Digital transformation – inevitable trend of the Vietnamese press (Photo: VNA) According to insiders, each news agency should build a suitable digital transformation strategy which puts readers and audiences at the centre, and builds the culture of using data as a foundation for activities and operation of its newsroom.
Today, as readers have changed their habits as well as methods of accessing information, the traditional press should change itself to adapt to and serve them more effectively.
Being aware of the importance of digital transformation in increasing operation efficiency and ensuring sustainable development, many press agencies have pioneered in applying digital technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), the Internet of Thing, Cloud, and Big Data.
The Vietnam News Agency (VNA) is one of the press agencies that has implemented digital transformation early. It has stepped up the use of its digitalised data and the application of software to speed up the editing and production of articles. Its units producing infographics and TV news have also applied online software, virtualised technology platforms, and cloud computing to help their reporters and editors handle news at any time and everywhere.
Other agencies such as Radio the Voice of Vietnam (VOV), Vietnam Television (VTV), Nhan Dan Newspaper, VnExpress and Zing have also become modern multimedia press agencies.
However, during the digital transformation process, they are facing a lot of difficulties and challenges in terms of awareness, technology, expense and human resources.
Le Quoc Minh, member of the Party Central Committee, Editor-in-Chief of Nhan Dan (People) Newspaper and Chairman of the Vietnam Journalists Association (VJA), said that many agencies have yet to clearly understand what digital transformation is.
Digital transformation does not lie on technology, but human and the way of thinking, especially that of leaders, Minh said, stressing the need to create a new production process, new information, and even an appropriate newsroom culture.
Multimedia and digital content centre of Cong Thuong (Industry and Trade Newspaper) (Photo: congthuong.vn) Digital transformation in journalism aims to develop professional, humane, and modern press agencies that fulfill the task of communications serving the Party’s revolutionary cause and the country’s reforms, properly perform their roles in guiding the public’s opinions and firmly safeguarding the information sovereignty on cyberspace, effectively improve readers’ experiences, create new revenue sources, and help promote the development of the digital content industry.
This strategy targets that by 2030, all of press agencies will have published their contents on digital platforms, with priority given to domestic digital platforms; 90% will have used concentrated data analytic and processing platforms and applied artificial intelligence to optimise operations; and 100% will have operated the converged newsroom model and others matching scientific and technological development in the world and produced contents in line with digital media trends.
Press agencies are also set to optimise revenue sources, with 50% of them raising their revenue by at least 20%.
The strategy also outlines several focal tasks and solutions to achieve those targets./.
VNA
