The Deputy Minister praised the press for its courage in the fight against corruption and waste and its efforts to provide the people of Viet Nam with a forum to discuss important issues.
Mr. Tuan said the country holds the press"s contribution in high regards in Viet Nam"s campaign to safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity in the East Sea as well as the press"s role as a bridge to connect the Government and the people.
However, Deputy Minister Tuan also pointed out the press"s numerous shortcomings and limitations including its tendency to over-exploit the negative aspects of life, rampant advertising of supplementary food products and activities that violated individuals" right to privacy.
Another major issue was violations of intellectual property rights, a problem especially widespread among online newspapers, which often republished articles and photos from other newspapers but did not acquire their permission beforehand or failed to credit the original sources.
Notably, there have been cases in which individuals who claimed to be journalists were reported to harass businesses, organizations and even local authorities.
Major objectives of the country"s press for the year to come included the implementation of the press development plan to 2025, the finalisation of the draft Press Law to be submitted to the National Assembly and coverage of Viet Nam"s major political, social and economic events, the conference concluded.
There were 18,000 licensed and 5,000 unlicensed journalists working for numerous press organisations across the country. Of which, 99.5 per cent were university or masters degree holders.
In a related event, more than 600 delegates participated in a conference yesterday to review the year"s external information services activities.
The conference highlighted achievements such as the timely reporting of important domestic and international events as well as the overall improved information exchange between Viet Nam and foreign countries.
