Former General Secretary Le Kha Phieu affirmed this in an exchange with the Government Electronic Newspaper on journalism and journalistic activities on the occasion of the 90th anniversary of Vietnam's Revolutionary Press Day (June 21, 1925 - June 21, 2015).

Former General Secretary Le Kha Phieu. Photo: VGP/Phuong Lien

As someone who regularly follows and pays attention to journalistic activities, how do you assess the current state of journalism?

Former General Secretary Le Kha PhieuIt can be affirmed that, over the past 90 years, Vietnamese journalism has made a tremendous contribution to the nation's revolutionary cause. In the current period of reform, journalism continues to be a revolutionary banner, becoming one of the driving forces behind the reform process. As the Central Committee of the Party stated at the 10th Plenum of the 11th term, in recent years, under the direct and comprehensive leadership of the Party and the management of the State, within the framework of the law, journalism has very effectively fulfilled its role as a means of information, a tool of propaganda, an important ideological weapon of the Party, the State, and socio-political organizations, and a forum for the people.

Never before has our country's press system developed so rapidly and strongly in terms of quantity, types, content, format, and personnel as it does now. According to the 2014 report of the Ministry of Information and Communications, the country has 845 press agencies, including 199 print newspapers, 646 magazines, 1 national news agency, 98 online newspapers, and 67 radio and television stations. There are 180 broadcast radio and television channels nationwide; the total number of licensed foreign television channels is 40. Thus, the people enjoy an incredibly rich, diverse, and vibrant amount of information every day and every hour. Not only does the press provide information in large quantities and quickly, but it also effectively fulfills its ideological function – an important function contributing to the dissemination of Marxism-Leninism, Ho Chi Minh Thought, the Party and State's guidelines, policies, and principles, making the Party's ideology the dominant ideology among the vast majority of the people.

Many policies, guidelines, and laws of the Party and State reach the masses through the press. Campaigns such as "National Unity for Building a New Cultural Life," "National Study and Following the Moral Example of Ho Chi Minh," and "National Contributions to Amending the 1992 Constitution"... were major political activities that attracted the attention of the entire population and were very well reported and publicized by the press.

The press reflects the feelings, aspirations, and contributions of all strata of the people to the Party and the State, creating healthy public opinion and contributing to building a democratic atmosphere in social life. The people love and trust the press very much. Thanks to the press, they can express their voices and participate in managing and supervising society. Many sources of anti-corruption and anti-negative practices come from the people. Moreover, in the current context, when hostile forces and political opportunists always exploit democracy, human rights, ethnicity, and religion to distort and undermine the Party, the State, and our people, and divide the national unity, the press has effectively fought against false information and propaganda.

Press agencies have intensified their efforts in disseminating information and promoting the protection of the sacred territorial sovereignty and maritime territories of the Fatherland, maintaining a peaceful and stable environment, and fostering cooperation for national development.

The press has also made a worthy contribution to the cause of raising the intellectual level of the people, protecting and promoting the fine traditions and cultural identity of the nation; encouraging vibrant and widespread revolutionary movements of the people; and introducing good examples and valuable experiences in localities and grassroots levels.

In particular, over the past period, the press has done an excellent job in its function of monitoring, managing, and providing social critique. Many independent investigations, as well as investigations based on reader complaints by various media outlets, have shed light on difficult issues such as combating corruption and negative practices, guiding public opinion in a positive direction, in line with the trends of social development.

Many major cases have been exposed by the press, such as the Năm Cam and accomplices case, PMU 18, Vinalines, Vinashin, and thousands of other economic and civil cases, contributing to ensuring that authorities prosecute the right people for the right crimes, and strengthening public trust. Through the power of the press, the Party, the State, and the vast majority of the people place great faith in the press in the cause of building and protecting the Fatherland.

However, alongside these achievements, journalistic activities in recent times have also had certain limitations. In your opinion, what are those limitations?

Former General Secretary Le Kha Phieu:At the 10th Plenum of the 11th Central Committee, the Party Central Committee frankly pointed out the limitations and shortcomings of the press system. These included: an unreasonable structure and scale; a tendency to deviate from its principles and objectives, sensationalism, and inaccurate information that has not been overcome; the capacity of officials in many directing, managing, and supervising agencies and press agencies not meeting requirements; inadequacies in the journalistic workforce; a weak role and sense of responsibility of many supervising agencies; and difficulties in the economic operations of many press agencies…

These issues have been widely discussed in the mass media. Recently, especially on online news sites, sensational stories, sexual content, violence, and superstition have been reported excessively and offensively. Many blatantly fabricated stories have been published and disseminated on news sites with high traffic, readership, and viewership, causing public outrage.

Many local newspapers delve less into pressing local issues and instead focus on central government matters; newspapers in one sector discuss issues in another; newspapers covering various sectors publish numerous economic crime cases; economic and scientific newspapers discuss culture and arts extensively; and dozens of newspapers report on a single case or accident. Many newspapers have very few articles about good people and good deeds, while conversely, they are filled with articles about crimes and corruption. Worryingly, this is no longer an isolated phenomenon but is becoming quite widespread.

Many important Party and State-owned media outlets have been slow to innovate, their content and format are not attractive, the quality and effectiveness of their propaganda are low, and they have not been able to control or manage information or guide public opinion.

The decline in journalistic ethics is also a cause for concern. As far as I know, the number of journalists disciplined, reprimanded, or whose press cards were revoked in 2014 reached several dozen cases, but this doesn't fully reflect the reality, as many more journalists have only received warnings or haven't been punished for various reasons.

In a market economy, and in the context of Vietnam's integration with the international community, it is inevitable that the press will be affected by negative factors, the pursuit of profit, and spontaneity. However, if media organizations, especially those in leadership and management positions, are vigilant, far-sighted, uphold a sense of responsibility, demonstrate strong resolve, and are resolute in handling issues, then the extent and negative consequences can be fundamentally limited and prevented.

Sir, the Politburo has approved the National Plan for the Development and Management of the Press, aiming to review and adjust the press planning nationwide. Is this a fundamental factor in curbing negative practices and promoting the development of the press?

Former General Secretary Le Kha Phieu:Stemming from the special significance and importance of revolutionary journalism in the cause of national construction and defense, as early as October 2006, the Politburo of the 10th Party Congress requested the Party Committee and the Government to direct the preparation for reviewing and adjusting the national press planning. At the 10th Conference of the Central Committee of the 11th Party Congress, the necessity of developing, promulgating, and implementing the Plan for the Development and Management of the Press until 2025 was further emphasized. It was particularly noted that the Central Committee of the Party required the Plan to accurately assess the results and achievements attained, as well as the existing limitations and weaknesses, and the pressing issues that need further reform and improvement in the organization, operation, development, and management of the current Vietnamese press system, including print, radio, television, and online media.

The planning process must comprehensively address all aspects: the quantity, quality, content, form, human resources, finances, and economic operating methods of media organizations, as well as the leadership, direction, and management of relevant agencies, ministries, and departments. It must identify the objective and subjective causes of achievements and successes, as well as existing limitations and weaknesses. Simultaneously, it must accurately forecast future trends to correctly determine the viewpoints, objectives, planning directions, and tasks and solutions to ensure the successful implementation of the Plan.

Thus, improving quality, streamlining operations, adjusting governing bodies, and strengthening press management in the new situation are issues of particular concern to the Party and the Government. Successfully addressing these issues will limit the weaknesses and shortcomings of the press, and improve the quality and effectiveness of its operations.

Thank you very much, sir!

According to Chinhphu.vn