Minister of Information and Communication Truong Minh Tuan (Photo: VNA)
Hanoi (VNA) – Press agencies must operate under their set principles and objectives and journalists must always keep their professional ethics, Minister of Information and Communication Truong Minh Tuan has said.
In an exchange with the press on the recent punishment of some violated press agencies and editors-in-chief, he said that Party organisations and members operating in press agencies must abide by the Party’s statutes and not run counter to its standpoints, policies, guidelines and directions.
In Vietnam, the Party and State manages the press by law, so press agencies must obey the principles of the Party as well as the legal regulations, he said, adding that they must be legally responsible for their operations.
The Party’s orientation is guiding the press to activities that are beneficial for the country and its people such as preventing corruption and negative phenomena, and building a healthy society and protecting the environment, he said.
He added that the Party and State do not prevent the press from freedom of speech and provision of multidimensional information, as well as do not hinder journalists from promoting their personality and talent.
The minister warned that in recent time, a part of journalists have morally degraded and unintentionally or deliberately joined hands with hostile forces to fight the socialist regime and offend the law.
Some journalists have colluded with businesses to supply incorrect information or distort the truth to serve the unhealthy competition, make the business environment deformed, and cause harms to customers, he said, citing the untrue information about fish sauces sold on the market having arsenic much beyond the permitted level.
Regarding this matter, the Prime Minister has directed relevant agencies to clarify the wrongdoings in surveying and announcing information by the Vietnam Standards and Consumers Association (Vinastas).
Any violations will be strictly punished, Tuan affirmed.
He made it clear that in press activities, if mistakes are made due to limited knowledge or carelessness without causing harms to the society, they could be corrected.
However, for mistakes causing damage to organisations and individuals, involved press agencies must compensate for damage under the civil law.-VNA
