The explosive development of digital technology is fueling a revolution in the production, distribution, and consumption of information. Amid the trend of moving to the digital environment, readers prefer electronic platforms, social media, and mobile applications to traditional print newspapers, television and radio. 

The change has posed enormous challenges, which has forced media organizations to continuously invest in technology and develop multimedia products, with emphasis on interactions with users.

Vinh stressed that the development of digital technology is creating both challenges and opportunities to the sector affecting the development of journalism.

First, the continuous emergence of new technological platforms such as social media and OTT services forces media organizations to diversify their modes of expression on many different platforms, producing multimedia content to reach audiences from various angles and formats.

Second, technology supports the production of journalistic content, such as AI and data analytics. These technologies make it easier for journalists to compose works, from searching and collecting information, to analyzing data, from generating story ideas to creating illustrative images.

"In general, technology allows us to create new, exciting, and interesting journalistic products," Vinh stated.

However, technology also presents significant challenges for journalism. For example, the strong development of social media has diminished journalism's role in leading information and shaping public opinion.

The typical example is that predictions by press agencies about the results of the US presidential election were different from the result. The difference was attributed to the impact from social media.

“The power to control information and public perception is no longer solely absolute,” Vinh commented.

Vinh, who is president and CEO of Le Group of Companies, warned that AI may partially replace journalism’s role in the future, which is believed to be a danger, because the information may be disseminated based on individual emotions and without verification or expert selection.

"These are the challenges faced by journalism, which force press agencies to both use new technologies and find a way to preserve its core values,” Vinh said.

Press agencies or technology firms?

Most famous newspapers in the US and Europe attach importance to technology. The New York Times and The Washington Post in the US, and Bild in Germany are news services leading the global journalism industry in terms of investment.

Therefore, some experts believe that media organizations will gradually become technology companies, which means that they will use the latest technologies and employ more technology majors.

Vinh said this will depend on the vision of the press agencies.

"For a newspaper which focuses on providing large volume of information and competes with others in the speed of news dissemination, technology will play an important role in its operation. Meanwhile, the newspaper which focuses on providing in-depth information and analyses, human resources will still be the key factor,” he said.

Vinh went on to say that indiscriminate investment in technology without careful consideration may lead to a big waste of resources. Press agencies need to clearly define their target audiences to draw up a reasonable technology investment strategy. In the competition with social media, newspapers should focus on their core values, including accuracy, independence and the depth of content.

“Instead of competing with social media in terms of speed, mainstream media need to focus on accuracy, in-depth analysis and influences to the public. These are the advantages of mainstream media over social networks,” he said.

Asked to make suggestions about technologies which newspapers can apply, Vinh mentioned blockchain which has the capability of protecting content copyright, VR which can provide new experiences to audiences, and AI (artificial intelligence) which can help examine information and predict the public’s reactions.

"The future of Vietnamese digital journalism will depend on how we capture and apply new technologies. It's crucial to use technology to serve journalism's mission and core values," he said.

Trong Dat