TTLV: Building a converged newsroom model in Vietnam (case study of online newspaper VnExpress.net)

INFORMATION ABOUT THE MASTER'S THESIS

1. Student's full name:Vo Kien Trung 

2. Gender: Male

3. Date of birth: December 30, 1986

4. Place of birth: Hue Central Hospital

5. Decision No. 2575/2011/QD-XHNV-SDH, dated December 30, 2011, of the Rector of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, recognizing the student.

6. Changes in the training process: None

7. Thesis title:Building a converged newsroom model in Vietnam (case study of the online newspaper VnExpress.net)

8. Major: Journalism Code: 60.32.01.01

9. Scientific supervisor:Assoc. Prof. Dr. Duong Xuan Son– Head of the Broadcasting and Television Department, Faculty of Journalism, University of Social Sciences and Humanities – Vietnam National University, Hanoi

10. Summary of the thesis results:

The emergence of the converged newsroom model in the early 21st century has truly created significant breakthroughs for media organizations. This model has broken down the barriers between print, television, radio, and online media, with management and staff working on a single platform, directly managing and supervising the overall operations of the newsroom. With multimedia journalists as its central workforce and a modern technological foundation, the converged model aims to create diverse and consistent news products across multiple platforms and devices to meet the diverse needs and information consumption methods of the public.

The converged newsroom model is a rapidly evolving global trend and an irresistible force in the fiercely competitive digital age. In Vietnam, VnExpress has pioneered the operation of a converged newsroom and has achieved encouraging results. The converged nature of the newspaper is not only reflected in its working environment and space but also in fundamental elements such as the convergence of news content, the working methods of journalists, and close interaction with the public. All of this helps VnExpress maintain its position as the most popular Vietnamese online newspaper.

In this study, the author delves into and specifically analyzes the converged newsroom model of the online newspaper VnExpress, highlighting its characteristics from various perspectives: from the convergence of workspaces and working methods of reporters and editors to the convergence of news content, reflecting the diversity of sources and creating multimedia products, to the ability to engage and encourage reader participation in information production. From this, the author also boldly points out the advantages and limitations of applying this model at VnExpress. Furthermore, the author compares the newsroom operations of the online newspaper VnExpress and the online newspaper Vietnamnet, highlighting the advantages of the converged newsroom model in various aspects, from the ability to connect different departments within the newsroom to maximizing the benefits of technology to create timely, engaging news products that satisfy the increasingly diverse needs of the public. From this, the author raises several issues regarding the prospects for building and developing converged newsrooms in Vietnam and proposes solutions to improve their construction and operation, such as: raising awareness of the position and importance of converged newsrooms, focusing on organizational and management capabilities, upgrading infrastructure and information technology, and training multimedia personnel.

11. Practical applications:

The results of this study will contribute to the research process of building a converged newsroom model in Vietnam. This can be considered a reference document for teaching undergraduate and postgraduate students. In completing this thesis, the author also hopes to provide a relatively comprehensive overview of the current state of converged newsroom development in Vietnam, so that media organizations and newsrooms can refer to it, implement it, and improve the efficiency of their converged newsroom operations.

INFORMATION ON MASTER THESIS

1. Full name: Vo Kien Trung 2. Sex: Male

3. Date of birth: December 30, 1986 4. Place of birth: Hue central hospital

5. Decision of intensified trainee: No 2575/2011/QD-XHNV-SDH dated December 30, 2011 by Rector of University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Hanoi National University

6. Changes during training process: None

7. Name of thesis: Creating convergence newsroom model in Vietnam (surveys VnExpress.net online newspaper)

8. Major: The press/Journalism Code number: 60.32.01.01

9. Scientific guide: Professor Dr. Duong Xuan Son – Head of Department of Broadcasting and Television, Faculty of Journalism, University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Hanoi University.

10. Summary results of thesis:

The formation of convergence newsroom model in early XXI century has indeed created an important breakthrough to the press agencies. This model has broken obstacles among different types in prints, television, radio and online newspaper. Both the management team and staff are working on a flat surface, which enables to directly manage and supervise the overall operation of the office. With the main human resources who are multimedia journalists and technical basis of modern technologies, convergence model aims to create diversity of news products, consistent across various types and equipments to meet the needs as well as diverse methods of receiving information from public. Convergence newsroom is an emerging trend all over the world these days and is an irresistible trend in the context of fierce information competition in the digital era. In Vietnam, the VnExpress online newspaper has become pioneer for convergent newsroom operation and has achieved significant results. Converging nature of the newspaper is not only reflected in the environment, workspace, but also reflects the radical elements such as convergence of news content, journalist's operation methods or interaction closely to the public. As a result, VnExpress remains their position of the most popular Vietnamese online newspaper. The author has focused on detailed analysis of convergence newsroom models of VnExpress online newspaper, thereby highlighting the VnExpress's characteristics of convergence newsroom from different angles, which are: from the convergence the workplace, the convergence of operational of reporters, editors, convergence on contents and news methods showing the diversity of sources and creating multimedia products as well as ability of cohesion, boosting readership engaged in manufacturing information. Then, the authors also bravely point out the advantages and limitations of applying this model in VnExpress. In addition, the authors also compare operations between the newsroom and the newspaper VnExpress, VietNamNet online newspaper thereby highlighting the advantages of convergence newsroom model in many respects from the ability to link between the in the editorial departments to take the maximum advantages that technology brings to the product quick and attractive news which are satisfied the increasing diverse needs of public. Therefore, the author raises some problems in prospected construction and developing convergence newsroom in Vietnam then offer solutions to improve the construction and operation of convergence newsroom in Vietnam such as: raising awareness of the position and importance of the convergence newsroom, focus on organizational capacity and management of the newsroom, upgrading of infrastructure, information technology, training multimedia human resources.

11. Ability of application in the reality:

Ability to apply in practice: The results of this topic will contribute to the research process modeling converged newsroom in Vietnam. This may be considered as references in teaching students, post-graduate students. Performing thesis, the author also wishes to provide a relatively comprehensive view of the overall development situation of convergence newsroom in Vietnam. Due to it, the press agencies are able to consult, deploy and improve the efficiency of the operation of convergence newsroom.