Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Sai Gon Giai Phong (Liberated Saigon) Newspaper Nguyen Thanh Loi admitted in the forum that the current working procedure in his organization is quite traditional, with information exchange among departments being done partially modernly.
The fact that digital transformation in SGGP Newspaper is only at the beginning stage is due to limited technical infrastructure and a lack of proper training for its human resources regarding this matter.
“The Editorial Board is highly aware that digital transformation in all working procedures of our organization is unavoidable in order to ensure a smooth and consistent operation in our professional tasks, be it information collection, publishing, or journalism economy”, said Mr. Loi.
Vice Chairman of HCMC People’s Committee Duong Anh Duc insisted that digital transformation does not merely mean applying IT in regular working activities, but a change in working mindset and procedure. Therefore, each and every press agency, journalist must participate in this process actively to not be left behind.
Editor-in-Chief of Phap Luat Thanh Pho Ho Chi Minh (HCMC Law) Newspaper Mai Ngoc Phuoc reported that many of the paper’s published articles have been illegally shared by other websites of social network accounts without any source citing. Such a harmful action of press piracy has led to formal newspapers reducing its own attractiveness to readers, decreasing the number of readers and views, and even losing credibility in some cases.
Deputy Editor-in-Chief Nguyen Thanh Loi proposed that for a more successful digital transformation process in journalism, the municipal authorities should establish a specific consultation team to closely work with each press agency for a detailed transformation plan.
He suggested that besides the support and cooperation of organizations, businesses, and readers, HCMC and related state units should introduce suitable mechanisms and policies for press agencies to effectively exploit the available digital database to serve social needs in accordance with the market mechanism.
“Press agencies should cooperate with one another and with media partners more closely to fight against piracy. It is high time to form an alliance to protect the copyright of journalistic works in Vietnam”, said Editor-in-Chief Mai Ngoc Phuoc.
In particular, Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Tuoi Tre (Youth) Newspaper Le Xuan Trung hoped that domestic technological businesses could introduce a solution to serve journalistic content.
Successful digital transformation needs certain factors, most of which are directly related to financial conditions. These, in turn, are strongly affected by the effectiveness of business activities of each press agency, which are under competitive pressure from other platforms. Therefore, solving this problem can greatly boost the digital transformation process in journalism.
Admitting the limit in technological solutions for the above process, Director of the HCMC Information and Communications Department Lam Dinh Thang promised that his unit will work with members of HCMC Computer Association and other technological units to devise practical solutions to address the issue.
Also, an expert team in digital transformation will be formed to evaluate the current status of the process in each press agency to provide corresponding suggestions regarding technological infrastructure and financial mechanism in a report submitted to HCMC People’s Committee and the Information & Communications Ministry.
