The press needs to bring out the good things in society.

This morning, in Hanoi, the Central Propaganda Department coordinated with the Ministry of Information and Communications, the Vietnam Journalists Association and Nhan Dan Newspaper to organize the Spring Press Conference of Mau Tuat 2018. Attending were Politburo member, Secretary of the Party Central Committee, Head of the Central Propaganda Department Vo Van Thuong, Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam; Minister of Information and Communications Truong Minh Tuan; General Director of VTV Nguyen The Ky; Editor-in-Chief of Nhan Dan Newspaper Thuan Huu; General Director of Vietnam News Agency Nguyen Duc Loi, and leaders of central and local press agencies.

The press actively contributes to the achievements of socio-economic development.

Speaking at the meeting, Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam assessed that in 2017, together with the Government, the press made important contributions to the country's overall achievements.

“Never before have achievements in socio-economic development, national defense and security, domestic and foreign affairs, Party building, etc. aroused such a strong spirit, national pride, and aspiration to rise as in the past year, especially this year’s Tet. The indicators we care about such as prices, Tet care for the poor, traffic safety, and clashes have all had a clear change. That demonstrates the common efforts of the entire system, but communication plays a very important role,” said Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam.

The Deputy Prime Minister said that the media plays an important role, not only reflecting the voice of the people but also providing criticism and policy advice. Many policies have been approved, but thanks to the press reflecting through the voices of experts and people from all walks of life, the Government has reviewed and voted again.

“Personally, on average, once a day, I call, text or speak directly to the leaders of the industry about information in the press without having to issue a document. Without information in the press, we would not be able to grasp all the issues that occur every day. Therefore, the Government truly appreciates the companionship and cooperation of the press, and at the same time highly appreciates the direction of the Central Propaganda Department together with the Government to help the press not only fulfill its tasks well, but also have remarkable development,” Mr. Vu Duc Dam shared.

The Deputy Prime Minister emphasized that in recent times, in addition to reflecting the breath of life, the press has had many articles, works, and in-depth news, arousing the goodness in society. Thereby, it has shown a colorful picture of society. This is a very important and correct step in the direction of the press. In the future, the Government hopes that the press will continue to promote that spirit, so that the goodness in society will be multiplied.

Referring to the Government's motto of action as "Discipline - Integrity - Action - Creativity - Efficiency", Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam hopes that this motto will not only be the slogan of action of Government members but also spread throughout society, including the contribution of the press.

Strictly handle press agencies that publish untrue information

At the meeting, Minister of Information and Communications Truong Minh Tuan said that in the context of our country continuing the innovation process, the rapid development of information technology and the internet has made the access and sharing of information in society more diverse. In that diversity, besides the flow of genuine and positive information, there is still a lot of toxic information, which not only affects the prestige of the Party and the State but also infringes on the people's right to privacy. Therefore, it is necessary to orient the information of the press.

Minister Truong Minh Tuan emphasized the need to continue promoting the responsibility, professional ethics and talent of journalists and press agencies, along with modernizing technology, means and expertise. "In addition to press agencies that carry out political tasks to disseminate and propagate the Party and State's policies and guidelines; scientific popularization magazines..., in the near future, we will completely eliminate subsidies for newspapers and magazines that are of little use to society," said Mr. Truong Minh Tuan.

Minister Truong Minh Tuan also pointed out the sad reality that there are newspapers that publish sensational, fabricated news, invading other people's privacy to attract readers. "The public still believes in the flow of truthful information that can be verified in the press. This mission must be further promoted by the responsibility, professional ethics and talent of journalists and press agencies," Minister Truong Minh Tuan affirmed.

According to Mr. Truong Minh Tuan, in the current conditions, along with arranging the press according to the right planning, the state press management agency will strictly handle press agencies that publish untrue news, violate privacy, and offend the honor and legitimate interests of organizations and individuals../

Nguyen Hien