An overview of the conference

The attendees of the conference were representative leaders from affiliated units under the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics; leaders, officials, and editors from the press units of the Academy; members of the press units under the Academy from the Journal of Political Theory, the Journal of Vietnam Communist Party’s History, the Journal of Political Theory and Communication, the Department of Broadcasting, and the Institute of Journalism.

The conference was held to disseminate and help leaders, officials, and editors of the press and publishing units of the Academy to thoroughly grasp basic content set out in Directive No. 43-CT/TW of the Party Central Committee’s Secretariat on strengthening the Party’s leadership in activities of the Vietnam Journalists Association in the new situation as well as the implementation of the Directive ensured by the Vietnam Journalists Association in general and  its affiliated associations in particular. This is a very important directive for the Vietnam Journalists Association and journalists nationwide, which was issued on the 70th founding anniversary of the Vietnam Journalists Association.

At the conference, the participants listened to the presentation given by Mr. Ho Quang Loi, Permanent Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Journalists Association, on Directive No.43-CT/TW on strengthening the Party’s leadership in activities of the Vietnam Journalists Association in the new situation.

Accordingly, the Vietnam Journalists Association has constantly strengthened and developed to continue affirming its important role and position in the Party’s revolutionary cause after 15 years of implementing Directive No. 37-CT/TW dated March 18, 2014 issued by the Secretariat of the ninth Party Central Committee. The association has frequently organized activities and encouraged journalists to actively propagate the Party’s guidelines, the State’s policies and laws and achievements of the country as well as to fight against conspiracies, tricks, and wrong views of hostile forces to protect the Party’s ideological foundation. In particular, the media has participated effectively in defending the sovereignty over sea and lands of the Fatherland and in the fight against corruption and waste. Besides, the association has actively taken part in building press mechanism and policies, supervised the compliance with the press law, and contributed to boosting the strong development of the Vietnamese revolutionary press.

However, along with its achievements, the operation of the Vietnam Journalists Association has had some limitations. The quality and effectiveness of activities of some organizations of the association were still not good and they have not fully promoted its role and position. There were difficulties in gathering journalists. Some organizations and press agencies did not focus on educating their journalists with politics and ideologies, and training and fostering them with professional knowledge. A group of its members did not actively learn to improve their professional skills in journalism to adapt to the new situation. There was still a circumstance that media activities were derailed from its founding principles and objectives and disoriented. Some journalists lacked self-improvement and training, and violated laws and the professional ethics, and so on. Therefore, the Secretariat of the Party Central Committee issued Directive No.43-CT/TW on strengthening the Party’s leadership in activities of the Vietnam Journalists Assocations in the new situation on April 8, 2020.

Focusing on analyzing the causes of shortcomings, limitations, and requirements in the new context, Mr. Ho Quang Loi spent much time introducing Directive No.43-CT/TW and key tasks, which the Secretariat asked Party committees, Party organizations, authorities, and the Vietnam Journalists Association to implement well in the coming time. Specifically, he opined, the Directive emphasized the enhancement of the Party’s leadership and the State’s management in activities of the Vietnam Journalists Association. It was necessary to continue renovating the Party’s leadership methods and improving the effectiveness and efficiency of the State’s management over the press to ensure that the press has developed in accordance with the Party’s political and ideological orientation, and freedom and democracy of the people. Besides, there was a need to organize conferences to help government officials to thoroughly grasp and implement well the Party’s resolutions, directives, and conclusions, and laws related to the press’s activities and the Vietnam Journalists Association.

Furthermore, Mr. Ho Quang Loi provided more information on the operation of the Vietnam Journalists Association and an overview on press agencies of the country today. He also introduced basic content set out in the Decision No. 362/2019/QD-TTg of the Prime Minister on approving the national planning on press development and management by 2025 and exchanged his views on comments of the participants of the conference.

At the conference, the participants spent a lot of time exchanging views, discussing, and assessing the operation of the press units under the Academy. They also talked about difficulties and shortcomings in the organizational structure and operation mechanisms of the press units and press agencies in the entire system of the Academy. Besides, the attendees proposed solutions to consolidate, renovate, rearrange, and develop the press agencies of the Academy in the coming years. They also discussed a plan to organize a congress to establish the Journalists Federation of the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics under the Vietnam Journalists Association to ensure consistent management and make the best use of resources and strengths of the press agencies under the Academy.

Concluding the conference, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Duong Trung Y highly appreciated enthusiastic and responsible opinions shared by the conference’s participants, especially the information and recommendations given by Mr. Ho Quang Loi, Permanent Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Journalists Association on the instruction and implementation of Directive No.43-CT/TW and the plan to establish the Journalists Federation under the Academy.

To implement Directive No. 43-CT/TW of the Secretariat and Decision No. 362/2019/QD-TTg of the Prime Minister, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Duong Trung Y said that the Academy’s Party Committee and the Board of Directors of the Academy continued to pay much attention to and have close control over the operations of the press activities of the Academy as well as direct the press and publishing units of the Academy to thoroughly grasp and implement Directive No. 43-CT/TW well. They were also asked to create all favorable conditions and mechanisms in accordance with the Party’s guidelines, regulations, and laws so that the press agencies of the Academy could operate with high quality and effectiveness, fulfill efficiently political tasks of the Academy, and actively propagate the Party’s guidelines and the State’s policies and laws. Besides, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Duong Trung Y requested them to keep directing the development and implementation of the Project on renovation, arrangement, and development of the press agencies under the Academy by 2025 with a vision to 2030.

On the other hand, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Duong Trung Y asked the leaders of Party committees and Party organizations of the Academy’s press units to continue to grasp thoroughly and enhance their comprehensive leadership and direction in activities of their press agencies and of journalists associations of their press units, especially in terms of political ideologies, professional tasks, and professional ethics. Based on the content of Directive No. 43-CT/TW, functions, and assigned tasks, it was necessary to develop a program and a plan to determine what required specific leadership and direction in association with functions and duties of the units and political tasks of the Academy. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Duong Trung Y also asked the leaders to pay attention to develop and improve the contingent of officials and editors in all aspects. Moreover, he requested them to focus on their leadership and direction to improve the quality of media publications and strive to have many good and impactful articles and lots of journalism works winning the National Press Awards.

For the journalists associations under the Academy, he asked them to continue to renovate the content and form, and improve their operation quality to be more practical and effective as well as to efficiently perform the functions, duties, and political tasks of their units and of the Academy.

Besides, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Duong Trung Y stated that it was necessary for the officials and editors to thoroughly grasp key contents of Directive No.43-CT/TW and regulations on the ethics of Vietnamese journalists. In particular, they should continue to study and self-improve to develop their professional knowledge, political bravery, professional ethics, skills, and professional work towards professionalism and modernity.

BBT (source: HCMA)