Avoiding the press, creating difficulties for the press in accessing information, ... are phenomena that public opinion has repeatedly criticized. Therefore, along with the Government of Vietnam issuing Decree 09/2017/ND-CP detailing the provision of statements and information to the press by state administrative agencies, it is hoped that the above-mentioned phenomenon will soon be rectified.
Article table of contents
Some years ago, a survey of opinions from 279 journalists and reporters in 19 provinces and cities about the response level of functional agencies to the press yielded the following results: 75% did not receive a response or the response was too slow according to statutory regulations (30 days); among the timely responses (25%), up to 78% were general and lacked specifics. In the same issue, opinions expressed at the seminar "Enhancing the response level of state agencies to the recommendations and criticisms of organizations and citizens in the press" indicated that the silence of state agencies on issues reported by the press is quite common. Representatives from several newspapers reported that annually, a significant number of petitions, complaints, denunciations, etc., from the public are forwarded by the press to state agencies for resolution, but the response rate is only about 30%. However, it is also necessary to mention the phenomenon of journalists abusing their authority, making unreasonable demands on organizations and individuals, as illustrated by the recent incident involving the Deputy Head of the Southern Representative Agency of the "Doi song va Phap luat" Newspaper.
To address the situation where certain departments and sectors still avoid or are hesitant to work with the press; procrastinate, refuse to meet when reporters request, schedule appointments; do not provide a list of spokespersons or authorized spokespersons; when there is a significant event or issue that greatly impacts society within the scope of the agency or unit's management, they have not proactively and promptly provided information... In recent times, in some localities, the cooperation and provision of information to the press have gained attention from various levels and sectors.
In April 2016, the Dak Lak Provincial People's Committee issued a document to the heads of departments, sectors, and chairpersons of People's Committees at district and town levels, and cities regarding the implementation of the Regulation on the provision of information to the press. The Dak Lak Provincial People's Committee requested related units to seriously rectify and remedy the limitations and, when necessary, provide information in the press about important events and issues to promptly warn and guide public opinion; when the press or state management agencies on the press request a statement, the spokesperson or authorized person is responsible for promptly providing accurate information as soon as possible (approximately one day) from when the incident occurs or when required.
In Phu Tho province, Deputy Director of the Department of Information and Communications Nguyen Thi Tuyet Chinh shared the local directive perspective on ensuring journalists' working activities: "In the future, the Department of Information and Communications will focus on directing the propaganda work, disseminating and educating about press law so that state agencies, political-social organizations, officials, and the public increasingly deepen their understanding of the role of the press in social life, monitor and supervise the activities of press agencies, and provide information following legal regulations. We will enhance the responsibility in handling administrative violations against acts obstructing journalists and reporters from lawful professional activities. We will coordinate with the Journalists' Association to monitor the professional activities of reporters, ensuring that there are no conformable obstacles in their work; at the same time, handle violations strictly if they occur”...
The press needs to promptly provide accurate information on current, practical issues of public concern. However, when the concerned agencies seek to evade, avoid cooperation, and obstruct journalists in the performance of their duties, to some extent, this can be considered a violation of the law. In reality, for many years, the Government of Vietnam has made significant efforts to direct transparent information to the public through the press, evidenced by: the Regulation on the Provision of Information to the Press (issued with Decision 25/2013/QD-TTg dated May 4, 2013, of the Prime Minister of the Government of Vietnam); the amended Press Law 2016 (effective from January 1, 2017), in which Clause 3, Article 6 on State management of the press explicitly defines two issues: "Organize information for the press; manage press information". Thus, providing information to the press is a statutory issue. This content is further clarified in Decree 09/2017/ND-CP (Decree) issued by the Government of Vietnam on February 9, 2017, regulating the specifics of providing information to the press by state administrative agencies. Article 3 of the Decree on those authorized to provide information to the press is explicitly defined:
"1. The individual authorized to provide information to the press from ministries, ministerial-level agencies, government agencies; general departments under ministries and ministerial-level agencies; provincial People's Committees, includes: a) Heads of state administrative agencies; b) Individuals assigned by the heads of state administrative agencies to regularly provide information to the press (hereinafter referred to as spokespersons); c) Individuals responsible for state administrative agencies authorized by the heads to speak or collaborate with spokespersons to provide information to the press on specific assigned issues.
2. The individual authorized to provide information to the press from departments, specialized agencies under the provincial People's Committees, and provincial organizations under central agencies organized vertically located in the locality, includes: a) Heads of state administrative agencies; b) In case the heads of state administrative agencies cannot provide information to the press, they authorize their deputies assigned to handle the agency's affairs to provide information to the press.
3. The individual authorized to provide information to the press from district-level and commune-level People's Committees, includes: a) Chairpersons of district-level and commune-level People's Committees; b) In case Chairpersons cannot provide information to the press, they authorize their deputies to provide such information to the press."
Not only does the Decree specify the individuals authorized to provide information to the press, but it also mandates that their names, positions, phone numbers, and email addresses must be announced in writing to state agencies managing the press, and posted on the electronic portal, information site of the state administrative agency; the authorization for spokespersons must be in writing, apply only to specific cases, and have a defined term. Besides, Article 10 on Violation Handling also clearly states: "Agencies, organizations, or individuals involved that do not implement, improperly implement, or inadequately implement the provisions in this Decree shall, depending on the nature and severity of the violation, be handled according to legal regulations." Regarding Decree 09/2017/ND-CP, perhaps the most notable new point in this decree is the provision for pronouncements and providing information to the press in extraordinary and sudden cases. This expectation places hopes on the press to obtain official information in urgent situations, where the public and readers need it most. Decree 09 is assessed to have "opened the way," creating favorable conditions so journalists in their fieldwork will no longer be forced to wait for information from functional agencies, and will be less "hindered" because their needs for information are met according to statutory regulations. However, the Decree's provisions will only truly be effective if there is serious cooperation from functional agencies, and the provision of information is not superficial, circuitous, or perfunctory.
Open, transparent information is a criterion that determines the development of a civilized society. Delays and a lack of proactive information provision can lead to unpredictable consequences, generating public suspicion and creating opportunities for opportunist and hostile elements to distort and oppose the policies of the Communist Party and the State. It is believed that from the efforts of the Government of Vietnam, with a serious awareness of journalists' authority and responsibility, and active cooperation from agencies, departments, localities, etc., the aforementioned situation will soon be remedied, thereby enhancing social transparency and meeting the healthy information needs of the public.
Source: **** Nhan dan
