Press: A sharp "weapon" to protect the Party's ideological foundation

Amidst the context of multi-dimensional information and increasingly sophisticated sabotage, the press has clearly demonstrated its pioneering role in protecting the Party's ideological foundation and refuting false and hostile arguments.

After a century of accompanying the nation, the Vietnamese revolutionary press is not only the voice of the Party, State and People but also a solid "stronghold" on the ideological and cultural front.

In the context of multi-dimensional information and increasingly sophisticated sabotage, the press clearly demonstrates its pioneering role in protecting the Party's ideological foundation, refuting false and hostile arguments, contributing to maintaining social trust, consolidating the great national unity bloc and protecting national interests.

"Soldiers on the fronts use guns against the enemy, journalists use pens against the enemy"

Very early on, President Ho Chi Minh clearly recognized the importance of the press in the struggle for national liberation; propagating and orienting the Party's political line and being the vanguard force in the political struggle, protecting the achievements of the revolution.

So in 1925, right after founding the Vietnam Revolutionary Youth Association, he published Thanh Nien newspaper to promote revolutionary movements in the country. He was directly in charge and also the person who wrote the most articles for Thanh Nien newspaper.

President Ho Chi Minh pointed out the political responsibility of the press team: “Press cadres are also revolutionary soldiers. Pens and paper are their sharp weapons” (1). “Soldiers on the fronts use guns to fight the enemy, you use pens to fight the enemy” (2). “That is why, all journalists (writers, printers, editors, publishers, etc.) must have a firm political stance”. (3)

General Secretary andPresident To Lam speaks at the award ceremony of the political essay contest on protecting the Party's ideological foundation in October 2024. (Photo: Lam Khanh/VNA)

In particular, he emphasized that the press and the team of journalists must participate in protecting the Party, protecting the Party's political line, protecting the socialist regime...: "Your pens are also sharp weapons in the cause of supporting the righteous and eliminating evil." (4)

Nowadays, with the explosion of communication technology and the internet, hostile forces take advantage of information channels as propaganda tools to distort, fabricate, and sabotage our Party and State.

Faced with that situation, along with security and military solutions, our Party and State highly value the role of the press in protecting the Party's ideological foundation.

This is demonstrated through many documents. Typically, on November 22, 2017, the Secretariat issued Conclusion No. 23-KL/TW on “Strengthening direction, management, and promoting the role of the press and publishing in preventing and repelling the degradation of political ideology, ethics, lifestyle, “self-evolution,” and “self-transformation” within the Party.”

The 13th National Party Congress determined: “Build a professional, humane and modern press and media... Strengthen management and development of all types of media and information on the internet. Resolutely fight and eliminate toxic, distorted, reactionary products and information that negatively affect political and social stability and good customs and traditions.” (5)

The 4th Central Conference of the 13th tenure continued to clarify the role of the press in the new situation: “Strengthen the protection of the Party's ideological foundation, promote the role and responsibility of Party organizations, agencies and organizations in the political system, press agencies and the People in protecting the Party's ideological foundation, fighting against erroneous and hostile views. Improve the quality of public opinion work and assess people's satisfaction; proactively forecast the situation, promptly process information, and orient public opinion.” (6)

Revolutionary press plays an important role in protecting the Party's ideological foundation.

Implementing the above policies, especially since Resolution No. 35-NQ/TW on "Strengthening the protection of the Party's ideological foundation, fighting against erroneous and hostile views in the new situation" (issued on October 22, 2018), press agencies from the central to local levels, through their products, have fought to protect the Party's ideological foundation and refute erroneous and hostile views.

The press has promptly and widely disseminated and propagated policies and guiding viewpoints on protecting the ideological foundation and Party building work, associated with identifying and fighting against degradation, corruption, manifestations of "self-evolution" and "self-transformation"; at the same time, propagating and disseminating the moral, cultural values, good lifestyles of the Vietnamese people, examples of good people, good deeds, and advanced models in all areas of social life with the spirit of "using beauty to eliminate ugliness."

Column on Protecting the Party's Ideological Foundation of VietnamPlus Electronic Newspaper.

Many newspapers and magazines have opened separate columns, such as "Commentary-criticism" (Nhan Dan newspaper, National Defense Magazine); "Struggle to refute false and hostile arguments" (Communist Magazine); "Anti-peaceful evolution" (People's Army newspaper, People's Police newspaper); "Protecting the Party's ideological foundation" (Communist Party of Vietnam e-newspaper, People's Army newspaper, VietnamPlus (Vietnam News Agency)... to publish articles fighting to protect the Party's ideological foundation.

