May the press remain a sharp weapon, contributing to the development of the province.

(Excerpt from the speech of Comrade Dinh Thi Le Thanh - Member of the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee at the Nghe An Journalism Awards Ceremony 2013)

Building on the tradition of revolutionary journalism, in recent years, under the direct leadership of the Provincial Party Committee and the coordination of various departments, agencies, and organizations in the province, various forms of media (print, television, radio, and online) with 7 local media outlets and 37 representative offices and resident reporters of central and other provincial newspapers have registered and been licensed to operate.

The province currently has nearly 300 journalists with press cards. Among them, many journalists have firm political and ideological stances and journalistic skills. A significant number of young journalists have received basic training, are making rapid progress in their profession, quickly adapt to modern journalistic styles, and have matured through the practical experience of the reform process. The journalistic workforce has rapidly grown in number and quality, effectively carrying out propaganda work on the cultural and ideological front, combating corruption and negative practices, and implementing the national and local reform process. As a result, timely updated information reaches a wide range of people in the province, especially in remote areas.

The press in Nghe An truly serves as a powerful voice for the Party Committee, the government, and the people of all ethnic groups in the province, acting as a bridge between the people and the Party and the State.

In order to improve the quality of journalistic activities, encourage and motivate the creative labor emulation movement of journalists, discover and nurture journalistic talents in the province, and honor journalists and collaborators who have produced outstanding journalistic works contributing to the socio-economic development and national security and defense of the province, the People's Committee of Nghe An province has decided to organize an annual journalism award on the occasion of the anniversary of Vietnam's Revolutionary Journalism Day on June 21st.

As the advisory body and Chairman of the annual Journalism Awards Judging Council, the Department of Information and Communications has made many efforts to continuously improve the regulations of the awards, aiming to enhance the quality of the journalism awards year after year. This year, the Judging Council has made several additions and adjustments to the regulations, such as the award structure and scoring system for all award categories. Therefore, it can be said that the 29 winning works this year (including 2 First Prizes, 3 Second Prizes, 12 Third Prizes, and 12 Consolation Prizes) are truly outstanding works, representing the journalistic works from various categories participating in the awards.

2013 marked the 8th year that our province organized the journalism awards, a year marked by many outstanding events. It was the first year of implementing the contents of Resolution 26 of the Politburo on Nghe An; the entire province focused on building new rural areas and poverty reduction; the movement to study and follow the moral example of Ho Chi Minh; Party building work; the case of law violations by some individuals in Nghi Phuong commune; the adverse weather conditions threatening the lives, work, and production of the people in the province, culminating in the flood release in Hoang Mai causing serious damage to people and property, as well as relief and assistance activities for those affected… all of which were truthfully and promptly reflected in the entries submitted to the awards.

Therefore, the number of entries and the quality of winning entries this year are superior to last year; this is due to the diversity of fields reflected; the authors have made many explorations and explored many rich topics; some works are meticulously invested in, selecting issues to reflect and having a clear ideological orientation, bringing about clear propaganda effectiveness. Typical examples of high-ranking winning works include: the special feature "Around the case of law violations in Nghi Phuong" by Nghe An Newspaper; the documentary film "Where do the birds go?" by Nghe An Radio and Television Station; the report on the funeral of General Vo Nguyen Giap by Nghe An Newspaper; the reflection on "Implementing the project to reorganize grassroots Party organizations" by Nghe An Newspaper; the radio report "The economic story from oysters" by Nghe An Radio and Television Station; the series of news and photos about the floods in Hoang Mai by Nghe An Newspaper… Notably, in 2013, Nghe An had 3 works that won high awards in the national press competition.

On behalf of the provincial leadership, I would like to express my gratitude, warmly commend, and congratulate the collective and individual journalists of Nghe An province on the achievements they have made in 2013.

...Although we have achieved some noteworthy results, we still lack truly outstanding works that are highly persuasive to the public. The involvement, investment, and dedication to journalistic issues and activities are not commensurate with the number of local press agencies, representative offices, and resident reporters from central and other provincial newspapers registered and licensed to operate in the province (the fourth largest number nationwide). There are still quite a few topics that Nghe An province urgently needs the press to cover, but the works are few or of unsatisfactory quality, such as the implementation of the contents of Resolution 26 of the Politburo on Nghe An; the campaign to follow the moral example of Ho Chi Minh; poverty reduction and new rural development; Party building; good people, good deeds, and advanced models…

We are holding a press awards ceremony and meeting with press agencies to commemorate the 89th anniversary of Vietnam's Revolutionary Press Day, against the backdrop of China's illegal placement of the Haiyang 981 oil rig in Vietnam's continental shelf and exclusive economic zone. We hope that journalists will continue to promptly reach hotspots, report information quickly, accurately, and persuasively, contributing to the struggle to protect the sacred sovereignty of our Fatherland.

In the coming period, we hope that press agencies will consistently adhere to the province's principles, objectives, and propaganda orientation, effectively promoting the image and position of Nghe An in the era of openness, integration, and development; encouraging the emulation movement in labor and production, and practicing thrift; promptly identifying and commending good people, good deeds, and advanced models; bringing the Party's guidelines and policies and the State's laws into life, meeting the increasingly in-depth information needs, closely following the realities of life, contributing to summarizing and disseminating good experiences and exemplary business and production models, resolutely condemning and fighting against corruption, waste, negativity, and social evils, contributing to raising ideological awareness, improving the people's intellect, and promoting a clean, healthy, and simple lifestyle for cadres, Party members, and the people.

We hope and believe that journalists will continue to enhance their social responsibility, civic duty, professional skills, and professional ethics, so that journalism will forever remain a sharp weapon contributing positively and effectively to the comprehensive and sustainable development of Nghe An province, to the country's reform process, and to the development of revolutionary Vietnamese journalism.

(*) Title provided by Nghe An Newspaper