Vietnam's revolutionary press: Planning for healthier development

Rich in revolutionary journalism tradition

The milestone of the birth of the Vietnamese revolutionary press was determined to be June 21, 1925, when the Thanh Nien Newspaper founded by President Ho Chi Minh published its first issue. Since then, the revolutionary press of our country has increasingly demonstrated its great role in participating in social management and the management of the country's political system, through the implementation of the function of social supervision and criticism.

Throughout the historical periods of the nation, revolutionary journalism has created and affirmed many outstanding traditions. Referring to this topic, Dr. Tran Ba ​​Dung, Head of the Professional Department, Vietnam Journalists Association, said: The first Congress of the Vietnam Journalists Association (May 1950) affirmed that the Press contributed to the building of people's democracy and resistance war and national construction through its profession. Evidence for this is the contribution of a series of revolutionary newspapers after 1925, such as: The first newspaper of the Party was Tranh Dau (August 15, 1930); the first magazine of the Party was Tap Chi Do (August 5, 1930); the first newspaper of the communists in Hoa Lo (March 1930) was Tu nhan bao, later changed to Lao tu tap chi; Vietnam doc lap, Dan chung (1938); Co giai phap, Cuu quoc (1942-1945). These were the newspapers that played a key role in propagating the revolution during the period of semi-legal and legal public activities, and in the end the revolutionary press won.

During the resistance war against the US to save the country, the press in the North and the revolutionary press in the South fought together with the army and people for the cause of national liberation, national reunification and contributed to protecting world peace. The press during this period focused on vividly reflecting the anti-US struggle of our army and people in the South and the emulation movement for labor production and building socialism in the North. The revolutionary press was the main force in encouraging patriotism and determination to defeat the American invaders. News, articles, battlefield photos, and radio reports from the South, in the newspapers: Nhan Dan, Quan Doi Nhan Dan, Radio Voice of Vietnam, Vietnam News Agency... were truly a great source of encouragement and a call for generations of young people to go to war against the Americans.

The revolutionary journalists are always dedicated and ready to sacrifice themselves for the revolutionary cause of fighting for national independence, building socialism, voluntarily following the ideals and path chosen by the Party and Uncle Ho. During the two wars of national liberation, more than 400 heroic journalists fell on the battlefields while performing their duties as soldiers on the front lines.

In peacetime, many journalists do not hesitate to face hardships, even risk their lives, to be present at the hotspots of Hoang Sa and Truong Sa, or to fight in flood areas, epidemic areas, in the fight against smuggling and drugs, etc. to promptly provide the public with breaking news, articles, and images.

“Absorbing the glorious tradition of revolutionary journalism founded by Uncle Ho, being tempered and matured in hardship, loyal to the Party, the Fatherland, and attached to the people, we are confident that the team of Vietnamese revolutionary journalists will always accompany the nation and fulfill their noble roles and tasks well,” said Dr. Tran Ba ​​Dung.

Implement planning for healthier development

The press system will be arranged in association with model innovation, improving the effectiveness of press leadership and management to develop the print, visual, audio and electronic press systems in a professional and modern direction.

The press field is constantly developing richly and diversely in both content and types and services, in order to better meet the information needs of the people.

Currently, the country has 850 print press agencies with over 1,000 press publications, 98 electronic newspapers, 66 central and local radio and television stations with a total of 200 radio and television channels. Radio coverage reaches 99.5% of the territory, terrestrial television coverage reaches over 90% of the territory.

Regarding the pay TV system, by the end of 2015, there were 31 service providers with 73 TV channels and 9 domestic radio channels. Pay TV uses 4 types of transmission technology: cable TV (including IPTV), digital terrestrial TV, direct satellite TV, and mobile TV. The number of pay TV subscribers reached about 9.9 million (of which, the number of cable TV subscribers accounted for 80.8%, 4 times higher than in 2010, 30 times higher than in 2005. Total revenue from pay TV services was 9,624 billion VND, more than 3 times higher than in 2010.

Reality shows that in recent times, the country's press has made many positive contributions, doing well in its task of propagating the viewpoints, guidelines, policies and strategies of the Party and State, being the voice of the Party, socio-political organizations, socio-political and professional organizations, and a forum for the people.

However, besides that, the press also has many shortcomings and weaknesses. Party Central Committee member, Minister of Information and Communications Truong Minh Tuan once pointed out a number of those shortcomings and weaknesses: “Many press agencies have not fulfilled their purposes and objectives; have not demonstrated their role as the voice of the Party, political organizations, socio-political organizations, and professional societies; have not ensured that they fulfill their role as a forum for the people. Many press agencies, especially subsidiary publications, have made content mistakes, causing outrage in society. Many governing agencies have abandoned or reduced their responsibilities, even depending on the economy of the press to operate.”

To overcome the above shortcomings, the Project on National Press Management Development Planning to 2025 (abbreviated as the Press Planning) was developed by the Ministry of Information and Communications in consultation with the Government with the main purpose of ensuring that press agencies develop in a healthier and more appropriate direction.

Nearly a year has passed since the Ministry of Information and Communications officially announced the first Press Plan, the implementation of this Plan has been actively carried out by many ministries, sectors and localities. Typically, the Ministry of Transport, Vietnam Television, Ministry of Industry and Trade, Ministry of National Defense...

In the coming time, the implementation of the Press Planning needs to continue to be thoroughly grasped and seriously implemented, further accelerating progress nationwide.

Emphasizing some main directions in the implementation of the Press Planning in the coming time, Mr. Tran Minh Tuan, Deputy Director of the Institute of Information and Communications Strategy, said: The press system will be arranged in association with model innovation, improving the effectiveness of press leadership and management to develop the system of printed newspapers, television newspapers, radio newspapers, and electronic newspapers in a professional and modern direction, meeting the diverse information needs of the people, suitable for each subject and region, especially the ethnic minority areas.

Focus budget resources according to the ordering mechanism for print media agencies with good brands, political values, and high orientation to have attractive publications. By 2020, print media agencies will be arranged according to the model of one press agency with many press publications...

For radio and television, increase the time for self-produced radio and television channels serving national and local political and propaganda tasks, ensuring that the time for self-produced programs reaches at least 50%. The radio and television system is innovated according to the multimedia communication agency model, according to which stations only focus on producing programs and providing content to multimedia communication service providers. By 2020, television stations will be financially independent. The State has a mechanism to support and order sections, programs, and channels serving political and propaganda tasks. Unified and strict management of program content production, transmission, and broadcasting stages, ensuring that they meet the requirements for performing political tasks and information safety and security in the new situation.

Regarding electronic newspapers, focus on developing a number of key newspapers with modern techniques and technology, high interactivity, rich content, capable of attracting the public, effectively leading and orienting public opinion, especially in the face of important, complex and sensitive issues and events. Prioritize the construction and development of electronic newspapers serving politics and foreign propaganda. Promote the dissemination of information to the grassroots.

According to Infonet