Boosting the Role of Mass Media

In 2010, though facing with many difficulties, the mass media of Vietnam in particular and the world in general have made remarkable achievements: Vietnam has around 745 mass media units with 1,003 publications, 67 broadcasting stations, 46 online newspapers, 287 online websites of mass media units as well as thousands of websites posting news on activities of the Communist Party, the State, the Government, associations and enterprises. The mass media sector has played an important role in successfully implementing the national social-economic tasks, boosting democracy, objecting wrong opinions and enhancing the country’s relations with countries and territories worldwide, promoting the country’s image and people in countries all over the world.

 

Especially, the sector has gained fruitful results in dialogues with foreign partners. Exchanges have been launched between Vietnamese mass media with those from Laos and Cambodia. The Ministry of Information and Communications had held many conferences and invited many international press delegations of more than 100 journalists to Vietnam to write about the country. Many photo contests, and documentary festivals have drawn the participation of hundreds of reporters worldwide. Many press delegations of ministries, agencies have actively joined international press conferences, as well as press dialogues on human rights and press freedom.

 

According to Nguyen Thanh Son, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, the successful role of the mass media is attributed to the fact that the sector has always conformed to the Party’s policies and guidances, taking the initiative in global integration, having determination to fight against enemies’ distortion, effectively carrying out propaganda programs on sea and islands to assert sovereignty over the country’s territorial waters.

 

Moreover, delegates at the meeting discussed and pointed out shortcomings of the mass media sector in 2010. The laws on mass media have not met requirements of the current situation; knowledge and professional skills of staff in the sector remain poor and weak; loose cooperation between functional agencies in management of activities of the mass media has still been seen, leading to many regrettable wrongdoings in the field …

 

According to Do Quy Doan, Deputy Minister of Information and Communications, the local mass media sector needs to strive more to fulfill such key tasks as: carrying out propaganda programs on the Party Resolution, measures to curb inflation, stabilize the macro-economy, ensure social security, and successfully implement the national social-economic development targets. Notably, the country should pay due attention to building and perfection of regulations and laws on the mass media sector, creating best conditions for activities of the mass media sector; improving political theoretics and professional skills of journalists, and editors; boosting cooperation between managers, ensuring the orientation of the Party; carrying out inspections to soon find out wrongdoings and deal with them.

 

In addition, the country should set up a unit, specializing in information management to ensure validity and efficiency of the information management as well as closer cooperation between agencies. Especially, the country needs to assign functional agencies to do researches in building proper regulations, policies in order to further facilitate activities of the mass media sector.