To be worthy of being revolutionary journalism in the Soviet homeland - Uncle Ho's homeland

V. Lenin, the great leader and genius strategist of the world proletarian revolution, stated: The press is the agitator, propagandist and organizer of the revolution.

Imbued with this thesis of V. Lenin, Nguyen Tat Thanh - Nguyen Ai Quoc on his journey to find a way to save the country, he struggled in the workers' movement, the national liberation movement, diligently studied revolutionary theory, and at the same time persistently studied by himself, studying and working to write for newspapers not only in Vietnamese but also in other languages. As a result, Nguyen Ai Quoc became the first Vietnamese Communist, and at the same time the first Vietnamese revolutionary journalist.

Nguyen Ai Quoc founded the newspaper "Le Paria" in 1922. Photo: Archive

In 1922, Nguyen Ai Quoc founded the newspaper “Le Paria” (The Miserable) with the title “Forum of Colonial Peoples” and the purpose of fighting “for the sake of justice, truth and progress”. The newspaper “Le Paria” was a weapon for fighting. Its power was clear: to liberate people. Ho Chi Minh’s thought on revolutionary journalism was formed: To make a revolution, one must have journalistic tools. To make a newspaper is to make a revolution.

In early November 1924, Nguyen Ai Quoc arrived in Guangzhou, China. Nguyen Ai Quoc's first job was to open a political training class and theoretical education for the Vietnamese patriotic youth present in Guangzhou at that time. In June 1925, Nguyen Ai Quoc founded the Vietnam Revolutionary Youth Association. The mouthpiece of this newspaper was Thanh Nien Newspaper, with Nguyen Ai Quoc as its founder and key writer. Thanh Nien Newspaper made an important contribution to the dissemination of Marxism-Leninism in Vietnam, preparing the political ideology and organization to move towards the establishment of the Communist Party of Vietnam in early 1930.

June 21, 1925 - the day Thanh Nien Newspaper published its first issue became the birth day of Vietnamese revolutionary journalism with its founder being Nguyen Ai Quoc - Ho Chi Minh.

The birth of Thanh Nien Newspaper paved the way for the formation and development of Vietnamese revolutionary journalism.

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The 94-year history of the Vietnamese Revolutionary Press is closely linked to the glorious history of the Vietnamese revolution under the leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam following the revolutionary path: National independence associated with socialism. Each victory of the Vietnamese revolution has a worthy contribution from the Vietnamese Revolutionary Press. And, through each victory of the Vietnamese revolution, the Vietnamese Revolutionary Press has a new step of maturity.

What could be more glorious than when our country's revolutionary press has a great teacher: the national liberation hero - cultural celebrity, outstanding journalist: President Ho Chi Minh. What could be more glorious than when the Vietnamese revolutionary press is trusted by the heroic Vietnamese people to be assigned the important responsibility of being the vanguard force on the ideological - cultural front.

Uncle Ho highly appreciated the position and role of revolutionary press and journalists in the revolutionary cause of the Party and people.

Every press agency and every journalist today is proud and worthy of being a small student of the great Teacher: Ho Chi Minh, vowing to faithfully and creatively follow and carry out to the end the revolutionary journalism path that he has outlined, making even more worthy contributions to the revolutionary cause for the goal of a Rich People - Strong Country - Democracy - Justice - Civilization.

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It can be affirmed that Nghe An is one of the localities that had revolutionary press early. That was the first issue of Xich Sinh newspaper in 1930.

With 7 press agencies, 02 electronic newspapers, 03 electronic news sites and hundreds of newsletters, internal information and websites of units, sectors and localities in the province... it can be affirmed that Nghe An is one of the localities with a developed press industry.

In the province, there are 29 representative offices, 23 resident reporters of 33 press agencies of central ministries and branches and 08 press agencies of other localities. It can be affirmed that Nghe An is considered one of the press centers of the country.

Provincial Party Secretary Nguyen Dac Vinh visited and discussed the publishing process of Nghe An Newspaper, December 22, 2018. Photo: Thanh Cuong.

Not only does it have a large scale and number of press agencies, Nghe An press has achieved good quality and stature. In recent years, at national press awards, Nghe An press works have won high prizes.

Through the stages and periods of revolution: From the Nghe Tinh Soviet, the August Revolution in 1945, the two sacred resistance wars... to the "Doi Moi" movement, the Press and a large number of journalists (both professional and non-professional) in Nghe An have made worthy contributions to the revolutionary cause in the homeland of the Soviet Union, the homeland of beloved Uncle Ho. The Press and generations of journalists in Nghe An have the right to be proud of those contributions. The Party Committee, the government and the people of all ethnic groups in Nghe An province acknowledge the worthy contributions of the Press and generations of journalists in Nghe An.

