New regulations on providing information to the press.

(Baonghean) - In order to comply with new regulations from the Central Government, meet the increasingly high demands of the people for timely and accurate information, and serve state agencies in socio-economic development, on December 4, 2013, the People's Committee of Nghe An province issued Decision No. 62/2013/QD.UBND regulating "Speaking, providing, publishing, broadcasting and handling information in the press within Nghe An province" (hereinafter referred to as Decision No. 62).

Compared to Decision No. 99, Decision No. 62 has the following new points:

Firstly: Regulations on spokespersons and providing information to the press: In Decision No. 99, the regulations on spokespersons are stipulated as a clause in Article 3 (on providing information to the press), and the standards are also general. Therefore, in the past, some units and localities have appointed spokespersons who do not meet the regulations, mostly appointing office leaders as spokespersons. This has somewhat limited the effectiveness of speaking and providing information to the press due to insufficient authority, lack of information to provide, or knowing but not having the right to act proactively, having to seek the opinion of the head of the agency, thus failing to fully utilize the role of the spokesperson. In Decision No. 62, the regulations on spokespersons are stipulated in a separate article (Article 1), specifically designating the spokesperson: at the departmental level, it is the director (or deputy director), at the district level, it is the chairman (or vice chairman). Notably, this regulation also stipulates that the spokesperson extends down to the commune level (it is the chairman or vice chairman). Thus, based on preliminary calculations, there are thousands of people in the province assigned the task of speaking to and providing information to the press. The names, addresses, and phone numbers of these spokespersons are not only provided to the press but are also published on the provincial and local government's electronic information portals, creating the best conditions for the press to access and utilize information when needed.

Secondly: Regulations on providing information to the press: For the Provincial People's Committee, Decision No. 62 stipulates that the Provincial People's Committee shall provide information on the province's electronic information portal by regularly and accurately publishing information on its activities and directives, and holding press conferences once every three months, in addition to some unscheduled meetings when necessary. This regulation aims to provide timely information to the press; on the other hand, through press conferences, the Provincial People's Committee, departments, agencies, and localities gain more useful information from media coverage, helping the Provincial People's Committee to manage socio-economic affairs more promptly and effectively. For departments, agencies, and district-level People's Committees, Decision 62 also clearly stipulates that they must provide timely information on their respective electronic information portals and hold press conferences when requested by the Provincial People's Committee or when deemed necessary; commune-level People's Committees shall provide information to the press in exceptional or unusual circumstances.

Thirdly: Regulations on publishing information in the press: Decision 62 clarifies the responsibilities of press agencies and journalists: Publishing and broadcasting the correct content of statements and information provided by the spokesperson, while clearly stating the spokesperson's full name and the name of the state administrative agency they represent. Regarding apologies and corrections: Compared to Decision 99, Decision 62 clarifies further: When a competent state agency issues a written conclusion regarding false, distorted, slanderous, or defamatory information published in the press that harms the reputation of an organization or the honor and dignity of an individual, the press agency must publish the full text of that conclusion and simultaneously issue a correction and apology as required by law. The editor-in-chief and director of the press agency are responsible for apologizing, correcting, and amending inaccurate information in the press.

Fourth: Regulations on handling information in the press: Compared to Decision No. 99, Decision No. 62 has a new point: the Department of Information and Communications has the right to request the heads of agencies and localities to check, verify, clarify the matter and respond in writing to issues published in the press (in sudden or unusual cases). Regarding the deadline for reporting and responding to issues raised in the press, Decision 62 stipulates that if agencies and localities have conducted checks and verifications of the issues raised in the press but have not yet obtained results (due to the complexity of the issue), they must report clearly stating the reasons, solutions, and deadlines to the Provincial People's Committee and the Department of Information and Communications, and simultaneously send the report to the media agency that published it. Regarding written responses from units and localities to issues raised by the press, Decision No. 62 stipulates newer and more specific regulations, namely: The response must be specific and clear, stating which information is correct and which is incorrect (with supporting evidence), and indicating whether the feedback is accepted or a correction is requested from the press...

In addition, several other regulations have been redesigned to be more appropriate and clearer, aiming to facilitate organizations and individuals in quickly and accurately understanding the content of the document, thus enabling its rapid and effective implementation in practice.

Nguyen Ba Hao(Department of Information and Communications)