The information was discussed at the Editor-in-Chief Forum 2022, under the theme “Digital transformation at Vietnamese press agencies: An inevitable trend or a temporary trend?”, held on November 4. The forum is within the framework of the 2022 Press Gala, organised by the Nha Bao va Cong Luan newspaper (Journalists and Public Opinions).
The forum featured the situation and trends of digital transformation at Vietnamese press agencies while making recommendations, solutions and a vision for 2025, following the National Digital Transformation Programme approved by the Government.
Member of the Party Central Committee (PCC) and Editor-in-Chief of Nhan Dan (People) Newspaper Le Quoc Minh, affirmed that Vietnam is currently in the process of digital transformation and the press is no exception.
Minh, who is also Deputy Head of the PCC Commission for Communication and Education and Chairman of the Vietnam Journalists’ Association, emphasised that “We wish that digital transformation of the press is not only a trend but needs to be spread and implemented at press agencies from central to local levels. The successful digital transformation must come from the self-reliance of the press agencies themselves.”
He noted that digital transformation is not only a technology issue but also a story of mindset. Thus, it is necessary to change the mindset from the heads of press agencies to the entirety of press workers, for successful digital transformation.
However, the delegates all said that although digital transformation is an inevitable trend, press agencies are facing many challenges in implementing digital transformation due to difficulties in finance, technology as well as human resources.
Also at the forum, the delegates offered many solutions for the digital transformation of the press. Le Quoc Minh said that the combination of journalism and technology is considered a common trend around the world, following the Media-Tech or Tech-Media model.
He emphasised that whether small or large digital transformation, the goal is to bring content to serve readers. Besides, the press must also uphold the task of transmitting knowledge to readers but not let dozens of information pages dominate the public.
Luu Dinh Phuc, Director of the Department of Press under the Ministry of Information and Communications, also said that digital transformation must focus on content, taking content as the core to pursue.