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The 94th anniversary of Vietnam Revolutionary Press is an opportunity for Nghe An Press and journalists to objectively and seriously look at what has been achieved, and at the same time, it is also an opportunity to "self-examine" and "self-correct" the limitations and shortcomings that they have encountered.

The comprehensive national renovation, as well as the task of "making Nghe An quickly become one of the most prosperous provinces in the North" (Letter of Uncle Ho to the Party Executive Committee of Nghe An province), specifically the goals assigned by the Politburo to Nghe An through Resolution No. 26-NQ/TW on the direction and tasks of developing Nghe An province until 2020, set new demands and requirements for the Press and journalists of our province, and at the same time created new conditions for the Press and journalists to continue to make more worthy, more practical and more effective contributions.

Nghe An Newspaper reporters work in all regions of the province. Photo: NPV

The core task of Nghe An Press is to improve the quality and effectiveness through content and form, conveyed in press publications that both meet the requirements of reality and keep up with the development trend of modern press. Publishing work must be closely linked to the task of distributing, reading and using the press. This is the common responsibility of press agencies, party committees at all levels, authorities at all levels and socio-political organizations from the province to the grassroots.

To carry out the above core tasks, we must:

1. Further enhance political responsibility and effectiveness of State management of the Press, enhance the responsibility of the governing body of each newspaper and each Press publication.

2. Building a Press agency with a strong political stance, sharp intelligence, professional expertise, dynamism, flexibility and creativity, capable of quickly approaching and applying the inevitable trends of modern journalism. As a revolutionary press agency, each Press agency of our province must truly be a fighting fortress on the ideological, cultural, scientific and technological fronts.

Nghe An newspaper reporters cross Truong Son to Laos to work. Photo: Hoai Thu - My Nga

To have such a Press agency it is necessary to:

- Take care to build the Party organization in each agency so that the Party organization is truly the political nucleus of leadership in the agency according to the regulations of the Central Party Secretariat. The content of activities and activities of the Party organization, the tasks of management, education and training of Party members of the organization here must reach the level of being a model of the task of Party building and rectification.

- Select and arrange the right head of each press agency. Agencies and competent authorities must still demand high standards while creating necessary and sufficient conditions for the head to fulfill his/her responsibilities. Strictly implement Decision No. 362/QD-TTg, dated April 3, 2019 of the Prime Minister on approving the national press development and management plan until 2025.

Associate Professor, Dr. Phan Trong Thuong - Permanent Vice Chairman of the Central Council for Theory and Criticism of Literature and Arts, together with Deputy Secretary of Nghe An Provincial Party Committee Nguyen Van Thong, presented the Central Prize to the authors who won the prize on the topic of studying and following Uncle Ho. Photo: My Nga

3. Training and developing a team of journalists in Nghe An with an appropriate number and high and increasingly high quality in all aspects. Every journalist, whether professional or non-professional, in Nghe An must overcome the common professional consciousness to reach the political consciousness of a revolutionary journalist. Every journalist in Nghe An is truly virtuous, talented and has the spirit: Wealth cannot seduce, poverty cannot shake, power cannot subdue.

4. Build the Nghe An Journalists Association and its branches to be truly clean and strong, truly a political, social and professional organization of revolutionary journalists in Nghe An.

Implementing Directive 05-CT/TW of the Politburo on promoting the study and following of Ho Chi Minh's ideology, morality and style in the entire Nghe An press force in line with the functions and tasks of the press agencies and members of the Nghe An Journalists Association, specifically: The Nghe An Journalists Association presides with press agencies to organize the implementation of Directive 05-CT/TW with the theme: Press agencies and members of the Nghe An Journalists Association study and follow Ho Chi Minh's ideology, Ho Chi Minh's journalism ethics, Ho Chi Minh's journalism style. Officially launched from June 2019. Every year on the occasion of Vietnam Revolutionary Press Day, a preliminary summary and assessment is conducted from the branch level to the members, considering this both a political activity and a professional activity of the Association, while regularly raising the awareness of self-cultivation and training for members.

In the “Letter to the Executive Committee of the Vietnam Workers' Party of Nghe An Province”, Uncle Ho wrote:

"I sincerely hope that our compatriots and comrades in the province will strive to make Nghe An quickly become one of the best provinces in the North."(Ho Chi Minh Complete Works, volume 12, page 483).

Nghe An press and Nghe An journalists have made worthy contributions and will continue to strive to contribute more, more practically and more effectively, together with the Party Committee, government and people of all ethnic groups in Nghe An, to fully realize the wishes of beloved Uncle Ho.

Only by doing so can one truly be worthy of being a revolutionary journalist, a revolutionary journalist in his homeland.

Nguyen Thi Thu Huong