Vocational training is the fulcrum to improve the quality of works.

That is the emphasis of the Chairman of the Can Tho City Journalists Association on the issue of improving the quality of journalistic works for members and journalists in the area.

Actively support modern journalism skills

+ Sir, it is known that the work of professional training and organizing members to create high-quality journalistic works is one of the important tasks of the local Journalists Association, including the Can Tho City Journalists Association. How has the Association implemented this to its members in the past time, sir?

- In recent times, the Can Tho City Journalists Association has actively supported modern journalism skills, organized for the city's journalists to go on field trips to collect materials to create high-quality journalistic works, from which many good quality journalistic works have been created to serve the public and participate in Central and local journalism awards. Especially in the context of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, the massive development of information technology, the explosion of social networks, and recently the emergence of Chat GPT, have had a strong impact on all sectors and areas of social life, including journalism and media.

We always identify that each press agency and journalist must approach to create media products compatible with high-tech and technical platforms, meeting the information needs of the modern public. And recently, the Can Tho City Journalists Association has focused on training journalism skills according to the trend: helping the journalism team approach journalism methods based on digital technology platforms and integrating all smart technologies to optimize the process and methods of producing press products.

professional training to improve product quality image 1 — Journalist Truong Van Chuyen.

+ Sir, with a large number of members scattered across the Associations, Branches, offices, Clubs, etc., how is the focus on training reporters to access new methods of journalism in the current context, sir?

- Can Tho City Journalists Association currently has 309 members active in 05 affiliated grassroots organizations, but the Branch Secretariat, the Inter-Branch Association and the Board of Directors of the Women Journalists Club regularly organize gatherings and activities in many diverse and rich forms.

We actively cooperate with the Center for Journalism Training - Vietnam Journalists Association , journalists, and experts in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City to organize journalism training courses. Among them, there are classes that "review" traditional genres such as: Reportage, portrait reportage; investigative reportage, journalistic reportage; or classes specializing in editorial management...

But most of the training courses focus on journalism topics following modern journalism trends, such as: Language and visual thinking in television, skills in telling stories with images, skills in making electronic newspapers, skills in making multimedia newspapers, skills in editing printed newspapers into electronic newspapers, exploiting social networks in journalism, organizing and managing multimedia newsrooms, modern radio reports, interviewing skills, skills in making modern radio programs and live radio broadcasts, making news and television articles on smart mobile phones, information graphics skills for printed newspapers, skills in hosting radio programs, interactive television, etc.

Not only that, with its central location in the Mekong Delta, the Can Tho Journalists Association not only organizes training courses for journalists within the city, but also connects and expands with neighboring provinces and cities in the region to promote effectiveness.

Since 2016, we have organized and coordinated dozens of training courses on different types of journalism and genres for nearly 450 members - journalists working at press agencies in Can Tho and the Mekong Delta region. In return, the Can Tho City Journalists Association also creates conditions for members - journalists of press agencies in Can Tho to participate in journalism training courses outside the city.

Value and invest in field trips

+ Of course, professional training with specialized courses is very important. But sir, high-quality journalistic products require to be distilled from practice and breathe life?

- That's right. Therefore, in parallel with the professional training, every year, from the funding source to support the creation of high-quality journalistic works, the Can Tho City Journalists Association also actively organizes trips for members to collect materials to create high-quality journalistic works. The locations for organizing field trips are mainly in the provinces of the Mekong Delta, the Central region, and the Central Highlands.

And most recently, there was a field trip to Binh Duong, Dong Nai and Ba Ria - Vung Tau. It is worth noting that through training courses, professional development, and field trips, the members' political level, expertise, professionalism, and journalism skills have been improved.

professional training to improve product quality image 2 — Can Tho Journalists Association visited and did fieldwork at the Gun Museum in Vung Tau.

Since then, every year, journalists in the Can Tho City Journalists Association have had works that have won the National Press Awards, the Golden Hammer and Sickle Awards, press awards from central ministries and branches, and the Press Awards for writing about the Mekong Delta... In addition to activities to foster professional skills and journalism, the Can Tho City Journalists Association also proposed that the Can Tho City People's Committee upgrade the Phan Ngoc Hien Press Award to a regional press award for the Mekong Delta.

Over the seasons, the Phan Ngoc Hien Journalism Award has increasingly attracted professional and non-professional journalists in the Mekong Delta region, Ho Chi Minh City and local press agencies to participate. The Phan Ngoc Hien Journalism Award has truly become a playground, creating motivation for journalists in Can Tho and in the Mekong Delta region.

+ High-quality journalistic works are ultimately a matter of effectiveness associated with each work, with the interests of members, journalists... Sir, in the coming time, we will continue to implement the High-Quality Journalism Support Program for the period 2021 - 2025, what are your expectations for the coming time?

- In the first 6 months of the year, we have had important summary conferences in many regions to analyze and evaluate the activities of the Vietnam Journalists Association at all levels in supporting the creation of press works in the past 5 years, recording the results achieved as well as the difficulties and obstacles in implementing the Project, thereby drawing lessons to thoroughly grasp and effectively implement the Support Program in the next phase.

For the Can Tho Journalists Association, despite the common difficulties typical of the Mekong Delta region such as the crisscrossing rivers, difficulties in traveling and working, Can Tho journalists are always dedicated to their profession, always trying to self-study, self-train and strive to improve. The journalism training courses and field trips from the funding source to support the creation of high-quality journalism works in recent times have given wings to dedicated journalists to fly higher and further.

Therefore, we always try our best with the Association's work, with the work of training journalism skills, organizing field trips, and considering financial support for creating high-quality journalism works for members. However, operating costs, costs for organizing journalism training courses, and costs for organizing field trips are still difficult and worrying issues.

And I think this is also a common difficulty for local Journalists Associations nationwide. The good news is that the new phase of the program will continue to promote press support with a larger budget.

Ha Van (Implementation)

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