise of nationalism and ideological competition. Prejudices and biases against socialism and the path to socialism still persist in some parts of the world. Furthermore, the situation in the South China Sea has seen many new and increasingly complex developments, requiring extremely skillful and flexible handling.
Vietnam's international integration is undergoing significant transformations, but it also faces numerous difficulties and challenges in creating a peaceful and stable environment, an attractive space and destination for investors; at the same time, it must quickly catch up with global trends to avoid the risk of falling behind.
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| Overview of the National Conference summarizing the work on external information; propaganda on the sea and islands; border demarcation and management in 2022; and implementing tasks for 2023. |
The aforementioned context and situation create an urgent need for external press work, requiring it to fulfill its role and mission. Specifically:
Firstly , as integration deepens, the core political task of foreign affairs journalism—propagating information on human rights issues, protecting sovereignty and territorial integrity, safeguarding the Party's ideological foundation, and combating false and hostile viewpoints—becomes increasingly urgent. Currently, these topics are often explored by the press in the form of commentary, analysis, and expert opinions, which are often dry and focused on a relatively narrow target audience, resulting in limited effectiveness. Foreign affairs journalism needs to develop a new approach, a multi-faceted perspective, and a broader audience, with more persuasive methods of presentation.
Secondly , in the current age of social media, online newspapers, and digital forums, foreign press should not be confined to existing communication tools and methods. Foreign press agencies need a strategy to extend beyond the boundaries of their newspaper domain names, proactively participate in the digital communities of overseas Vietnamese, engage in international online forums, promote writing articles for foreign newspapers, expand their "coverage," directly disseminate the Party and State's policies and reform guidelines, and combat erroneous and hostile viewpoints through contributing news and articles to shape public opinion.
Thirdly , the state's policy of promoting multilateral foreign relations, participating deeply in international organizations, and contributing a more influential voice in economic and political forums has led to a wider and more challenging range of topics and subjects for foreign affairs journalists to explore. Complex international political and economic issues are intertwined; the competition for interests and geopolitical rivalry among major powers is unpredictable, even leading to localized conflicts in many countries and territories.
In this context, many news articles and commentaries with international elements can directly or indirectly affect diplomatic activities and national interests. Therefore, the professional expertise, analytical skills, and political acumen required of journalists writing about international politics and economics are very high. Media organizations need to pay attention to, train, and regularly update the in-depth knowledge of journalists writing on this topic to minimize unfortunate professional mishaps.
Fourth , the digital transformation trend is happening very rapidly. In this context, the media is a prime example of movement, change, and development following the latest information and communication technology trends, and also exemplifies the need for the most diverse and modern information production and processing. Foreign affairs journalism needs to pay special attention to researching and implementing digital transformation. Starting with a shift in mindset, recognizing the practical benefits of applying modern digital models and technologies in production and operations, foreign affairs journalism in particular, and media organizations in general, will have the right direction for development in today's era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
Improving the effectiveness and quality of foreign affairs journalism.
Currently, our country is facing many opportunities and advantages; however, it also faces numerous difficulties and challenges. Hostile, reactionary, and politically opportunistic forces continue to intensify their subversive activities. They exploit the development of the Internet and social media to carry out more sophisticated, cunning, and insidious subversive activities than before. This poses new demands on the work of protecting the Party's ideological foundation and combating and refuting erroneous and hostile viewpoints, including tasks and solutions related to external information and propaganda work.
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| It is necessary to strengthen the Party's leadership and the State's management of journalistic activities in the struggle to protect the Party's ideological foundation. (Source: tuyengiao) |
To further enhance the role of press agencies and improve the effectiveness of information and propaganda, the Vietnamese press system and its journalists need to continue to strive with high determination, playing a sharp weapon in the cause of building and defending the socialist Vietnamese Fatherland, fighting to protect the Party's ideological foundation, and combating and refuting erroneous and hostile viewpoints. This requires the effective implementation of several key policies:
Raising awareness among leaders, officials, reporters, and editors of media agencies, especially foreign affairs media, about the position, role, and importance of protecting the Party's ideological foundation and combating and refuting erroneous and hostile viewpoints in the new situation. Strengthening the Party's leadership and the State's management. Intensifying guidance and thorough understanding among media agencies from the central to local levels to actively participate in protecting the Party's ideological foundation and combating and refuting erroneous and hostile viewpoints, in accordance with Resolution No. 35 of the Politburo of the 12th Party Congress and the orientation of the 13th Party Congress Resolution. Simultaneously, improving the quality of information and propaganda on Marxism-Leninism, Ho Chi Minh Thought; the Party's guidelines and policies, and the State's laws and regulations.
