The press must win, surpass social media.

Excerpt from the speech by journalist Ho Quang Loi - Standing Vice President of the Vietnam Journalists Association at the seminar "Journalism in North Central Vietnam - Enhancing professional skills and expertise in the Industry 4.0 revolution" held in Vinh City on December 8th.

The Fourth Industrial Revolution and its impact on journalism.(*)

Recently, the concept of "Industry 4.0" has been frequently mentioned in the media and on social networks, with expectations of significant change. So how should this revolution be understood? - Industry 4.0 is the fourth industrial revolution.

The first Industrial Revolution used water and steam power to mechanize production. The second revolution occurred thanks to the application of electricity for mass production. The third revolution used electronics and information technology to automate production. Now, the Fourth Industrial Revolution will take place in three main areas: biotechnology, digital technology, and physical technology. In this revolution, the role of intelligent systems is an essential and most important part.

The history of the four industrial revolutions.

The Fourth Industrial Revolution opens up enormous new opportunities but also poses many challenges for humanity. First, it can cause inequality, particularly disrupting the labor market and leading to hundreds of millions of job losses. The economic instability arising from the Fourth Industrial Revolution will then lead to social instability. The consequences will include political instability. If governments do not fully understand and adequately prepare for the Fourth Industrial Revolution, the risk of global instability is very high.

Furthermore, changes in the way we communicate online and on the internet also present people with many challenges and dangers. Personal information, if not protected securely, can lead to unforeseen consequences.

The Fourth Industrial Revolution has taken place in every field, and journalism is no exception.

It must be affirmed that the Fourth Industrial Revolution has a profound impact on the press and media of each country, presenting both opportunities and challenges. The Fourth Industrial Revolution has created a new demographic compatible with the digital media era. Touchscreen technology, the development of telecommunications infrastructure, and the advancements in 3G, 4G, and 5G technologies, along with the rise of social media – user-friendly platforms – have dramatically increased the number of people accessing information through smart devices. Currently, 60 million Vietnamese people are active on social media.

Journalists remain the core, decisive factor (*).

Therefore, media organizations and those involved in the information production process are forced to change their processes, enhance their competitiveness, and innovate their production and business methods. In the coming period, the media needs to focus on the following key issues:

Reporters from Nghe An Newspaper are present in remote and isolated areas to cover the story. Photo: archival material.

In any system or era, people remain the core and decisive factor. Therefore, strengthening the training and development of media professionals with strong political convictions, impeccable professional ethics, and high professional competence is the first and most crucial issue in creating journalistic works that have a widespread impact on social life. The training and development of journalists should focus on three major aspects: political conviction; professional skills, especially in the use of smart technology for reporting and publishing; and professional ethics.

A legal framework is needed for the digital age of journalism and media. In the context of a developing information society, alongside mainstream media, there are many other information "flows," especially on social media. Research and the search for scientific solutions are necessary to provide timely and effective policy advice for managing journalism and media in the digital media environment.

Nghe An Newspaper established its integrated newsroom in 2015. Photo: archival material.

Leaders of media organizations are constantly adapting to changes in journalistic processes in the context of social media development, leveraging social media to organize content, create connections and information dissemination effects, contributing to the transformation of the media landscape to adapt to the digital media environment. The challenge is for media organizations to build converged newsrooms...

Currently, social media poses a significant challenge to journalism. Journalism shouldn't chase after social media; instead, it must surpass it in accuracy. Journalism must address the issues raised by social media. The responsibility of journalism is to establish the credibility of information. Journalists must be ethical and responsible when participating in social media.

Currently, fake news is rampant on social media.

In other words, every media organization needs to have a proper understanding of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and the inevitability of innovation in order to build a way of managing the media in the face of the challenges and developments of social networks and social media.

Finally, we must continue to enhance the role, quality, and effectiveness of the Vietnam Journalists Association. The Vietnam Journalists Association is a socio-political and professional organization of journalists. Besides training and developing a team of journalists to meet the requirements of the new situation, the Association protects the legitimate rights and interests of its members in the course of their work, creating trust and a solid foundation for those who wield the pen.../.

(*) Title added by the editorial team