We met by chance at the end of December 13th in a coffee shop, before we could say hello, he said: Under the lamppost… it’s usually dark! Surprised, I asked: What are you talking about? He replied: Oh. I saw people reporting that the editor-in-chief of a newspaper under the Ministry of Management had his press card revoked, I was re-reading the violations of this newspaper…
He is not a journalist, but he is passionate about writing, and is a regular contributor to a number of newspaper and magazine editorial offices specializing in analyzing social issues, so he is interested in such information. Sitting together, he confided that he was… sad. Because the Ministry in charge has the responsibility of managing the state, building and enforcing laws; and the newspaper, which is clearly defined as the Ministry’s mouthpiece, among many functions, has a core function of propagating, disseminating, and educating about the law. Yet there are many violations and mistakes that are actively carried out, leading to punishment, and the leader is disciplined and has his license revoked. He said: “When I read the news about the editor-in-chief having his press card revoked, I looked up the inspection conclusion of the Ministry of Information and Communications. There were many violations and mistakes. The inspector listed them specifically and in detail, up to several A4 pages. I was really surprised because there were violations that I thought could only happen on electronic news sites and not in press agencies, but this newspaper was guilty. I was thinking that according to the inspection conclusion, this newspaper was completely proactive in committing violations. So sad…”.
Regarding the information that the editor-in-chief of the newspaper was disciplined by the Ministry in charge with a warning, and then had his press card revoked by the Ministry of Information and Communications, on December 13, many press agencies posted it. Immediately after that, the social network Facebook seemed to have taken the opportunity to report the news in abundance and loudly. Looking at this incident, it is natural. Because with the responsibility of the head of any agency, including the press agency, when there is a violation in the unit under his management, and it is clearly pointed out in writing by the competent authority, then being considered for disciplinary action is in accordance with the law. And the transmission of information, whether through the press or social networks, must be seen as necessary, considered as a method of... education.
But reading the conclusion of the Inspectorate of the Ministry of Information and Communications, I see that he is right. The violations of this newspaper mostly stem from subjective causes. Specifically, regarding the content of the information, this press agency committed 8 violations, including "publishing many investigative articles, reflecting the negative aspects of social life in the form of questioning and unconvincing questions". Regarding compliance with legal regulations on receiving and handling feedback, complaints and denunciations related to the content published in the press and operational activities, "The handling of petitions and letters still has many shortcomings, not in accordance with legal regulations; some cases of explanations to competent authorities are unconvincing and baseless"; "not making corrections or apologizing when the information is untrue". Or in the implementation of legal regulations on the establishment and management of representative offices and resident reporters, there was a mistake: "During the inspection period, the newspaper's leaders issued letters of introduction to collaborators but stated their title as reporters; issued letters of introduction to irregular collaborators; issued letters of introduction but did not specify the place of work...".
And when comparing with the principles, functions, and tasks of the newspaper whose editor-in-chief had his press card revoked, we see that he is not only right, but also… correct. Correct in the sentence he uttered when we met: Under the lamppost… it is often dark! However, we should not be sad because of that. Instead, we should recognize that the inspection and disciplinary action against the editor-in-chief is a wake-up call for those working in press agencies.
