Training in Journalism and Media in the context of technology 4.0

Technology 4.0 and its impact on journalists

Four hundred years ago, the British philosopher F. Bacon once said: “Knowledge is power”, “Whoever controls information controls the world”. In the book “The Coming of Post Industrial Society”, Daniel Bell affirmed: “Industrial society is based on mechanical technology, post-industrial society is based on intellectual technology. If capital and labor are the two characteristics of industrial society, then information and knowledge are the two characteristics that replace them in post-industrial society. Post-industrial society is also called information society”.

Information and communication technology is the driving force of the world economy, it creates a revolution in the way we communicate, exchange information, behave in society as well as the way we conduct economic and commercial activities globally. Information has become one of the five important factors of the economy, the amount of information and the speed of information transmission represent the strength of a country, and the development of the information society is an inevitable trend of modern society. Information networks gradually surpass the power of individual states to create regional and supranational powers.

Along with the strong development of science and technology, artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly developing and being used to replace humans in many fields, including journalism, helping journalists a lot and bringing readers new experiences.

The New York Times uses AI to manage reader comments. The BBC uses AI to mine information from more than 850 news sources worldwide, then aggregates and tags articles according to four categories: organizations, places, things and people, etc. Bloomberg uses AI to produce and manage information content. The Canadian Press uses AI to speed up translation. Many newsrooms use AI to write legal documents, press releases, summary reports and news.

On November 8, 2018, Xinhua News Agency caused a stir among the audience when it introduced a news bulletin with a 'virtual presenter', whose voice and facial gestures were developed on the basis of artificial intelligence. Many newspapers in Vietnam such as VOVLive, VnExpress, Vietnam News Agency, ZingNews, Dan Tri or Lao Dong are pioneering press agencies that have integrated an audio version, allowing readers to listen to the content of the articles instead of having to read the text as before. To suit their preferences and the region they live in, readers can choose to read a male or female voice, a Southern or Northern voice, helping them to hear the content of the article more clearly and accurately.

In general, the development of journalism is always linked to the development of technology. Technology is a key factor, playing an important role in news production, helping to deliver news almost immediately when events occur. Artificial intelligence can do many things, replacing some part of the journalist's work. However, can AI replace journalists, and what will journalism training be like in the future?

Journalism training associated with digital technology

Unlike other social science undergraduate training, professional skills training is always the number one priority in journalism and communication training schools.

The history of journalism education shows that the initial training of reporters was only carried out in newsrooms. Many people also believe that journalism is a profession that can only be cultivated through on-the-job learning and that 'an outstanding journalist can be trained without any formal education'. Therefore, even in the UK, one of the cradles of world journalism, where the first English-language newspaper appeared in London in 1665, and the first radio station was established in 1922, journalism training as a major at university level only appeared in 1971.

The most basic method at journalism schools in the UK, the US and other developed countries is to require students to do the same work as they would do in a real newsroom. At the University of Social Sciences and Humanities in Hanoi, with the Center for Journalism and Communication, which has been invested in two phases with a total value of nearly 60 billion VND, in the past 5 years, journalism students have had many opportunities to study, work and practice in a very dynamic environment. This is a favorable opportunity, creating momentum for the journalism and communication industry of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities to take a new step forward. For the first time, the application of the model of 'miniature newsroom', 'miniature radio and television station' in journalism and communication training facilities in Vietnam has the necessary conditions to be implemented.

One hour of practice at the studio of the Institute of Journalism and Communication

In the context of the media explosion, teaching about new media, convergent and multimedia media, social media, the development of modern journalism in the new media environment, etc. is an important content taught at the Institute of Journalism and Communication with many new courses such as Mobile Journalism, Data Journalism, Content organization and creation of journalistic masterpieces, Reporting in emergency situations, etc. and other specialized journalism fields.

Journalism connects human values

The press has special power, because the information that journalists provide has a great influence on the public and contributes significantly to creating public opinion. Journalism is not just a simple profession, but also a mission, because journalism does not exist in and of itself, but exists for and by society. The press and journalists must work for life, for the benefit of the majority of workers in society, so they must always aim for true, good, and beautiful values. In the digital age, journalistic ethics need to be promoted and implemented more effectively than ever. Large amounts of information are transmitted instantly every second via the Internet, making people no longer able to control information.

The phenomenon of dishonesty, distortion of the truth, and manipulation of information for bad purposes is everywhere, especially on social networks, where information is spread quickly and uncontrolled. Many new evils are emerging and the dissemination of pornographic images, games that incite violence, information that provokes hatred, and defamation of the reputation of others... is a concern for many responsible people in society.

The primary task of training in journalism and communication is to equip journalists with a solid foundation of knowledge so that they can thoroughly identify issues and convey information to the public in the most humane way. Therefore, based on the foundation of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, a school famous for many generations of professors with profound knowledge of history, literature, philosophy, language, psychology, political science, etc., journalism and communication students of the Institute of Journalism and Communication are provided with a foundation of profound and fundamental knowledge of culture, philosophy, history, political science, sociology, psychology, etc. These are important and valuable foundations of knowledge that help future journalists write many articles that touch people's hearts with cultural depth and comprehensive social understanding.

Linking journalism training and research

One of the important issues to be able to orient the development of Vietnamese journalism, and train high-quality human resources to serve the development of Vietnamese journalism is to combine training with journalism research.

The development of the media industry is only most effective when those working in this field have a solid grasp of theoretical knowledge about media and mass communication, understand the laws of development of mass media in society, grasp the principles of formation, the mechanism of impact of mass media on society, as well as the economic operation model of this industry.

Due to the differences with Western countries in political institutions, socio-economic conditions, local circumstances, historical factors and socio-cultural values ​​- factors considered fundamental to create models and institutions of functions and tasks of different media worldwide, Vietnamese press has a development model and functions and tasks that are completely different from those in Western countries. Researching professional press must point out core values, orient the development model and management model of Vietnamese press in the future.

After Doi Moi, the Vietnamese press is a media model that combines the immutable principle - 'the press is under the leadership of the Party and the State' - with the principles of a socialist-oriented market economy. From a one-way 'single-function' press, the Vietnamese press has become a 'multi-function' press, not only focusing on propagating the Party's policies, but also being a bridge, a channel for social criticism, creating a seamless flow in society, creating a close connection of information between the Party, the Government and the people; at the same time opening up a direction for the development of the media economy, connecting businesses with the public.

Research on journalism and media must truly contribute solutions to help the journalism and media industry develop, especially in the current period, when Vietnam applies an open-door policy, innovation, and development according to a socialist-oriented market economy model; when the development model of the journalism and media industry in Vietnam today is unprecedented in the world.

Promoting research on journalism and communication, as a scientific field, with a theoretical foundation, research objects, and specific research methods, is an important factor and a driving force to improve the quality of training in journalism and communication in a systematic and professional manner; at the same time, more importantly, it is to create a solid theoretical foundation, creating the premise and orientation for the proper development of revolutionary and professional journalism in Vietnam today.