Dean of the Department of Radio and Television (University of Georgia, USA) talks with students of the Department of Radio and Television

At the beginning of the talk, Professor Bob Judson introduced the Department of Radio and Television at the University of Georgia. Here, Journalism students are equipped with basic knowledge and must master skills before graduating such as: how to make magazines, make online newspapers, write newspapers, host radio and television programs, use cameras... In addition, students are also given the opportunity to go out to make journalistic products, and are encouraged to find good ideas and stories to make their products. "And what is special is that they are also equipped with important and very necessary skills for the profession, which is to distinguish between real and fake news" - Professor Bob Judson shared.

Statistics in the US today show that up to 70% of the news that people read every day is unreliable. Faced with this situation, Google has decided to invest 300 million USD in conjunction with the same publisher to filter information online before the news is posted on the first page. Meanwhile, journalists, as the ones who bring information, must also know how to select the most accurate information. According to Professor Bob Judson, the best way to distinguish between real and fake is to carefully check the source before reporting. The most important task of a journalist is to provide accurate information and from many aspects, not just writing about one side of the issue, nor should they rely solely on their own or others' subjective opinions.

Prof. Bob Judson

Professor Bob Judson believes that a real journalist must know how to do journalism, always read a lot, listen a lot, pay attention to daily news, and grasp information as quickly as possible. Seriousness and ethics in the profession are also very important factors, especially in reporting accurately as mentioned above. And to get used to working, students can start with articles on social networks, working right with their smartphones.

“The newspaper market is a big market, online newspapers are becoming more and more popular, career opportunities are not small. Vietnamese students can go to the US and other countries to learn experience as well as seek opportunities” - Professor shared.

More specifically, Professor Bob Judson said that he was an American veteran who fought in Vietnam in 1968. During his visit to Vietnam this time, Professor Bob Judson and other veterans will visit war victims there. In addition, the Professor and the students he guided made a documentary titled: "Remembering Vietnam". The Vietnam War is an issue that many Americans are interested in, but due to the influence of the media in this country, their understanding is somewhat distorted. Therefore, Professor Bob Judson hopes that through this film, he can bring the American public a different perspective on the Vietnam War. After "Remembering Vietnam", the Professor also plans to make a follow-up film with his students called "Return Vietnam" and hopes to cooperate with Vietnamese Journalism students in this film.

The presentation by Professor Bob Judson helped journalism and communication students have a more complete view of how to work in a modern environment and how to distinguish fake news from real news, while also opening up opportunities for future cooperation between the two universities in the fields of journalism and communication.