ETHICAL ISSUES OF VIETNAMESE JOURNALISTS WHEN USING SOCIAL MEDIA

ETHICAL ISSUES OF VIETNAMESE JOURNALISTS WHEN USING SOCIAL MEDIA

Nguyen Van Thieu

Candidate of Philology, Thang Long University,

Vietnam, Hanoi

ABSTRACT

Currently, social media has become a popular means of communication and media in Vietnam alongside traditional media outlets. Social media plays a significant role in the professional activities of journalism agencies in Vietnam. Journalists and media agencies have started to use social media to disseminate information to the public. This article discusses the ethical and social responsibility of journalists when using social media. Through literature review and case study, the author demonstrates the necessity of following ethical principles, which have been stipulated in the Press Law and "10 Rules of Professional Ethics for Vietnamese Journalists" when using social media. Through specific examples, the study not only contributes to strengthening journalism theory but also motivates the creation of a healthy online environment.

Keywords: Social media, journalistic ethics, media ethics, Vietnamese journalists, Press law.

Introduction:

According to Datareportal, Vietnam currently has 72.1 million active social media users, accounting for 73.2% of the population. Social media is not only a means of entertainment and communication but also an effective and fast medium of media. According to this organization, the most popular social media platforms in Vietnam are Facebook*^[1] (70.4 million users), YouTube (62.50 million users), TikTok (39.91 million), and Instagram*^[2] (11.65 million) [1]. Through social media, users can exchange information, express personal opinions, or reflect on law-breaking behavior, and expose negative things in life. The rapid increase in social media use is in line with Vietnam's "National Digital Transformation Program to 2025, Vision to 2030," creating opportunities for people to easily access information across the country.

Thanks to social media, journalists have many advantages in understanding the information needs of the public, thereby determining effective approaches to access and transmit information [2]. It can be said that social media has become an essential assistant in the professional activities of journalists. In practice, many social issues have been reflected and received significant attention from readers, which is not always the case for traditional media. However, if social media is not used skillfully, journalists may violate ethical principles and laws.

In the face of challenges from social media regarding journalistic ethics, on December 25, 2018, the Vietnam Journalists Association issued the "Rules for the Use of Social Networks by Vietnamese Journalists" According to that, journalists "are not allowed to post, remove articles, images, or sounds on social media for the purpose of extortion or other unsavory purposes"; "do not share personal views or quote opinions that are contrary to the Party's and state's policies and directions"; "do not post unverified news or cause confusion in society" [3]. Similar regulations are also clearly stated in the 2016 Press Law.

It should also be noted that ethical standards for journalism have long been applied worldwide. The network organization of journalism ethics has published 5 principles of ethical standards for journalists, including 1 - Truth and accuracy, 2 - Independence, 3 - Fairness and impartiality, 4 - Humanity, and 5 – Responsibility [4].  The Washington Post also clearly states that "When using social networks such as Facebook*^[3], and Twitter*^[4] to post personal information, journalists still have to ensure their integrity. The information posted on reporters' social media accounts needs to be verified".

Problem statement:

Currently, social media is increasingly developing and widely used. It has a fast transmission speed, interactive communication, and is not limited by time and space [5].  For journalists, social media is not only a means to communicate with everyone but also a means to effectively transmit information. It can be said that social media is an ally for journalism to operate more effectively. However, reality shows that some journalists exploit social media as a means to increase interaction with readers.

On July 24, 2022, journalist L.D.T published an article on Facebook*^[5] titled "Da Nang proposes opening a 'red light district' to stimulate tourism" with a sensitive illustration. The article attracted thousands of interactions and was reposted in various groups and fan pages. This information caused the community to doubt the tourism development orientation of the city, affecting the image of the locality. In fact, Da Nang city has no intention of opening a "red light district" to stimulate tourism. According to information from the Department of Information and Communications, journalist L.D.T published false and unverified content that misled readers. This behavior violates the provisions of point E, paragraph 1, Article 5 of Decree 72/2013/ND-CP "on management, provision, use of internet services and information on the internet." Journalist L.D.T admitted the wrongdoing and was fined according to the laws of Vietnam.

