Make online newspapers healthy

(Baonghean) - Recently, a number of electronic newspapers and websites have violated current laws due to fabricated, untrue and offensive information. The Ministry of Information and Communications has continuously issued many decisions on administrative sanctions or revoked operating licenses. The drastic intervention of functional agencies has contributed to restoring order and improving the electronic information environment...

Websites that violate information regulations have been punished by authorities.

Along with the above phenomenon, newspapers and electronic news sites tend to serve vulgar and common tastes; they are willing to publish sensational news and articles with weak content, ideological distortions, and moral degradation, in order to “attract views” and increase the number of visitors. Many news sites have not been licensed but still operate normally. It is worth mentioning that the above newspapers and electronic news sites appear more and more and directly have a negative impact on the activities of the press environment in particular and life in general.

Discussing this issue with us, teacher Ho Dinh Quynh - Vice Principal of Quynh Luu I High School, said that the worrying thing is that some articles are published in an official manner but "normalize" unethical and inhumane issues. Many articles tell stories of depravity but the attitude is very "indifferent", as if promoting and inciting, without showing any criticism or condemnation. This has a negative impact on social awareness, including the young generation. Many students now spend a lot of time surfing the internet, surfing the web, seeing newspapers and news sites mentioning sensitive and offensive issues, immediately "share" them for their friends to see and follow. Unfortunately, in discussion forums and social discussion content, many students also quote some articles with "problematic" content in newspapers and information sites, considering it as recognition by the press and the public. All of this leads to distorted perceptions.

Mr. Pham Van Thanh, owner of Thanh Sen store - Hung Loc commune (Vinh city), has an eldest child studying at Vinh University High School for the Gifted. When connecting to the internet, he wondered: Connecting the internet for children to read books, read newspapers, and collect information. But thinking about some newspapers and websites reporting heavily on stories such as: tycoons marrying many wives; singers and models getting divorced; telling stories about the private life and childhood of a person who committed a serious crime as if he were a hero; telling stories about incest in a detailed and provocative way... makes me feel uneasy. How can children "immunize themselves" when they are still young?

Mr. Nguyen Dinh Hung - Head of the Department of Culture and Information of Nghi Loc District People's Committee, said: Newspapers and electronic news sites have an impact and influence on the building of cultural life at the grassroots level. While the grassroots cultural information system strives to build cultural life, there are many examples of good people, good deeds, beautiful lifestyles... many newspapers and news sites rarely reflect, or report very vaguely; but focus on reporting "black aftershocks", about things such as: writing letters with obscene content; criticizing girls from this region, insulting boys from that province in an arbitrary and unreasonable way; prying into the "childhood of a promising young player;...

In the last month of the second quarter and the first two months of the third quarter of 2014, the Ministry of Information and Communications has continuously corrected the situation of information activities that have exploded with unusual signs, not following the purpose and purpose, violating the Press Law of many newspapers. In August and September, state management agencies suspended the electronic newspaper Tri Thuc Tre and severely fined this newspaper for publishing the article “Western girls and the 3 letters “N” famous in the world”; administratively fined the newspapers Dat Viet, Tien Phong and Kien Thuc and the two electronic news sites www.doisongphapluat.com.vn of the Life and Law Newspaper and www.seatimes.com.vn of the Southeast Asia Magazine, for publishing false information related to “A daughter’s letter to her father on the island”. In October, the Ministry of Information and Communications permanently revoked the license of the social networking site Haivl.com of APPVL Vietnam Technology Joint Stock Company and fined APPVL Joint Stock Company VND205 million. The website haivl.com has a "naturalistic" approach, allowing people to be creative with funny pictures, memes, humorous clips... and freely comment on the information posted. This site posted vulgar, pornographic, offensive images, and insulting cultural figures, so it was "eradicated". The site 2sao.vn was also fined VND55 million and had its license revoked for 3 months, the site megafun.vn was fined VND60 million and temporarily suspended for 1 month, while baomoi.com was fined VND10 million for posting inappropriate and offensive information. This time, the agency broadcasting the program using Piêu scarves as loincloths was also fined VND15 million.

On November 9, the Inspectorate of the Ministry of Information and Communications requested the Vietnam Internet Center to temporarily suspend the operation of 7 information pages with violating content. These 7 information pages include: zuum.vn, thugian.com.vn, lamthenaoaz.vn, suckhoegioitinh.edu.vn, huongdan.edu.vn, suckhoedoisong.edu.vn and tuvantamly.vn. The reason is that these websites have not been licensed but are still operating and also posting information in a widespread and unselective manner. The Ministry of Information and Communications has requested the Department of Information and Communications of Ho Chi Minh City to handle the domain name cab.vn for the same reason. On November 12, 2014, the Department of Radio, Television and Electronic Information (Ministry of Information and Communications) requested the Hanoi Department of Information and Communications to handle under its authority the two electronic information sites edaily.vn and tinhay.vn of NetLink Online Joint Stock Company on the grounds that these news sites published a number of "excessive" articles with false information. Recently, the Department of Radio, Television and Electronic Information discovered three electronic information sites including www.emdep.vn, www.myidol.com.vn, www.toancanhbaochi.vn operating to provide general electronic information without a license to establish a general electronic information site. Along with that, they arbitrarily created forums to "act freely".

A series of inspection and handling measures by the Ministry of Information and Communications in recent times are a good sign of effective movements in the field of press management and management of electronic news sites. However, it should also be added that strengthening inspection and handling of press and electronic news sites that violate regulations does not mean "tying down" or "suppressing" the activities of press agencies and electronic news sites. Rather, it is a concrete manifestation of implementing the motto of developing press and electronic news sites, along with strengthening and improving the quality of management work.

Duc Duong