Press agencies in the vanguard of Party’s ideological work

Most press agencies have played a vanguard role in promoting the Party’s ideological work, as well as the Party’s orientations and the State’s policies and laws.

The statement was made by Truong Tan Sang, politburo member and standing member of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee’s Secretariat, at a national conference in Hanoi on May 5 to set key tasks for press agencies in 2010.
The conference, which was also attended by Politburo member and Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee (CPVCC), To Huy Rua, who is also Head of the Central Commission for Education and Communication, reviewed press activities in 2009 and the implementation of the Central Party Committee’s Resolution 5 (10^th tenure) regarding ideological work and press activities.

This was a good opportunity for press agencies and press management agencies to share experiences and make proposals to the Party Political Bureau and the Party Secretariat about press activities.

Mr Sang acknowledged the important role of press agencies in improving social life and consolidating people’s trust in the Party leadership and the State management.

He also pointed out some shortcomings press agencies need to overcome in the future to increase the media’s role in the process of national construction and defence.

The press must reflect and contribute to promoting the country’s development as well as democratic and positive progress in the whole society.

It must also help strengthen unity within the Party and among people, and mobilize people to contribute ideas to the draft documents of the Party’s next congress with the highest sense of political responsibility.

In addition, the press must improve the quality of their professional activities in disseminating information on the Party and State’s policies and the country’s achievements and actively participate in the struggle against corruption, wastefulness, bureaucracy, and evils.

The Ministry of Information and Communications reported that by 2009, Vietnam had 178 newspapers, 528 magazines, 67 broadcasting stations, 21 online newspapers, 160 news sites of printed newspapers and thousands of news sites by various agencies. In addition, the ministry had issued press cards to 17,000 journalists.