Removing difficulties and obstacles in financial mechanisms for press agencies

Completing financial mechanisms and regulations on economic and technical standards in the field of journalism is an issue of concern to many delegates and public opinion. Many delegates believe that this is a practical and necessary requirement, ensuring conditions for the press to perform its tasks well.

Speaking on the sidelines of the National Assembly, delegate Nguyen Thi Mai Thoa, Standing Member of the National Assembly's Committee on Culture and Education, said that in the context of the trend and requirements for public service units to implement an autonomous mechanism, there is a need to build and perfect mechanisms and policies on financial mechanisms for the press to develop in line with modern media trends while still meeting the requirements of completing political tasks well, while providing information and propaganda to meet the needs of social life.

In fact, the development of digital technology, social media on transnational digital platforms, the revenue of press agencies, along with difficulties and obstacles in implementing financial mechanisms, make the operations of press agencies even more difficult.

Not to mention, with production costs increasing in all areas, from remuneration paid to human resources, production organization... Press services are basic and essential public career services, so the State needs to support and ensure conditions for the press to perform its tasks well.

“In the context of having to compete with other social media platforms, perfecting the financial mechanism and the circular regulating economic and technical standards in the field of journalism is very necessary and practical for press agencies to both carry out political tasks and carry out information work on social life. Specific standards will have to be suitable for each area, locality, field and depend on the requirements of each type of journalism,” delegate Nguyen Thi Mai Thoa emphasized.

Besides the mechanism of assigning regular expenditure tasks from the budget, applying the mechanism of ordering the provision of public career services is an important resource to increase funding for press agencies that are public career units.

Regarding the mechanism for ordering information from press agencies, delegate Nguyen Thi Mai Thoa said that when the National Assembly's Committee on Culture and Education worked with press agencies, it raised the issue that state agencies need to regularly and periodically order information and propaganda work; in addition, it is necessary to place direct orders when there are unexpected events or special topics... When placing orders, it is necessary to ensure that they are implemented according to plan and that appropriate payments are made according to regulations so that press agencies can operate and deploy effectively. From there, it is necessary to urgently study, amend and perfect circulars regulating economic and technical norms in the field of journalism, ensuring the correctness and fullness of costs; amend regulations on the ordering mechanism, control of ordering and bidding for the provision of public career services from the state budget for press agencies.

Besides, the delegate also said that the context requires press agencies to improve quality, efficiency, innovate operations, and information and propaganda work; thereby improving coordination between the press and agencies and units.

Previously, discussing the socio-economic situation at the National Assembly on the afternoon of May 29, delegate Tran Thi Thanh Huong (An Giang) also proposed urgently removing difficulties and obstacles in financial mechanisms for press agencies.

The delegate said that the report of the Committee on Culture and Education examining the results of socio-economic development showed that, in recent times, the Government and the Ministry of Information and Communications have directed strongly, paid attention to removing difficulties, contributing to improving the efficiency of the press, publishing, information and communication sectors.

However, besides the achieved results, the implementation of regulations related to technical economic norms as the basis for building unit prices for ordering and bidding in the press field still has many problems.

According to delegate Tran Thi Thanh Huong, the strong development of digital technology and social media on transnational digital platforms poses many challenges and causes the revenue of press agencies to decline.

Meanwhile, production costs are increasing in all areas, from employee salaries, production organization to copyright costs, but the maximum rate has not caught up with the actual situation, making the already difficult operations of press agencies even more difficult.

From there, the delegate recommended: “Based on the actual situation, it is recommended that the Government strengthen the direction of the Ministry of Information and Communications and relevant ministries and branches to promptly complete and issue circulars regulating technical and economic norms in the field of journalism, ensuring correctness and completeness, and at the same time amend regulations on the mechanism for ordering and bidding for the provision of public career services from the state budget for press agencies.”

In addition, the An Giang delegation proposed a roadmap to amend regulations on taxes, fees, charges, and royalties in the press sector in accordance with the specific activities of each type of press.

This is an urgent requirement and press agencies are looking forward to perfecting financial mechanism regulations every day and every hour to create conditions for the Vietnamese press to develop more and more, in line with modern media trends, contributing to the successful completion of political tasks and being an essential means of information for social life.

Currently, the Ministry of Information and Communications is collecting opinions on the draft circular regulating the process of developing, appraising and promulgating technical and economic norms for public career services using the state budget in the press sector under the state management of the Ministry of Information and Communications.

The objective is to establish technical and economic norms as a basis for establishing prices (unit prices) for public career services in the press sector, and at the same time as a basis for competent authorities to determine prices of public service products in the press sector under the state management of the Ministry of Information and Communications.