Refreshing your career in the digital journalism era

The digital journalism environment opens up many opportunities to spread information faster and deeper, but at the same time it also poses many challenges regarding accuracy, speed and operational skills.

When digital technology is no longer a trend but a reality, journalists cannot continue to walk with the old baggage. Journalism today is not just about holding a pen, but also about machines, algorithms, digital platforms and real-time interactions.

Reporters working at the 9th Buon Ma Thuot Coffee Festival, 2025.

In that flow, journalists are faced with the need to proactively prepare themselves with new baggage, not only professional skills, but also a journalistic mindset suitable for the times. Renewing oneself is not simply updating tools or technology, but a process of selective adaptation, to both keep pace with the movement of digital journalism and maintain professional identity, political courage and ethics of writers in a volatile information world.

I recall the time when I and some colleagues were assigned to join the Electronic Newspaper Group when the editorial office had just started to “touch the road” of electronic journalism. At that time, articles were not only published in print newspapers but also online; deadlines were not calculated by day but by hour, by minute. We - reporters who were used to writing for print newspapers - had to relearn each new operation, each new concept to continue to accompany the profession on the long journey.

At that time, each news and article not only needed to be correct and fast, but also had to be formatted on different digital platforms, optimized for both phones and social networks, with attractive but not sensational headlines, and eye-catching but still standard images. Journalists not only had to write, but also know how to film, edit, record, insert links, tag; and later, apply AI tools... skills that were thought to be reserved for technical professionals, but have now become mandatory for modern journalists.

Many older colleagues, who used to carry a camera around the village, now take the opportunity to learn video editing on their phones; some with gray hair still sit with young reporters to learn about AI applications in journalism. And I understand that keeping the “fire of the profession” requires not only passion and love for the job, but also humility in learning and renewing oneself.

Reporters from press agencies working at an event in the province. Photo: Quang Khai

In the era of views, likes and an overwhelming amount of information between truth and falsehood, journalists need to maintain a foundation: truth, humanity, objectivity and professional standards. Renewing professional knowledge does not mean following immediate tastes; technology can help news be transmitted faster and more widely, but only professional qualities can make that information valuable and stay longer in the public's mind.

100 years of Vietnam Revolutionary Press Day, a long journey, continued by many generations of journalists and drawn not only by ink but also by sweat, intelligence, faith and heroic sacrifice. In the current context, that journey is still being continued by journalists carrying on their shoulders new baggage, with new requirements: Doing journalism in the digital age and still maintaining the dignity and spirit of a noble profession of honesty, responsibility and dedication.

Source: https://baodaklak.vn/xa-hoi/202506/lam-moi-hanh-trang-nghe-nghiep-trong-thoi-bao-chi-so-65d1409/