Solution journalism: A way forward for traditional journalism?

The Editor-in-Chief Forum “Solution journalism: A direction for traditional journalism?” organized by the Journalist & Public Opinion Newspaper will take place on September 21, 2024, in Phan Thiet City, Binh Thuan Province.

Forum 2024 is a place for leaders of press agencies, press management agencies... to exchange and express their views on the issue of why it is time for solution journalism to be one of the trends that Vietnamese press agencies are aiming for.

Journalist Le Quoc Minh - Member of the Party Central Committee, Editor-in-Chief of Nhan Dan Newspaper, Deputy Head of Central Propaganda, Chairman of Vietnam Journalists Association - shared with the press before the forum.

According to journalist Le Quoc Minh, information is now so overwhelming that “a lot” is no longer the advantage of the press. Users only need a smartphone with an Internet connection to be provided with all kinds of information, instantly and from anywhere.

The press also cannot compete with social networks in terms of speed. But the difference between press information and professional and multi-dimensional information is that in the current period, the press is following the trend of not only reflecting but also providing explanations and solutions - things that most ordinary users do not have the ability to access information and sources to create.

Journalism also needs to be fast and informative, but it's accuracy and engaging presentation that make the difference in today's digital age.

According to journalist Le Quoc Minh, the world press is now also following the trend of constructive journalism and solution journalism, instead of following the slogan "where there is blood, there is news" to produce sensational information like before.

Many press agencies around the world have experimented and found that although negative information has the effect of warning society and holding those in power accountable, it also has harmful effects on readers, such as causing fear, anxiety, anger, skepticism, and even apathy.

Studies show that constructive journalism improves news consumers' moods, motivates them to take up socially beneficial actions, and encourages them to interact more with news organizations.

Journalist Le Quoc Minh emphasized that over the years, the Vietnam Journalists Association has encouraged press agencies to follow the trend of solution journalism and constructive journalism, and has also made important changes.

However, many newspapers still have the old mindset, struggling with the fear of declining traffic accompanied by declining advertising revenue, or still measuring the effectiveness of an article by the number of "views" - an incorrect concept for online newspapers, when the number of views depends on algorithms and things that catch "trends" on social networks.

"From the experiences and actual figures in the recent flood and storm information, I hope that the leaders and the entire team of journalists of the press agencies see that kind and humane journalism is what society needs and positive content is just as effective, sometimes even more so, than shocking information," journalist Le Quoc Minh shared.

Also according to journalist Le Quoc Minh, the more important thing when following this path is not the competition in terms of traffic, but the fact that it will help our society become better, people think more positively, love life more and want to contribute more to that life.