Enhancing accountability in providing information to the press.

(Baonghean)To enhance the role of spokespersons and their responsibility to provide information to the press, the Prime Minister issued the "Regulations on Spokesperson and Information Provision to the Press" attached to Decision No. 25/2013/QD-TTg (dated May 4, 2013). These regulations came into effect on July 1, 2013. This is considered an important basis for units and localities to rectify and improve their responsibility to provide information to the press – an area that has long been neglected or not adequately addressed by leaders of some localities and units in accordance with the requirements of propaganda.

For the past two years, Mr. Nguyen Minh Sam, Head of the Culture and Information Department, has been assigned the role of spokesperson for the Nghi Loc District People's Committee. Being an active and communicative person, Mr. Sam readily accepts the job. However, in reality, there are many situations and daily events that, given his position, he cannot oversee completely.

So, when he needed to answer journalists, he would often "transfer" the matter to other specialized departments. If a journalist asked about agricultural and rural economics, he would go to the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development; if they asked about business and services, he would go to the Department of Industry and Trade… Only in the fields of culture and sports, which he was in charge of, could he deliver persuasive speeches. And so the work would eventually be completed.



Reporters cover the groundbreaking ceremony for the upgrade of National Highway 1A in Nghe An province.

However, upon reviewing the spokesperson's role, it's clear they haven't performed well. Mr. Sam himself acknowledges this. Many events occur daily, but specialized departments or those at the commune level only report to the district chairman or vice-chairman, not to the spokesperson. Therefore, the spokesperson lacks the information to provide to the press. This is not to mention some important matters that are only discussed and directed by district leaders, and the spokesperson lacks the "status" to participate.

This inadequacy is not unique to Nghi Loc district; it's a reality in most districts and sectors where spokespersons are not members of the leadership team. Of the 70 units and localities that registered their spokespersons with the Department of Information and Communications, 12 units and localities appointed heads of specialized departments as spokespersons.

In some cases, the former Provincial Farmers' Insurance (now merged into the Provincial Social Insurance) even appointed a staff member from the general administration department as its spokesperson. In 20 other units and localities, the Chief of Office was appointed as the spokesperson. This is acceptable when the Chief of Office is a member of the District People's Committee or a member of the Board of Directors of a company or unit. However, even so, when reporters are asked to gather information on various sectors in the area, the spokesperson often "redirects" them to other functional departments. The difficulty arises when departments and offices assigned to work with reporters and journalists often only provide reports and take them to the site; when reporters request interviews, they are refused because they are not the designated spokesperson. Furthermore, some units and individuals are hesitant to contact and provide information to reporters and the press.

Having worked in many sensitive areas, reporter Dac Lam, a correspondent for the Ho Chi Minh City Law Newspaper in Nghe An, said: “Many incidents involving internal affairs departments and agencies have been met with refusals, such as being busy with meetings or waiting for clarification. In some places, we waited for a whole week without any response, which meant the news lost its timeliness. In some districts, where there are vertically managed agencies at the provincial level, they refused to work with reporters, saying they needed to report and seek approval from higher authorities before working with us. Even in some districts, when we requested to speak directly with the chairman, they said we had to register with the office, and when we asked the office, they said they were scheduling… Of course, we still have to report on these events. But these kinds of refusals and avoidances sometimes cause reporters to miss opportunities and the information loses its timeliness.”

Thus, difficulties arise not only from the spokespersons but also from the journalists covering the events. After reviewing and evaluating the implementation of the "Regulations on Spokesperson and Information Provision to the Press" under Decision No. 77/2007/QD-TTg dated May 28, 2007, and identifying some shortcomings and inadequacies, the Prime Minister issued a new regulation, No. 25/2013/QD-TTg, to replace it, effective from July 1, 2013.

Arising from the requirements of propaganda and information provision to the press, Regulation 25/2013/QD-TTg was issued with the goal of assigning responsibility to the heads of units and localities (Article 5).

Accordingly, even if the responsibility is delegated or authorization is given to others to speak and provide information to the press, the head of the agency must be responsible for the content of the information provided to the press. Therefore, once an official statement has been made by the spokesperson or authorized representative, the head of the state administrative agency must be responsible for the information provided to the press by their agency; Expanding the list of those who can provide information to the press to include the head of the agency or unit; the person assigned the task of speaking; and the person authorized by the head to be responsible (Article 2); Shortening the time for providing information to the press to the fastest - no later than 1 day, and organizing monthly and quarterly information provision to the press (Articles 3, 4); The new regulations also stipulate the handling of administrative violations or criminal prosecution of relevant agencies, organizations, and individuals if they fail to comply with, improperly comply with, or inadequately comply with regulations on speaking to and providing information to the press (Article 8). This is an important basis for strengthening propaganda work and information transparency in units and localities, and for expanding the legal framework for press operations.

Mr. Ho Quang Thanh, Director of the Department of Information and Communications, stated: “For a long time, the implementation of regulations on spokesperson duties and providing information to the press has not been strict. Some leaders of departments, agencies, and localities have been avoiding and shirking responsibility. The Department of Information and Communications is advising the province to revise and supplement regulations on spokespersons and providing information to the press according to the new regulations, while also guiding localities and units to effectively implement the regulations on spokesperson duties and providing information to the press. The department will also study sanctions under the Press Law and current regulations to handle units and localities that violate the regulations when implementing Decision 25/2013/QD-TTg.”

Nguyen Son