In 4 years of working at Lao Dong Newspaper, there were trips, meetings and topics that are still remembered. Those are professional experiences created not only from the days of working in the field, but also from the orientation, exchange and companionship of a journalistic collective.
Unintentional roles
In 2022, the PV Group conducted a series of investigative articles on human egg trafficking and surrogacy for commercial purposes. This is one of the topics that left many imprints in the working process.
To access the line, the only way is to become an insider. New social media accounts are created, conversations lasting many days with "brokers" and patient times to build trust. In the role of young girls who need money, ready to sell eggs or have surrogacy, our PV Group is gradually led into the process that the subjects have been operating for a long time.
After completing the initial procedures, the reporter was taken to a clandestine clinic for health check-ups. Everything happened quickly, as if it was daily work. When conditions were confirmed, the door of the centralized nursing house for women selling eggs and surrogacy was truly opened.
Unlike the initial imaginations, that place is not noisy or chaotic. It is a normal house located in the middle of a residential area. Only when you step inside do you see a completely different space. Many women live concentrated in small rooms, waiting for examination schedules, embryo transfer schedules or egg collection schedules. Newcomers are guided by old people for every small task. All activities are arranged by the managers.
What I remember most is not the tightness of the line, but the stories heard in that room. Some people were just over twenty years old, some had young children. They came from many different provinces and cities, but all carried economic pressure. Some were burdened with debts, some needed money to treat their loved ones, and some believed that this was the only way to quickly change their lives.
There are times when the phone has to be put away to avoid suspicion. What you see can only be remembered in your head, waiting until you leave the scene to quickly record it. Each conversation must be in the right role, each question must be calculated so as not to make the other person wary. Those are the very personal pressures of the investigative profession, where even a small mistake can cause many days to be about to end.
The deeper they go, the more obvious the links of the line become. From "brokers" operating on social networks, centralized human care facilities to signs of legalizing dossiers to carry out medical procedures. Behind the promises of hundreds of millions of VND is an activity that is organized quite tightly, in which the woman is the most disadvantaged person.
On the day the series was published, the most memorable thing was not the number of readers or shares, but the fact that the information and documents collected during the investigation process contributed more basis for functional agencies to investigate. After the series of articles by Lao Dong Newspaper, the management of surrogacy activities continued to be concerned and reviewed by functional agencies to ensure the correct implementation of legal regulations. This is also the first work of the group of reporters to be awarded the National Press Award when working at Lao Dong Newspaper. The award is joy, but what stays longer is the professional experience gained after a challenging working process.
Accompanying
A journalistic work, especially investigative articles, has never been the job of the writer alone. Behind each series of articles is the companionship of a whole collective, from the initial exchanges when the topic is only a few initial pieces of information, to the process of working, verifying and completing the work.
In the topics that have been implemented at Lao Dong Newspaper, the direction of the newspaper's leaders and the Editorial Board is always an important fulcrum. From choosing an approach, asking questions that need to be clarified, to paying attention to legal issues in the process of working, each suggestion helps reporters have more stability when entering complex issues of life.
With investigation articles, there are times when reporters are at the scene for many days, but behind it is always a collective monitoring, exchanging and supporting. The collected materials are carefully considered, details that are not sufficiently grounded are required to be further verified, and each word is also considered to ensure accuracy and objectivity before reaching readers.
What is commendable in the years of working at Lao Dong Newspaper is the companionship of colleagues. Those are exchanges about a detail in the article, times of reviewing images together, reviewing documents, or long working sessions to complete a work. Each person contributes a part of their effort, from reporters working at the scene to colleagues silently behind the newspaper page.
Along with the changes of modern journalism, Lao Dong is also constantly innovating its way of expressing itself to reach readers. Investigative articles are not only published in print newspapers and online newspapers but are also developed in many forms such as longform, eMagazine, video and multimedia products. But in any form, the most important thing is still caution in information and the responsibility of journalists.
Looking back at the past journey, what remains is not only the published works, but also the people who have created those works together. The trust and orientation of the newspaper's leaders, the Editorial Board and the dedication of colleagues are always a valuable source of encouragement for journalists to continue pursuing stories that need to be brought to light.
97 years since the first issue was published, many generations of journalists have contributed to creating the mark of Lao Dong. Being a small part of that journey is a blessing, and the experiences in the process of working here will continue to be a valuable baggage on the career path ahead.
