Does Decree 159 modify, VN ‘strangles journalists’ and helps interest groups?

The Vietnamese Ministry of Information and Communications (TT-TT) has submitted to the government a draft amendment to Decree 159 on sanctions in the field of press and publication, which gives more authority to handle administrative violations of the press. Central releases for localities.

The purpose of this amendment is for news agencies to “operate according to principles and purposes,” said Mr. Nguyen Thanh Lam, Director of the Press Department (Ministry of Information and Communications).

Under this draft, news agency leaders will be fined if they sign a recommendation that reporters learn of a problem that is not within the purpose of the news agency.

The Ministry of Information and Communications also sends recommendations to the relevant ministries on how to provide information to the media according to “principles and purposes”.

This ministry will create here a team to check various magazines “taking advantage of the freedom of the press to operate against the law.”

According to this ministry, “beating the city council, violating private life, insulting the honor” of individuals, mainly leaders, remains a “painful problem”.

Journalist Tam Chanh, former editor-in-chief of Saigon Marketing Newspaper, told BBC News Vietnamese that this is a ‘strangling press’ regulation, which creates opportunities for interest groups to manipulate the market and create factions.

Tam Chanh said: “In Vietnam, there are two main trends in the mainstream press.”

“One is to make newspaper products for readers to buy.

The second is to turn the state monopoly of the press into the prerogative of journalists to earn a living, earn money and even form groups of journalists as tools for interest groups to manipulate information, to run into political factions. market manipulation.

“The simplest way is the press agency through an editorial license to conduct advertising transactions, skewed sponsorship or in the form of forced income and profits. They deliberately release ordinary files. Negative criminal related, threaten as a kind of blackmail, or boast of relationships to defraud execution positions, execution of achievements, execution of projects, execution of procedures, execution of projects … ”

“This activity is frustrating. And, as I understand it, managers are also trying to toughen up with the policy called strengthening the purpose principle. What is, is that each newspaper is granted a license to operate. that allows to operate the main field and geographic area of ​​the newspaper.

“This is a kind of mixed mindset that turns publishing licenses into a kind of market sharing decision. On the one hand, it divides information into discrete and absurd spheres. On the one hand, it creates an environment for officials. Legal interpretation , arbitrary interpretation ”.

“Popularly, it creates a barrier that hinders the right of access to information and obstructs the application of press laws. It is not reasonable that as long as a Vietnamese journalist can operate freely in other countries, in each locality. In the locality of Vietnam, The authorities may complain about the reason why this journalist’s host press agency does not intend to operate in that area or field so as not to allow the journalist to access the information. ”

“If the aforementioned draft goes into effect, Vietnamese law will further strengthen the right to reject it locally. Because in Vietnam, it is impossible to get a journalist card without operating in a particular news agency.” In violation, he will be handled on many levels, even depriving him of the right to exercise, he is considered an empty-handed journalist, even with a very high risk.

“In short, it is a way to strangle the inherently limited right of journalists to exercise. It is also a way to strangle the activity of the press and the right of people to information.”

“Strangle, do not squeeze, loose anything.”

“After all, journalists who want to work in genuine and decent work are in exile and those who trade in the power of the press continue to increase, that’s all.”

Meanwhile, Huynh Son Phuoc, former deputy editor-in-chief of the Tuoi Tre newspaper, told the Vietnamese BBC that this new regulation will make it harder for major newspapers to survive and reduce readership. , reduces confidence.

“Readers will now read the official newspaper to see if it fully reflects the real situation. Then they check the information on social media. For example, the Thu Thiem case,” said Phuoc Phuoc. talk.

Mr. Phuoc also said that it is not new to tighten the management of the press according to the purpose of the media, only that this has been institutionalized.

“For the countries, this issue will be very unusual, not in accordance with the freedom of expression and the professional activity of journalists, but in Vietnam, all these regulations will be institutionalized according to each situation. form and stage, gradually tightening to control thoughts.

“Only Vietnam has the Department of Thought (Central Propaganda Department), the Press Department has the Department of Press Management, Public Security has Thought Security. These agencies must be established to operate. Establish the necessary rules to ensure control of your thoughts.

Recalling the freedom of the press under the late Prime Minister Vo Van Kiet, Phuoc said:

Prime Minister Vo Van Kiet at that time, also spoke the truth, met with me and said: Without the press, the state could not be governed, no one would properly and fully reflect on the situation in the country. The State must have a channel of information different from the official channel and the reports are placed on the Prime Minister’s desk.

“The government wants to come into force, to become really legal, to be a state that listens to the honest reflection of society, allows people to participate in decision-making, limits irregularities and can supervise the state. … then that government you must live in a very free information environment.

“And due to such views, Tuoi Tre at that time inherited a very broad free press compared to the principles of purpose.

Recognizing that the Vietnamese press is not as free now as under Prime Minister Vo Van Kiet, but Mr. Phuoc believes that the Vietnamese press will not die in the future. Because true journalists will find all the ways to write.

“Currently some journalists have their own social media channels and live well,” said Phuoc.

Vietnam has established a purpose guide for each of a total of 626 newspapers, magazines, websites and more than 120 local central level newspapers.

For example, one of the operating principles of Ho Chi Minh City Women, the newspaper was fined 55 million VND and suspended for a month for “false information” about Sun Group’s “Propaganda line, guidelines, policies, Party laws and of the State, resolutions of the Party, the government and the Vietnam Women’s Union “.

This is also one of the operational principles and purposes established for Tuoi Tre: an online newspaper was suspended for three months and a fine of VND 220 million was paid after publishing the article “The president of the state agrees to issue the law of the demonstration “is said to be” false “and” exerts a serious influence “.

This is also a common principle and purpose for hundreds of other newspapers and magazines, along with many other principles and purposes.

Vietnam is ranked 175 in press freedom out of 180 countries, according to Reporters Without Borders (RSF) 2020 ranking, ahead of China and North Korea, but behind Campuachia, Cuba and Laos. three countries of the communist brotherhood.

In 2019, Vietnam was ranked 176th and in 2018 it ranked 175th.