The seminar aims to raise awareness and equip journalists, lecturers, and researchers from journalism and media training institutions in Vietnam with in-depth knowledge and skills in working on gender equality and violence against women and children.
Speaking at the opening of the seminar, Associate Professor, Dr. Dao Thanh Truong - Vice Rector of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, VNU Hanoi emphasized: "The seminar continues the current academic activities with humanistic values of the University, aiming to raise awareness, knowledge and enhance the quality of journalism on the issues of gender equality and violence against women and children. In order for a small article to prevent major crimes, so that the situation of "double invasion" of the private lives of women and children who are victims of violence does not continue to spread on some mass media channels, raising awareness and working skills for journalists and media trainers is one of the urgent solutions". Associate Professor, Dr. Dao Thanh Truong also acknowledged the efforts of the Institute of Journalism and Communication in proactively connecting with partners, being ready to participate in solving social problems, contributing to the community with its expertise, including improving the quality of journalism to help prevent violence against women and children in Vietnam.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Dao Thanh Truong (Vice Rector of University of Social Sciences and Humanities) spoke at the seminar
The main speakers of the seminar are experts and journalists with high prestige in the field of gender equality and journalism: Ms. Nguyen Van Anh, Director of the Center for Applied Science Research on Gender - Family - Women and Adolescents (CSAGA), Mr. Le Xuan Trung - Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Tuoi Tre Newspaper, Ho Chi Minh City.
At the seminar, Ms. Nguyen Van Anh provided guidance and disseminated key topics such as the role of the press and media in addressing violence against women in and through the media; international and regional regulatory frameworks and the context in Vietnam. Through discussions with journalists about the reporting situation on this topic, Ms. Nguyen Van Anh noted the principles of communication, cultural issues and human rights when journalists report in depth on gender-based violence issues.
Dr. Nguyen Van Anh presented a report highlighting the role of the press and media in addressing the issue of violence against women.
The discussion also raised topics and attracted lively discussions from journalists, journalism and media trainers participating, such as: Does the press's frequent reflection on violence against women and children make the public feel that violence in society is increasing? The press "attracts views", focusing on describing violence as a professional issue, journalism economics, or a professional ethics issue; Should we choose reality journalism (focusing on reflecting the reality) or solution journalism (finding ways to solve the problem) in the issue of violence against women and children; How to build series of articles, develop topics; How to build series of articles, develop topics...
Journalist Le Xuan Trung (Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Tuoi Tre Newspaper) shared meaningful and useful information for journalists and journalism and media trainers such as: journalists should increase consultation with experts, build a network of experts to support journalists and the editorial office. At the same time, to become a journalist with courage and style, without being too deeply interfered by the editor, especially when it comes to shortening the title of an article, it is necessary to look at it from both sides (reporters and editorial offices) to see one's responsibility.
Journalist Le Xuan Trung shares useful notes for journalists when working on the issue of violence against women and children.
“In particular, to address issues of gender equality, violence against women and children, the press must also conduct communication campaigns in coordination with relevant parties, not just simply be the party reporting the incident,” said journalist Xuan Trung.
Journalist Le Xuan Trung also shared: “In the press and media agencies themselves, we have to implement gender equality and create an atmosphere for everyone to respect each other. Tuoi Tre Newspaper is building its own code of ethics with over 60 articles that stipulate internal conduct and mention gender equality issues such as not assigning female reporters to work at night, having desks with glass partitions instead of closed walls; increasing news articles interviewing female characters... The press needs to open a forum for the public to participate in discussions, making the public think and express their opinions, the editorial office can nurture topics, and create an atmosphere of debate in society for the public to find solutions for themselves, not imposing solutions on readers. The press can also expand the readership of the entire social network if it can open this discussion space. In which, the press agencies are the ones who operate and connect for that discussion.”
At the seminar, journalists and journalism trainers discussed and learned about approaches to journalism on the issue of violence against women and children through practical working situations. From the results of group discussions, a number of useful solutions from many perspectives were proposed, such as developing professional rules in editorial activities, reporting processes on violence against women and children, sharing experiences and skills in organizing content production, article lines, identifying topics, exploiting information, interviewing, approaching victims and witnesses, forming themes and perfecting works in journalism; criteria for evaluating the quality of news articles on related topics, legal issues and professional ethics, etc.
UNESCO Representative in Vietnam - Mr. Christian Manhart in his message to the seminar also acknowledged the role of the media: “Violence against women and girls remains one of the biggest barriers in the fight for gender equality and sustainable development. We recognize the undeniable power of the media in influencing public opinion and calling on stakeholders to take necessary actions. Therefore, UNESCO believes that the media can make a significant contribution to solving this difficult problem.” The seminar also introduced the handbook “Careful Dialogue – A Guide to Addressing Violence Against Women in and Through the Media” co-published by UNESCO and UN Women in 2019 as a useful reference for journalists on related issues.
Associate Professor, Dr. Duong Xuan Son (Institute of Journalism and Communication) spoke at the seminar
