Lao Dong Newspaper had an exchange with Assoc. Prof. Dr. Bui Hoai Son, Specialized Member of the National Assembly's Committee for Culture and Society, National Assembly deputy, about the role of policy communication of the press.
Mr. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Bui Hoai Son, in the process of drafting law projects, how do you assess the role of the press in reflecting public opinion and voters' thoughts on new policy drafts?
- I believe that the press plays an extremely important role, even being one of the most sensitive "social sensor channels" in the process of building policies and laws. A draft law, before becoming a legal normative document, is not only a technical product of the drafting agency, the appraisal agency or the National Assembly, but also the crystallization of real life, of the aspirations, concerns, expectations and even very specific worries of the people.
In that process, the press helps bring voters' voices closer to the parliament. The press helps policies "touch the ground", helps lawmakers see behind each clause the fate of people, livelihoods, rights, development opportunities and even risks that may arise if regulations are not practical.
The press not only reported after the law was promulgated, but also mediated from the "pregnancy" of the draft. According to you, does this "early and remote communication" support National Assembly deputies when considering and pressing the button to approve a policy?
Certainly yes, and I think this is a very important requirement in the current context. Policy communication needs to be implemented very early, right from the time policy ideas are formed, outlines are developed, opinions are collected, and drafts are revised. Doing so will give policies more time for society to discuss, criticize, verify and improve.
For National Assembly deputies, information from the press is a very valuable reference source. Before pressing the button to approve a policy, deputies must not only read the report of the drafting agency, the appraisal report of the Committee... but also listen to life. The press helps deputies see what public opinion is interested in, what the directly affected group thinks, which bottlenecks experts warn, and what people expect.
Have you personally ever changed your views or proposed amendments to a legal provision based on sharp reflections and analyses from articles?
- Yes. I think that a National Assembly deputy, if truly receptive, should not be afraid to change his views when there is more accurate information, convincing arguments and clear practical evidence. Policymaking is not about protecting personal opinions to the end, but about together finding the best solution for the country and the People.
No matter how good a policy is, if the communication is poor, it is difficult to go into life. From your supervisory practice, what positive changes do you see from the executive branch after the press spoke out about the inadequacies of a current policy?
- I see that there have been many positive changes. First of all, the change in awareness. Previously, sometimes, in some places, press reflections on policy inadequacies were still seen as "criticism" or "pressure". But now, more and more executive agencies have considered press reflections as an important source of information to review, adjust, and improve policies.
In the reality of supervision, we see that there are policies that, when put into practice, give rise to problems in administrative procedures, decentralization of authority, business conditions... After the press continuously and responsibly reflected, based on evidence and the voice of the people, many ministries, branches, and localities have intervened faster.
In the context of social network explosion and information spreading rapidly, according to you, what does the mainstream press need to do to maintain its role as a "mainstream information flow", orienting public opinion about the country's macro policies?
- In the era of social networks, mainstream journalism cannot play a mainstream role just by its existing position. That role must be affirmed daily by information quality, professional bravery, appropriate speed, depth of analysis and social trust.
Social networks have advantages in speed, emotion and spreading ability. But mainstream journalism has values that cannot be lost: verification, responsibility, standards, orientation and policy analysis capacity.
To maintain the mainstream role, the press cannot just chase after social networks, and it is even more impossible to let social networks completely lead the information agenda. The press must go one step ahead in discovering problems, one step deeper in explaining the essence, more just than one rhythm in reflecting aspects and more humane than one level in approaching people.
If the mainstream press wants to become a mainstream information flow, it must be both accurate and attractive; both standard and modern; both quick-witted and profound. In today's information sea, people are not lacking in information, but they really need reliable information. And that is the vital space of revolutionary journalism, professional journalism, journalism for the national, ethnic and people's interests.
To improve the effectiveness of policy communication, in your opinion, what specific mechanisms, policies or "orders" does the State need to support press agencies to better perform this task?
- I think that to effectively communicate policies, it is not possible to just call on the press to do better, but it is necessary to have a clear enough mechanism, strong enough resources and professional enough ordering methods.
First of all, the State needs to consider policy communication as a mandatory component in the entire process of building and implementing policies.
Second, there needs to be a mechanism to order the press to participate in policy communication in a public and transparent manner, according to product quality and social efficiency, not just according to the number of news and articles.
Third, it is necessary to improve the capacity of journalists in policy communication. Press agencies also need to have more timely access to official information, have more responsible spokespersons, and have more complete open data...
Finally, it is necessary to protect and encourage the press to criticize policies constructively. The more conditions are created for the press to reflect truthfully, responsibly, and humanely, the more opportunities policies have to be improved, the more trust society has, and the more the law has the ability to go into life naturally and sustainably.
I believe that in the new era of development, policy communication is not only about "talking to the people to understand", but also a process of "hearing to work with the people, supervise with the people, and improve the country with the people". When the press plays that role well, each policy will not stop on paper, but become a driving force for development, a consensus force to move the country forward.
Thank you, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Bui Hoai Son!
