In June 1993, the Kon Tum Provincial Journalists Association was established after 2 years of separation between Gia Lai and Kon Tum provinces. The 18 members of the Provincial Journalists Association at that time were all experienced and famous writers in the Central Highlands journalism community. Journalist Le Van Thieng, Permanent Deputy Editor-in-Chief, later Editor-in-Chief of Kon Tum Newspaper, was the first Chairman of the Provincial Journalists Association in the locality. He recalled that when the province was first separated, amidst the difficulties and thousands of tasks that needed to be solved to stabilize people's lives and put the political system's apparatus into effective and efficient operation, the Kon Tum Provincial Party Committee and People's Committee still paid great attention to and focused on information and propaganda work because the revolutionary press was always the pioneering flag that helped the Party's voice go far and deep into every corner of the village. “ It is not that the early period was weak. Because before, Gia Lai - Kon Tum province had 18 members, cadres and journalists who came here, all of whom were good journalists and were selected from agencies such as Gia Lai - Kon Tum Newspaper, Radio and Television Station and Gia Lai - Kon Tum Department of Culture and Information, so I remember that in the early period, there were many famous articles. I remember that almost every week or month, the leaders of the province, from the Provincial Party Secretary, Standing Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee to the Head of the Provincial Party Committee's Propaganda Department, took turns going to the press agency to discuss. For example, what content and how each issue would be published, they all guided” , journalist Le Van Thieng shared.

Ms. Y Xuoi, former member of the Provincial Party Standing Committee, former Chairman of the Provincial Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee, affirmed that in the development process of the province, the press plays an important role, contributing together with the Party Committee and the people of all ethnic groups in the province to create today's socio -economic achievements: " The press actually goes deep into the grassroots to write, so that cadres and party members are aware of how to mobilize and propagate their work to the grassroots. For example, in the past, when people built long houses, the policy of the Standing Committee of the City Party Committee at that time was to coordinate how to mobilize people to disperse the population, separate households to establish gardens, then our press also went to the grassroots to grasp the situation, to write in the newspaper and highlight the spirit of good examples, good deeds of cadres, village chiefs, and deputy village chiefs to promote their role in mobilizing people to develop the socio-economy, ensure security and national defense."

Journalist Nguyen Thi Lieu Hanh, Deputy Director of the Provincial Media Center, emphasized that after 34 years of formation and development, from a few veteran writers working at the Provincial Journalists Association, up to now, the team of journalists in the area has multiplied in both quantity and quality. Kon Tum press agencies always adhere to the principles, purposes of operation and orientation of the province in information and propaganda, creating strong impressions in the regional press with a series of national and provincial awards. Journalist Lieu Hanh added: “ Continuing to promote the tradition of previous generations, the team of Kon Tum journalists today always strives to cultivate and learn to constantly be worthy of the role and responsibility of journalists to society and the people, especially in the current period, when we have a very diverse and rich flow of information, what is the role of journalists to orient public opinion, promote the role of being an official source of information to guide public opinion for the people.”

Sixteen years of attachment to Kon Tum land is also the same amount of time that journalist Thuy Huong, working at the Provincial Media Center, has been working in journalism. As an experienced writer with good expertise, facing changes in administrative boundaries and work in the coming time, she is ready to devote herself to her profession. Journalist Thuy Huong said: “ In this merger, in the spirit of a party member and reporter, I am very ready to go to a new workplace. And to adapt and do well in the new place, I also discussed with my family, did ideological work for my children, and encouraged members to try and cooperate so that when the whole family moves to the new place, they can quickly stabilize their lives and adapt to the working conditions as well as the new climate and location, to complete well the tasks assigned by the agency and unit .”

Joining the flow of 100 years of Vietnamese revolutionary journalism, Kon Tum journalism faces many challenges and opportunities when the revolution of streamlining the organizational apparatus, building a 2-level local government model and the merger of Kon Tum and Quang Ngai provinces is taking place urgently. Not only playing the role of news and message transmitters, now, the team of journalists in Kon Tum province is also a part of that revolution. Realizing that opportunities and challenges are always intertwined in every change, Kon Tum journalists today are more determined to overcome, take the lead in challenges to continue to be the pioneer, the shock troops on the cultural-ideological front, always maintaining "sharp pen, pure heart" to worthily continue the glorious history of 100 years of Vietnamese revolutionary journalism./.

Thu Trang – Pham Ha

Source: https://kontumtv.vn/tin-tuc/tin-trong-nuoc/bao-chi-kon-tum-dong-hanh-voi-su-phat-trien-cua-tinh