Reforming Party newspapers is an urgent and pressing issue.

Delegates discuss on the sidelines of the conference. Photo: Duc Anh

Party newspapers still heavily favor "sugar-coated" content.

Speaking at the discussion session, Comrade Tran Thanh Lam – Deputy Head of the Central Propaganda Department – ​​emphasized that the rapid development of social media poses many challenges for press agencies, including Party newspapers. Therefore, innovation and creativity are urgent issues, as they relate to the position and role of Party newspapers in the digital age and the information technology era.

Highlighting the strengths of Party newspapers, Comrade Tran Thanh Lam stated that Party newspapers are a pioneering force in disseminating the Party and State's policies and guidelines. The products and publications of Party newspapers are a reliable and accurate source of official information.

Furthermore, the Party's press system actively participates in combating and refuting harmful, malicious, and hostile information, protecting the Party's ideological foundation in the current situation. This is also an issue that the Central Propaganda Department and local authorities pay special attention to.

Party newspapers also strictly adhere to the regulations of the Party and the State regarding political, ideological, and informational work. In addition, the production, editing, and publishing processes ensure that they meet the requirements set by society.

Comrade Tran Thanh Lam, Deputy Head of the Central Propaganda Department, speaks at the discussion session. Photo: Duc Anh

However, in the context of integration and the digital age, Party newspapers are also revealing many limitations that need to be overcome. Many Party newspapers have not yet fully played their pioneering role in information and propaganda. Their leading role has not been clearly demonstrated. Information on events is still slow, failing to reflect multi-faceted issues, still heavily focused on one-sided information, lacking critical analysis, and tending to "sugarcoat" issues. Party journalists still follow established patterns, are slow to innovate, and their reach is not high; there is still a tendency towards formalized, report-driven information. This reality makes attracting readers difficult.

To address this issue, Party-affiliated media outlets need to strive for innovation and improvement in both the form and content of their publications. They must adhere closely to the Party and State's guidelines on journalism, thereby effectively fulfilling their role in guiding information; improving propaganda efforts to effectively combat harmful and malicious news; investing in and prioritizing the physical infrastructure and technical facilities of the press to keep pace with social development trends; and continuously training and cultivating revolutionary ethics and qualities for journalists…

Local Party newspapers face many difficulties and challenges.

Delving deeper into the current difficulties faced by local Party newspapers, Comrade Ngo Duc Kien, Secretary of the Party Committee and Editor-in-Chief of Nghe An Newspaper, participating in the discussion at the Conference, stated that Party newspapers are facing many practical challenges.

Comrade Ngo Duc Kien - Editor-in-Chief of Nghe An Newspaper, presented his views at the discussion session. Photo: Duc Anh

Regarding human resources, Party newspapers, including Nghe An Newspaper, are currently facing a large workload. For example, Nghe An Newspaper has published five publications for many years: a daily newspaper, a weekend newspaper, a special section on mountainous and ethnic minorities, an online newspaper, and a Nghe An Newspaper YouTube channel. These publications are published daily and weekly, with the online version being updated hourly and minute-by-minute. However, the allocated staff and personnel are still insufficient to meet the unit's requirements. To overcome this problem, Nghe An Newspaper is focusing on expanding its network of collaborators and experts in various fields. The newspaper has also attracted many renowned experts nationwide.

Delegates participate in the discussion. Photo: Duc Anh

Regarding financial matters, the funding for paying royalties to reporters, contributors, and experts generally faces some obstacles in Party newspapers, especially in ensuring fair compensation for the intellectual contributions of important contributors. For a long time, at Nghe An Newspaper, a single work or product from an expert or contributor has been used and published in multiple publications, and mechanisms have been implemented to ensure fair royalty payments.

Regarding the staff, reporters, editors, and technicians: Some older staff members and reporters are reluctant to change, even skeptical about the reforms the newspaper is undertaking. To address this issue, Nghe An Newspaper is providing training, education, and retraining for its staff and reporters. Those who cannot adapt will be removed from the workforce.

Comrade Le Thi Thu Hong - Standing Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee and Chairwoman of the Provincial People's Council of Bac Giang province - participated in the discussion session. Photo: Duc Anh

Journalist work: Compared to other media outlets, reporters from local Party newspapers operate in a limited environment, facing many difficulties in accessing information, especially investigative and case-related information. The experience of Nghe An Newspaper in addressing this issue is to build mechanisms and procedures for coordinating propaganda between the newspaper and local departments, agencies, and localities. In addition, Nghe An Newspaper also implements mechanisms and policies to ensure reporters are not influenced by personal motives, allowing them to focus on accessing, processing, and publishing information promptly and accurately.

Comrade Nguyen Trong Nghia - Secretary of the Central Committee of the Party, Head of the Central Propaganda Department, converses with delegates attending the Conference. Photo: Duc Anh.

The Editor-in-Chief of Nghe An Newspaper also stated that the current mechanisms and policies for the press have not kept pace with the changes in practice. The online newspaper system of Party-affiliated newspapers like Nghe An Newspaper still faces difficulties and limitations in terms of infrastructure, technology, and equipment. The online publications of Party-affiliated newspapers lack effective software to support professional work. In addition, ensuring the security of the online newspaper production system and difficulties in developing social media platforms are also issues that need to be addressed.

Innovation is a vital issue for Party newspapers, but in practice, it has been observed that innovation remains sluggish in many localities. Meanwhile, this is the raw material and content that these media outlets exploit for their propaganda. Furthermore, many local leaders still believe that local Party newspapers only need to report from one perspective, not from multiple angles. Local Party newspapers also suffer from a negative reputation and are influenced by many of their resident reporters and contributors.

Developing Party newspaper publications on social media platforms is a practical requirement, meeting the information and communication needs of readers and listeners. Nghe An Newspaper, like many other local media outlets, has developed and maintained products on platforms such as YouTube, TikTok, and Facebook fan pages. However, the question arises: How should the payment of royalties and benefits to reporters, collaborators, and experts involved in producing these products and publications on social media platforms be handled? Currently, there are no regulations on this matter. For a long time, Nghe An Newspaper has had to employ various solutions to overcome this issue.

At the conference, many delegates also participated in discussions related to innovation and creativity aimed at enhancing the role and position of local Party newspapers.