In today's digital age, everyone needs digital thinking and technology, regardless of the fields in which they work. The significant influence of technology presents journalism with numerous challenges.

Journalism is no longer the exclusive source of information for the public. Press agencies must compete not only with each other but also with numerous user-generated content channels flourishing on the Internet.

Journalism is also gradually losing its exclusive stories due to the rapid dissemination of information on social media. As a result, newspapers must produce more in-depth products like data journalism, solution journalism, and multimedia journalism to retain readers. Yet, the resources of press agencies vary, while the pressure to produce daily news remains hard.

Meanwhile, revenue from advertisements continues to decline, with most revenue falling into the hands of major tech companies like Google, Meta, and ByteDance. As a result, press agencies have to seek alternative revenue through sponsored media contracts. But by doing so, press agencies are at risk of becoming advertisements and PR activities, which may lead to a decline in the public’s confidence.

Tran Duy, MA, from Academy of Posts and Telecommunications Technology, predicts that traditional newspapers will continue to face a decline in the number of readers and ad revenue, while digital media will develop strongly.

Online news platforms, mobile apps, and social media will approach wider audiences, while newspapers will shift to operate on digital platforms, with the rise in paid services under the subscription model and in-depth articles.

Newspapers will also continue to seek new business models, such as developing exclusive content services, sponsorship from enterprises, and collaborations with international media organizations. The major source of revenue for press agencies will shift from advertisement-based to user-based, and the model will be crucial.

Duy said he agreed with the viewpoint that journalism will go together with technology in the future, and this is inevitable in the digital era.

He quoted Marshall McLuhan, a famous media researcher: “We shape our tools and then our tools shape us.”

Press agencies are living in a period when technology is reshaping everything, from the way of thinking to the way of operation, especially in journalism.

Both journalists and public need to improve digital capability

Regarding the technological trends altering content production and distribution in journalism, generative AI is the most influential technology. 

AI helps create automatic content from images, text, and sound, aiding journalists in everything, from information gathering to presentation and editing, to publishing on various platforms.

AI, together with big data and data analytics, can help newsrooms better understand readers’ behaviors and needs. AI tools can assist in creating automatic content, suggesting content for readers, and even optimizing users’ experiences.

AI also enables press agencies to personalize content for different audience groups. This changes the way content is produced and distributed.

Although ethical concerns remain, many global press agencies have incorporated AI into their operations. For instance, the UK's "The Times" has partnered with Twipe to develop a digital caretaker called James, which learns from users’ habits to design and send personalized news to readers.

"The Times" has also experimented with ChatGPT to analyze its archive of 200 million pages, creating quizzes to test readers' knowledge about current affairs. This integration of AI combines education and interaction, encouraging readers’ engagement with news.

These are the examples about effectively using high technology in the press.

For Vietnam, Duy said, to develop a strong digital journalism ecosystem, it is necessary to perfect everything, including creating a legal framework with reasonable regulations, building platforms and technological tools to support digital journalism, and producing high-quality workforce and developing an open material ecosystem.

Newsrooms need to creatively apply technology to create content that is more attractive to readers. While current content creation technologies are diverse, mere imitation fails to produce interesting content. If AI's input is low quality, the output products will not be good. The quality of workforce remains a critical component.

And though technology is powerful, it can't turn dull content into captivating stories if the mindset of technology users doesn’t renovate. Mastering technology is necessary but not sufficient to create effective media programs. Creativity and a deep understanding of the audience are vital for journalists and press agencies.

Van Anh