Dr. Nguyen Sy Dung: Social media and the challenges facing journalism.

(Baonghean.vn) - According to Dr. Nguyen Sy Dung, former Deputy Head of the National Assembly Office, social media and digital communication have helped journalism develop in all aspects, but at the same time created a fierce information competition environment, giving rise to challenges for journalism.

Dr. Nguyen Sy Dung - Former Deputy Head of the National Assembly Office, converses with officials and reporters of Nghe An Newspaper. Photo: Thanh Le.

The digital age, along with social media, poses enormous challenges for journalists. First and foremost is the issue of information updates; many events are reported by the press before they are even published, but already covered on social media.

The trend of 'citizen journalists' and 'personal newsrooms' is becoming increasingly common. In Vietnam, it is estimated that there are approximately 180 million mobile phones in use, most of which have camera, video recording, and internet access functions. Information is updated very quickly on social media, making it very difficult for traditional journalism to compete in terms of information updates.

The second challenge is that journalism has not been able to increase labor productivity because the publication process involves many stages and procedures.

Mr. Dung cited the example that while labor productivity in other industries has increased 100 times, the press, especially print media, remains stagnant. That is why print newspapers in developed countries are forced to dissolve and close down.

Improving labor productivity in the field of journalism, especially in the context of the upcoming Fourth Industrial Revolution, is extremely challenging.

So, what is the "way out" for journalism? Mr. Dung believes that, on the one hand, journalism must provide timely information, but what distinguishes it from social media is that it must add value, report truthfully, constructively, critically, and comprehensively.

From an event originating on social media, reporters must analyze and add value, examining the implications and impacts of the event on the public. This is something social media cannot do; although information on social media is abundant and diverse, it remains subjective and has not been vetted by any editorial board. Not to mention that information on social media is often inaccurate.

The Nghe An Newspaper's central newsroom. (Photo: Archival image)

Mr. Dung also affirmed that modern journalism is closely linked to social media. In the era of the digital media boom, journalists themselves are participating in social media communities to both access and filter information, and to provide information truthfully, constructively, and comprehensively to a wide audience.

According to Mr. Dung, in order to compete with social media, each newspaper needs to improve its quality, overcome the trend of commercialization, and continuously enhance its technical skills and professional expertise in line with modernization.

"In particular, it is essential to build credibility and brand reputation. The trust that readers place in the newspaper's information is its strength. For journalism to survive and thrive, it must build trust with the public," Mr. Dung stated.

During the meeting with officials and reporters of Nghe An Newspaper, Mr. Nguyen Sy Dung also discussed several issues related to the theme of a constructive and developing state; and some opportunities and challenges for Nghe An Newspaper in the era of information explosion on social media...

Thanh Le