Many newspapers have gathered prestigious scientists and theorists to participate in seminars and workshops, write articles refuting erroneous and hostile viewpoints; organize online forums, thereby orienting political ideology and raising awareness among all classes of people about "hot" issues, erroneous and hostile viewpoints, bad and toxic information and issues of public concern.

Many press agencies have effectively promoted the activities of pages, groups, blogs, Youtube channels, social network accounts, etc. to proactively fight against erroneous, hostile viewpoints and bad, toxic information.

It can be said that, with many diverse and rich ways of working, press agencies have strongly promoted their pioneering role, effectively fighting to prevent and refute from early and from afar false arguments, distortions, and distortions of the truth, protecting the Party's ideological foundation, and strengthening the people's trust in the Party and the socialist regime.

Many plots and tricks of hostile and reactionary forces have been promptly detected and directly combated by press agencies with many high-quality articles and press products that are highly accurate and persuasive.

Strongly promote the cause of "supporting the righteous and eliminating evil"

To continue to fulfill the role and mission of pioneering, leading, and firmly protecting the Party's ideological foundation, press agencies must constantly innovate and create to adapt to the difficult and complicated tasks that are being posed; uphold the Party spirit and fighting spirit of press agencies in performing the task of protecting the Party's ideological foundation; and promote the Party member responsibilities of journalists, especially those holding leadership positions and heads.

The Party Committee in the press agency is the political nucleus leading Party members, editors, reporters, etc. to correctly implement the Party's guidelines and policies and the State's laws.

Every journalist must have a strong political stance, enthusiasm and a calm attitude towards all issues; have a pure heart, respect for the truth, and a high sense of social responsibility, in order to both ensure the objectivity and honesty of each journalistic work and protect the Party's ideological foundation, and fight against hostile and reactionary forces with his or her own pen.

Along with the direct fight against bad and toxic information, it is necessary to always ensure that positive information is the mainstream information in newspapers and radio, contributing to creating a positive "social mood" and strengthening people's trust in the policies and decisions of the Party and State.

This is the solid foundation for the fight to protect the Party's ideological foundation and fight against bad and toxic information.

In their instructions, the leaders of our Party and State always emphasize the core and pioneering role of the press in protecting the Party's ideological foundation and require press agencies to continue to clearly demonstrate their political mettle and fighting spirit, detect and promptly refute manifestations of "self-evolution" and "self-transformation"; at the same time, constantly innovate information methods, master cyberspace, to spread positive values ​​and orient public opinion.

It can be seen that, in the 100-year flow of Vietnamese revolutionary journalism, protecting the Party's ideological foundation is not only a political mission but also a professional life of the team of revolutionary journalists.

The press needs to continue to promote its vanguard role on the ideological and cultural front; maintain Party spirit and fighting spirit; constantly innovate content and forms of expression to spread positive and humane values, and strengthen people's trust in the Party, State and socialist regime.

This is a practical and effective way for the revolutionary press to fully implement President Ho Chi Minh's advice: "Pen and paper are sharp weapons" in the cause of supporting justice and eliminating evil./.

(1) Ho Chi Minh, Complete Works, National Political Publishing House, Hanoi-2011, vol. 13, p. 466
(2) Ho Chi Minh, Complete Works, op. cit., vol. 5, p. 210
(3) Ho Chi Minh, Complete Works, op. cit., vol. 12, p. 166
(4) Ho Chi Minh, Complete Works, op. cit., vol. 5, p. 157
(5) Communist Party of Vietnam: Documents of the 13th National Congress of Delegates, National Political Publishing House Truth, Hanoi-2021, vol. 1, p. 146
(6) Communist Party of Vietnam: Conclusion of the 4th Conference of the 13th Party Central Committee on promoting Party building and rectification and the political system; resolutely preventing, repelling, and strictly handling cadres and Party members who have degraded in political ideology, ethics, lifestyle, and manifestations of "self-evolution" and "self-transformation".

(Vietnam News Agency/Vietnam+)

Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/bao-chi-vu-khi-sac-ben-bao-ve-nen-tang-tu-tuong-cua-dang-post1045179.vnp