Managing information sources and providers in the digital age.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Pham Quang Minh (Vice Rector) delivered the opening remarks at the seminar. (Photo: Thanh Long/USSH)

Attending the workshop were Assoc. Prof. Dr. Pham Quang Minh – Vice Rector of the University, Ms. Rabea Brauer – Head Representative of the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (Germany) in Vietnam, Mr. Do Quy Doan – former Deputy Minister of Information and Communications, and representatives from domestic and international news agencies and media organizations.

The workshop focused on key issues: managing journalists' information resources and managing the information activities of information providers in the digital age. Experts, scientists, and journalists shared their opinions and professional experiences in managing and exploiting information resources to meet the ever-increasing demands of the public.

Sources and information providers in the digital age

At the seminar, Dr. Nguyen Thi Thanh Huyen – Deputy Head of the Faculty of Journalism and Communication – stated: “Sources of information always play an extremely important role in the existence and development of journalism in general, and for journalists in particular. The main activity of a journalist can be considered a cycle revolving around searching for, establishing, maintaining, and developing sources of information, in order to exploit information to serve the general public. Sources of information are the lifeblood and vitality of journalistic activity. In the context of increasingly fierce information competition among various forms of mass media today, the value of sources of information to journalism is increasingly emphasized. Therefore, managing sources of information for journalism has become a pressing issue for newsrooms.”

The current era of internet information explosion has led to major changes in information delivery. Martin Petty, Reuters' representative in Vietnam, emphasized in his report "Major Changes in Information Delivery Across Multiple Platforms/Formats" that the internet boom and the emergence and development of social media have transformed how journalists gather and report news. Journalists need to use social media responsibly because it still harbors many potential dangers and risks. Journalists must ensure reliability and accountability more than ever before. In particular, the role of journalists is to verify information to ensure accuracy and fairness.

Also discussing the responsibility of journalists in verifying and confirming sources, Mr. Do Quy Doan – former Deputy Minister of Information and Communications – stated that: Social media is posing challenges to traditional journalism, and journalists must determine the authenticity of their sources. And not only journalists, but also those in management positions must pay close attention, because failure to clearly verify sources can lead to violations and even costly consequences in journalistic practice. Therefore, the core issue now is the need to innovate the information provision mechanism.

Addressing issues related to information providers, many reports at the conference introduced news service models, production processes, and the development of information and communication technology in the digital age, such as: the presentation "Vietnam News Agency as a management and information provider in the digital age" by journalist Nguyen Hoai Duong - Deputy General Director of Vietnam News Agency; "Tnsnap" - The future of Thanh Nien newspaper" - journalist Do Hung - Deputy General Secretary of the editorial board of ThanhNien Online;…

Information management – ​​“opportunities and challenges”

Managing information sources in the digital age is a topical issue for journalists today. Journalist Nguyen Thi Thu Ha – Head of the "Good Morning" Department, News Division, Vietnam Television – stated: "Never before have diverse, multi-faceted, and historically and spatially rich sources of information been so easy to access as they are today. The information resources are the same; only the methods of selection and editing differ. However, the biggest challenge lies not in the input of information sources but in the output of the newspaper itself. Not only print newspapers but also television news today face fierce competition from information sources on the internet."

A journalist's approach to sources also depends on their reliability; therefore, journalist Nguyen Thi Thu Ha has categorized sources into three levels:

Level 1 refers to official and reliable sources of information from government agencies.

Level 2 includes responsible sources of information, or comments from individuals who are experts and reputable organizations.

Level 3 includes other sources of information on social media or forums.

Analyzing current international hotspots, Dr. Hoang Anh Tuan - Director of the Institute for Strategic Diplomatic Studies (Ministry of Foreign Affairs) - pointed out that the challenges for journalists in gathering and processing information are: information noise; the level and awareness of news recipients; the increasing trend of reading unofficial news; increased non-nationality, decreased national and ideological factors; Western influence; and the growing number of news agencies and media outlets…

Associate Professor Dr. Dang Thi Thu Huong – Head of the Faculty of Journalism and Communication – analyzed the model of mobile radio broadcasting using 3G technology by Viettel Radio, showing that 3G radio broadcasting is a new direction with potential for development in Vietnam, but also carries many risks and dangers in information dissemination. Currently, there is no law in Vietnam that defines mobile radio as journalism.

Journalists and scientists alike agree that in the digital age, managing information sources and providers is a scientific and topical issue, attracting the attention of media managers in general and journalists in particular. Media organizations must change their approach to information dissemination, and to achieve this, mechanisms for providing information to journalists must be established soon.