What is journalism today?

What does it mean to be a journalist? How is propaganda, agitation, and mass organization different today? How can journalism be used to build lives, to make revolution - to create progressive changes for society?
Perhaps, every revolution begins with oneself. In agriculture, the revolution sometimes begins with a straw, and in journalism, perhaps it should begin with the simplest questions.

1.

When I was in second grade, I rummaged through my father’s bookshelf and found a book of poems with a very funny picture: A person wearing a hat holding a trumpet high, looking closely, I saw that this was a picture made up of letters - it was the phrase “Vietnam doc lap”. The accompanying verses were: “Vietnam doc lap blows the trumpet. Calling on our people, young and old, to unite as firmly as a block of iron, to save our country together”. This very funny image was deeply ingrained in the child’s mind, both familiar and curious. Where was that image and what was its purpose?

Later, I was delighted to find this small picture in the Independent Vietnam newspaper, the agency of the Viet Minh provincial committee of Cao Bang province. Why was such a serious topic of such a serious agency expressed through such a funny picture? Back when the newspaper was born after Uncle Ho returned to the country to directly lead the revolution in 1941, he decided to publish a newspaper to propagate, agitate, organize and lead the masses to make the Revolution. The masses at that time in Cao Bang and the mountainous provinces of Viet Bac were illiterate and poor, unable to read long theoretical articles. It turned out that the picture and the easy-to-remember poem were the most effective way to reach that audience. Such familiar poems had the power to spread and quickly create a revolutionary movement that spread from Cao Bang to the whole country.

So it is true that Uncle Ho's journalism is to make a revolution, so he chose such a close writing style. His concise writing style also shows the purpose: What is journalism for? The method always goes hand in hand with and shows the purpose.

Journalist Ta Bich Loan

Today, the way newspapers report news raises the question: What is journalism for?

It is also possible that journalism is selling if we look at advertising PR pages and sales TV channels.

Journalism is entertainment if we watch all kinds of entertainment programs and articles on TV channels and online newspapers.

Journalism is a networking club if we look at the interactive pages on the net.

What is journalism for if we don't have to make a revolution like in other years in Vietnamese history?

Let's look back at the history of the birth of world journalism, what did journalists do at that time?

An interesting story about the birth of the first French periodical is that in 1631, the editor Renaudot of the Gazette asked for a license from Cardinal Richielleu giving him the privilege: "to print and sell to anyone he wishes, newspapers reporting on everything that happens inside and outside the kingdom, about conferences, prices of goods, other publications of the liaison offices forever and only he has that right" (History of the Press, Piere Albert, World Publishing House, 1999).

Through the above text, we can see that the first newspaper did two things at the same time: providing information on important events and prices of goods. Besides, there were debates on various topics in which the editor participated in a sharp style. According to Pierre Albert, from the very beginning at the end of the 15th century, publications clearly showed the three main functions of the press: major news information, daily news reports and forums for expressing opinions. This is not only a comment on the French press. The purpose of the press is not always to make revolution, but the press is always a tool for making revolution: the English Revolution, the French Revolution, the American Revolution...

2.

The explosive growth of digital technology globally has changed the entire mass media and world journalism. Needless to say, just by observing the way we learn and participate in information and communication activities every day and every hour, we can see how much the media world has changed in recent times. All boundaries have been blurred between media types, means, methods, subjects, and objects... A series of new concepts and operating models quickly emerged, replacing the old ones and then being replaced by newer ones. Media giants shrank and the little guys took over, became big and then were replaced again.

In that context, we can once again look back and see what journalism is in today's digital age?

The biggest challenge facing journalism today is perhaps the unfathomable speed of production, faster than the Corona virus, of fake and real information on social media. For its survival, journalism must compete and coexist with social media. From a certain perspective, journalism is also changing with social media to adapt to the new era, new media tools, new media consumption habits...

One of those changes is that once again the press has a new function for itself. That is to verify information, in addition to accompanying, delving into and developing topics and images that appear on social networks.

From there, the press saw its original mission again, rediscovered professional standards, journalistic ethics, and core values ​​of journalism. These are honesty, objectivity, fairness, balance, respect for diversity and differences, humanity...

In a poem called “Talking to myself and my friends”, poet Luu Quang Vu wrote:

"It's easy to flatter life, it's easy to curse life."

Only building a life is difficult'

Building a life is difficult perhaps because in the stormy flow of information we do not always have time to consider what we write or say that is truly profound to bring to ourselves, to social life, to the country. Or rather, we do not always have time to think about what we do journalism for.

The economics of journalism and the mechanism of press autonomy sometimes make us consider the priority of interests. It is wonderful to be able to harmonize interests, but what if the concession will change the purpose. The social dissatisfaction with the press is also probably due to cases where the press does not do its job properly.

3.

On June 21 we celebrate Revolutionary Press Day. I wonder how many of our newspapers and television channels can we call “revolutionary” today?

Back in the time when Uncle Ho was a journalist and launched Thanh Nien Newspaper on June 21, 1925, 96 years ago, revolutionary journalism was propaganda, agitation and organization of the masses. The press led the masses to follow new ideals, creating great changes for society and the world. In the article on the Purpose, Method and Qualifications of Propaganda Workers (Ho Chi Minh Complete Works, Volume 5, pages 191-192), Uncle Ho said: Propaganda is to tell something to the people so that they understand, remember, follow and do. If that goal is not achieved, the propaganda has failed. What Uncle Ho taught correctly demonstrated the concept that journalism is revolution. He called journalism a revolutionary weapon and journalists soldiers.

Today our enemies are becoming more and more difficult to identify and defeat, not only the Corona virus, but also the invisible enemies within us.

A journalist shared with me that he understood Revolution as "Leading and Innovating".

So today, the press team is leading the fronts of COVID-19 prevention, fighting corruption, praising good people and good deeds... and is also continuing the Revolution: Contributing to building the spiritual strength of self-reliance, for the aspiration to develop a prosperous and happy Vietnam.