Alongside the successful implementation of the aforementioned policies, several solutions are being proposed to improve the effectiveness and quality of foreign affairs journalism:
Continue to be proactive, grounded in reality, and promptly disseminate information widely about the achievements of the reform process, the Party's guidelines and policies, the State's laws, Vietnam's development and cooperation potential, the country, its people, history, culture, and the material and spiritual values of the nation. Strengthen persuasive articles and features on border issues, territory, islands, democracy, human rights, ethnicity, religion, environmental issues, and sustainable development...
Furthermore, media outlets should invest in funding and resources to improve the professional skills of foreign affairs journalists; organize writing competitions, and launch initiatives and projects in foreign affairs communication to enhance the effectiveness of information and propaganda.
Foreign affairs journalism needs to diversify its forms and means of communication, making the most of media forces and applying new media on the Internet, including social media, to expand its reach and attract public interaction, especially from foreign audiences. For example, social networks such as Podcast, YouTube, Facebook, and TikTok can be used to disseminate foreign affairs information.
Currently, the workforce for foreign affairs journalism is modest because, in addition to professional skills, foreign affairs reporters must also possess foreign language proficiency and other integration skills. Training a foreign affairs reporter always requires investment. Therefore, media organizations need to focus on training and developing their foreign affairs staff and reporters.
Furthermore, press agencies and the State need specific and practical mechanisms to encourage and support journalists with appropriate facilities and equipment. The recruitment of resident reporters and editors in countries and regions around the world is also a matter that needs attention, as the number of Vietnamese resident reporters abroad is still considered quite small.
Press agencies need to strengthen cooperation with foreign partners to implement external press activities such as: inviting foreign journalists to Vietnam to report and write articles; cooperating with foreign press agencies to create news articles and reports promoting the image of Vietnam. In addition, they should proactively seek opportunities to enhance international contact, exchange, and cooperation, and leverage the strengths of the Vietnamese community abroad in external press activities.
Government agencies and the State need to prioritize investment in the modernization and upgrading of infrastructure and technology for foreign-language press agencies. These agencies can propose tax exemptions or reductions on non-budgetary revenue to reinvest in human resources and infrastructure for foreign information activities. In a volatile world with intertwined opportunities, challenges, and uncertainties, Vietnam is making positive strides in all aspects of its economy, politics, and society. Vietnam's image, position, and national prestige are increasingly affirmed and enhanced internationally.
Under the leadership and management of the State, and with the close coordination and unity of the entire political system and the whole population, external information work in general and foreign press in particular need to firmly grasp and adhere to the Party's guidelines and policies. This includes continuing to thoroughly understand and implement the Resolution of the 13th National Congress of the Party, and making even greater efforts in carrying out external information tasks, building and enhancing Vietnam's image and position in the world, contributing to the successful achievement of the country's development goals.
With a glorious 98-year history, we deeply understand that the regular and important task of the Vietnamese revolutionary press is to propagate and promote the implementation of the Party's guidelines and resolutions, the State's policies and laws, and the Party's leadership. At the same time, the press in general, and the foreign press in particular, plays a crucial role and serves as a sharp weapon in protecting the Party's ideological foundation, combating hostile forces, and helping the world gain a correct and insightful understanding of Vietnam.
In recent years, the world and the region have undergone many complex and unpredictable changes that have strongly impacted the work of protecting the ideological foundation. In this context, the foreign press has implemented positive and appropriate solutions to make practical contributions to enhancing Vietnam's image and position in the international arena, playing a crucial role in protecting the Party's ideological foundation and contributing to the cause of building and defending the socialist Vietnamese Fatherland.
References
1. Documents of the 13th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam, National Political Publishing House, Hanoi, 2021
2. Ho Chi Minh: Complete Works, National Political Publishing House, Hanoi, 2011, Vol. 12
3. Speech by General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong at the National Conference on Foreign Affairs to implement the Resolution of the 13th National Congress of the Party.
4. The Role of the Press in Preventing and Combating "Peaceful Evolution" in the Ideological and Cultural Fields, National Political Publishing House, Hanoi, 2017
5. Claudia Mast, Mass Communication: Fundamentals, Vietnam News Agency Publishing House, Hanoi, 2004.
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