PM asks for development of professional, modern, humanitarian revolutionary press

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh had a working session with the Vietnam Journalists’ Association (VJA) in Hanoi on June 13, during which he highlighted the need to further develop a contingent of highly-qualified journalists and a professional, modern and humanitarian Vietnamese revolutionary press, for the interest of the nation and the people’s happiness.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh at the working session with the Vietnam Journalists’ Association. (Photo: NDO/Tran Hai)
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh at the working session with the Vietnam Journalists’ Association. (Photo: NDO/Tran Hai)

At the event, held on the occasion of the 98th anniversary of the Vietnam Revolutionary Press Day (June 21, 1925 - June 21, 2023), he underlined the significant role of the VJA in gathering journalists and helping them improve their political mettle and professional skills, hailing its contributions to the success of the national revolution and the strengthening of social consensus over the past 73 years since its establishment.

However, the Government leader said that there are much for the association to do to deal with current problems in journalism activities, including the violations of the law by some journalists and signs of “privatising” the press.

Pointing to challenges to information and communications activities in the coming time, PM Chinh asked the VJA and press agencies to focus on raising the political mettle and professional skills of journalists, thus better serve the nation and people.

It is necessary to build a culture for journalism activities, ensuring that the press always accompanies with the nation and serves as a sharp tool for the protection of the Party ideological foundation and national interests, he said.

He pointed to the need for the press to honour core values of the nation and the strength of the national great solidarity bloc as well as the great creativity of Vietnamese people, while encouraging the innovation and startup campaign as well as the development of a green, digital and circular economy, contributing to building an independent and self-reliant economy with active and proactive international integration.

The Government leader asked media agencies and the VJA to concentrate on current, emerging and sensitive issues attracting public attention in a vivid, objective, multidimensional and comprehensive manner, while proposing solutions to particular matters.

Alongside, it is necessary for the press to discover and honour new factors, role models and good deeds, while showing better performance in social criticism, providing accurate, timely, honest and transparent information to the community, preventing downgrade of morality and lifestyle, rejecting distorted and toxic information and actively combating corruption, negative phenomena and wastefulness, he stressed.

PM Chinh also highlighted the necessity for the press to speed up digital transformation in line with journalism economic development, affirming that the Party and State always provide optimal conditions for the VJA to promote its role and completing its political tasks.

According to VJA Chairman Le Quoc Minh, the association currently has 24,242 members who have actively popularlised the Party and State’s policies and laws, supporting the Party, people and army during the national struggle for independence and the implementation of the “Doi Moi” (Renewal) cause launched by the Party.

They have also actively engaged in the building of the Party and the political system, combating corruption and refuting wrongful arguments of hostile forces, protecting the Party’s ideological foundation and strengthening the national great solidarity bloc, he said.

Participants suggested that the Government and the Prime Minister continue to support the VJA and media agencies in digital transformation, information access, copyrights, financial mechanisms and journalism economy development.

VNA