On the afternoon of October 23, continuing the program of the 10th Session, the National Assembly discussed in groups a number of draft laws, including the draft Press Law (amended).
Giving his opinion on the discussion in the group, Venerable Thich Duc Thien (National Assembly delegation of Dien Bien province) said that in reality, in the past, a multimedia communication model has appeared. This amendment to the Law must also meet the requirements for developing the Vietnamese revolutionary press. He said that the draft law has affirmed the role of the State in press development policies.
Interested in the content of the press economy, delegate Thich Duc Thien acknowledged that currently, press agencies are facing a context of declining revenue and increasingly fierce competition.
In fact, traditional journalism lives by advertising. Not only competing with types of newspapers or cyberspace platforms, but the current advertising demand of production units and businesses has also decreased. Journalism is an issue that we must pay great attention to" - delegate Thich Duc Thien shared.
Emphasizing the important role of the Vietnamese revolutionary press, delegate Thich Duc Thien suggested that the State have investment policies for press agencies, especially key press agencies. This investment is to create strength, orientation, guidance, and policy communication.
"To make the press too concerned about economic issues, the only purpose of press agencies will be affected" - delegate Thich Duc Thien added.
Delegate Thich Duc Thien also suggested that it is necessary to clarify the mechanism for managing press activities in cyberspace. He pointed out that many platforms such as TikTok, Facebook... still have a large amount of fake news, bad and toxic news, causing negative impacts on society despite commitments to manage content.
Therefore, there should be specific, strict regulations and strict sanctions for digital platforms operating in Vietnam.
Another issue that the delegates are concerned about is the issuance of press cards. Delegate Ta Thi Yen (National Assembly Delegation of Dien Bien Province) said that the draft Law stipulates that people who are granted a card for the first time must have worked continuously at a press agency for two years or more up to the time of card issuance and have passed a professional and professional ethics training course organized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in coordination with the Vietnam Journalists Association.
The delegate said that this regulation aims to improve the quality of journalists. However, from the perspective of administrative procedure reform and cutting "sub-licenses", this regulation is not in line with the general policy of the Government.
At the same time, if additional requirements are added to the training course for professional skills and professional ethics, a new administrative procedure will arise, increasing costs, time and burden for journalists.
Therefore, delegate Ta Thi Yen suggested that the drafting agency study and consider not requiring reporters and editors to participate in training classes to be granted cards.
