The problem of repositioning local newspapers on the new administrative map

Along with the merger of provinces and cities towards national development, the reorganization of local press agencies is an inevitable step that needs to be implemented synchronously, professionally and effectively.

This is not only a story of the press industry, but also a problem of management and building a communication strategy during a period of historical transformation of the country.

Live television program marking the event of the new Dong Nai province coming into operation: “ Binh Phuoc , Dong Nai: Two memories - One future”. (Source: Dong Nai Radio and Television Station).

Unify organization, unify thinking

In fact, before this administrative boundary change, we piloted a provincial multimedia complex model.

Quang Ninh Provincial Media Center is the first unified provincial press agency model in the country, officially operating from January 1, 2019.

On October 28, 2019, according to the Prime Minister 's Decision, Binh Phuoc Radio - Television Station and Newspaper were also newly established. In late 2024 and early 2025, many localities will also merge print media agencies and radio - television stations.

The most frequently cited lesson is to avoid mechanical mergers. A new news organization is not a technical addition of old units, nor a simple patchwork of news stories.

It must be the integration into the general information flow, a new development mindset, a modern production model, and the ability to lead public opinion in a larger information space with more cultural differences.

The merger opens up room for development in the economy, culture, and society of the new province and city, including the press and media sector.

This is an ideal time full of opportunities to review channels and publications, transform the multimedia newsroom model, produce multi-platform content, synchronize processes, and maximize existing strengths in a streamlined and efficient manner.

Especially digitalization, application of artificial intelligence - the inevitable path, in the context of digital communication, if we do not want to self-eliminate.

To do so, we must not only invest in machinery, equipment, and technology. We need to invest more in thinking, repositioning our principles and goals, building a professional team that knows how to read user data, analyze public opinion trends, and produce interactive journalism that meets the characteristics of the modern public.

Mergers are processes that require adjustment, adaptation, and even sacrifice. But if organized properly, with a new development mindset, local journalism will not be reduced; on the contrary, it will be elevated and its sphere of influence will be expanded.

Communicating overall identity and mission close to the people

Not only aiming to improve digital technology capacity, media content is also an issue we must pay close attention to.

The new context requires us to simultaneously preserve and promote the cultural resources of each region, while blending into the general color of rebranding the new province and city.

The live television program on the first day of the merger of Dong Nai and old Binh Phuoc into a new Dong Nai province called Binh Phuoc, Dong Nai: Two memories - One future, broadcast on the morning of July 1, 2025, is a good way to do it, receiving many positive responses. Not forgetting the past, but still being able to orient the media towards the overall identity.

In addition to merging provinces and cities, we are also converting to a two-level government model (eliminating the district level) with many goals and expectations. One of them is to bring the commune and ward levels closer to the people.

The media cannot stay out of this direction either. The merger could make the distance between people in remote areas further away from the provincial center.

To keep up with the people's lives in the new administrative map, local press must be the bridge, the one who keeps up with the people's emotions during the period of great change; the one who recounts the concerns, adjustments, and adaptations in a truthful and timely manner. The content of media products must be imbued with the breath of the locality, people, and community.

The new administrative map requires new local media ecosystems, with new roles and missions. And the journey to rebuild local journalism is not just the work of the press industry in particular. It is part of the process of modernizing the state apparatus, of the institutional reform that we are determined to carry out together.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/bai-toan-tai-dinh-vi-bao-chi-dia-phuong-tren-ban-do-hanh-chinh-moi-319703.html