Ethics in journalism is a system of rules and standards that govern the relationship between journalists and society, journalists and their colleagues, and journalists with themselves. These standards determine what journalists are allowed and not allowed to do, while also guiding them to become an important part of reflecting social reality. Not all standards are explicitly defined by law. However, other standards are recognized by the media community and are maintained by the conscience, public opinion, and responsibility of journalists. Research focuses on answering the following questions: Should regulations on the use of social media by journalists be legalized? Is a penalty of VND 7.5 million (equivalent to $300) for reporting false information a light punishment?

Purposes of the study:

In this study, the author sets out several objectives. Firstly, to motivate journalists to be aware of their social responsibility and ethics when using social media. Secondly, to warn internet users about the accuracy of the information on social media, as such information is often personal and not tightly controlled. Thirdly, the study aims to provide a basis for lawmakers to adjust media laws to be more in line with reality.

Research method:

The author obtained an overall view of the implementation of the Press Law and journalistic ethics regulations in Vietnam through document research. The case study analysis method was also utilized to achieve the goals and answer the research questions of this study.

Findings:

"The commercialization of information" is becoming increasingly popular through the dissemination of sensational information and images in the press and on social media. These types of information are often attention-grabbing and attract high levels of interaction from readers. This is the first reason explaining why some journalists are willing to post "strange information" on Facebook*^[6]. Not only journalists, but also some media agencies exploit their special functions to engage in illegal activities, violating the professional ethics of journalists, and reducing the credibility of the press.

The second reason for journalists' ethical violations is that they do not fully understand the role and high responsibilities of the journalism profession. Journalists are also citizens, but they are "special citizens". Their comments and opinions often spread quickly and have an impact on many people. It should be reminded that one of the obligations of journalists is to provide "truthful information about the country and the world, in accordance with the interests of the country and the people; not to abuse the name of journalists to disturb and engage in illegal activities."

Thirdly, the form of punishment is still lenient. Vietnam has issued regulations related to the use of the internet in general and social media in particular, such as Decree 72/2013/NĐ-CP "on the management, provision, and use of internet services and information on the network" - the Cybersecurity Law. Regarding the professional activities of journalists and their use of social media, the Press Law, the 10 principles of professional ethics for journalists in Vietnam, and the Rules on the Use of Social Media by Vietnamese journalists have been enacted. These documents clearly specify what journalists are allowed to do and what they are not, while also outlining the types of punishments for violations. However, in reality, multi-platform media has developed so quickly that legal regulations cannot keep up with the changes. Furthermore, according to experts, the forms of punishment are still relatively lenient, leading many people, including journalists, to take advantage of social media to achieve their goals.

Conclusions:

In the context of commercializing the press, journalists need to find a way to balance professional ethics, economic interests, and social responsibility in each of their works and statements. This is also clearly stipulated in the 2016 Press Law, which states that journalists are responsible for the content of their press works and any violations of the law [6]. Journalists need to have a clear understanding of the influence of social media on the public and the potential consequences and risks that may arise. Furthermore, journalists need to set an example in law enforcement to contribute to maintaining social stability and strengthening people's trust in the press.

To make the online environment safer, there needs to be cooperation among users, regulatory agencies, and media organizations [7]. Organizations such as the Journalists Association also have a responsibility to improve the professional skills of journalists and closely monitor the activities of media agencies. In addition, state management agencies need to have stronger measures to deal with legal violations committed by journalists.

Finally, in order to train journalists with ethics and responsibility, educational institutions need to focus on teaching law to students. This is also one of the objectives that this study aims to achieve.

References:

1. DataReporter. Digital 2022: Vietnam. https://datareportal.com/reports/digital-2022-vietnam.
2. Nguyen, T.T.G. Journalism and Multimedia Communication. Hanoi National University Publishing publisher. Hanoi. 2017.
3. Vietnam Journalists Association. Rules for the Use of Social Networks by Vietnamese Journalists.
4. Ethical journalism networdk. Five core principles of ethical journalism. https://ethicaljournalismnetwork.org/who-we-are#Mission.
5. Nguyen, T.N., Nguyen, T.T.G. Online newspapers: general characteristics and innovative methods. National political publisher. Hanoi. 2014.
6. Press Law. Information and media publisher. Hanoi. 2016.
7. Nguyen, T.T.G. Law and ethics in journalism. Hanoi National University Publishing publisher. Hanoi. 2020.