At the forum ‘Press agencies and businesses go together for a prosperous and happy Vietnam’ held October 24, chair of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) Pham Tan Cong stressed that press and media are a part of the business environment in Vietnam.

A healthy media and press environment which disseminates information and knowledge about the economy and business activities, as well as encourages the entrepreneurial spirit is a key requirement and foundation to promote the development of business, thereby contributing to economic growth.

Speaking at the forum, Le Quoc Minh, Editor in Chief of Nhan Dan (People) Newspaper, chair of the Vietnam Journalists’ Association (VJA), affirmed that the press has made a great contribution to the businesses’ development.

Through articles, consumers better know Vietnamese brands and Vietnamese products, thus helping improve awareness, and increase the love and confidence in Vietnamese goods, thus supporting domestic enterprises’ growth.

While reflecting consumers’ responses about the quality of products and services, the press helps enterprises have more detailed information about the market which in turn helps them adjust business strategies and make reasonable decisions.

The press acts as a bridge connecting the state and enterprises. It serves as an independent voice that helps enterprises react in policies and show their aspirations. 

At all moments of the development process, the press and businesses accompany with each other and co-develop, though there are still some articles that provide biased information and cannot support enterprises, especially small and medium enterprises (SMEs).

There are some businesses which underestimate the role of the press, and they even ‘forget’ newspapers in branding media campaigns.

Nguyen Thanh Lam, Deputy Minister of Information and Communications, said about 40 million pieces of news and articles are published on electronic infrastructure, hundreds of million of articles are posted online, including information about the national economy and enterprises.

He stressed that the press will still be the major information channel, participating in social criticism, providing information and knowledge, and even participating in the enterprises’ process of making decisions.

“The recent development of social media has brought more methods to people to compose works, and brought many other options to promote brands and disseminate information. However, the press will still be the main stream of information,” Lam said.

According to Lam, there exists a mismatch between the high expectations on the role pf the press in the society's development and the difficulties the press has to face and settle. 

This leads to the fact that during the process of serving society, and seeking profits, conflicts arise between the two forces, resulting in problems and consequences to both sides.

Lam believes that it is necessary to reconsider solutions to re-define the relation between the press and enterprises, and build a stronger, healthier and more cooperative platform which allows effective cooperation with each other. 

The ideal is that the press and businesses support each other and create good products and services for society.

Speaking at the forum, VietNamNet Editor in Chief Nguyen Van Ba said the newspaper has had a column called ‘Tuan Viet Nam’ for 20 years. Via Tuan Viet Nam, the opinions, analyses and criticisms about economic policies and the voices from businesses are forwarded to state management agencies and local authorities.

In its relation with businesses, VietNamNet has two perspectives. First, businesses are elite and choosy readers. Therefore, all information related to business and businesses’ activities must be considered carefully.

Second, businesses are newspapers’ partners in two aspects. While they are a source of information about economic life, they are also the users of newspaper services and advertisement partners, thus bringing revenue to newspapers. 

“When publishing information about businesses, especially negative news, we always have debates. What will happen with businesses if the negative information is published? And what will happen if the information is not published and the consequences could be serious?” Ba said.

At VietNamNet, all information must be double checked before publishing. However, not all businesses are cooperative and willing to answer questions. VietNamNet follows a philosophy of reporting news while striving for positivity. However, sometimes it can’t do that and obtains a consensus from businesses.

The press in the past, now and in the future is the main information source and an important channel participating in social criticism, providing information and participating in the decision-making process of individuals and organizations.

Ngoc Cuong