By Phuong Ngan Do
Helen Baldwin Fellow
Senior Editor, International Affairs Review
Hanoi, Vietnam
Hosted by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

I used to think that the most important virtue for journalists is courage. They went to hot spots, found out the big secrets, and challenged their own careers and lives to find the truth. But after five months of working as a journalist in the United States, I realize that the first thing a journalist has to learn is responsibility.

In Vietnam, people have a joke: “Writers cheat and journalists lie.” It’s an old joke. Vietnamese journalism is changing, coming closer to reader and writing about the day-to-day problems. But this joke also reflects a difficult task for journalists there: creating belief among people.

Recently, on the Journalist Day of Vietnam, I read a story in a Vietnamese newspaper about the improvement of Vietnamese journalism, praising that Vietnamese newspapers are becoming the voice of ordinary people. Many recent corruption scandals among government officials have been discovered by journalists. They play a strong role in fighting with bureaucracy. Moreover, ordinary people can now express their opinions and anger in newspapers.

However, good intentions are sometimes destroyed by bad habits. I know the author of the story and I know that her byline is a nickname, not her real name. I made an assumption: If I were an enthusiastic reader. After reading that story and being persuaded that newspapers are becoming the voice of people, I decided to call that journalist to tell her about a problem in daily life that I have. I didn’t have her direct phone number or email address because they didn’t appear in the newspaper. My only choice was to call the operator of the newspaper. Because the operator was not a writer, if she didn’t know the nicknames of each writer in the newsroom, how could I talk to that journalist? Broadly speaking, how could ordinary people explain their problems to journalists?

Using nicknames is a habit of many journalists in Vietnam, including me. Only after I worked in an American newspaper, where all writers use their real names and their telephone numbers and email addresses were published openly, I realized the importance of this. It’s not only an effective way for readers to contact writers, but also to increase the responsibility of writers. In Vietnam, some reporters use their real names with the stories that they write well, but use nicknames with stories they don’t write well. But once your name appears in the newspaper and readers can contact you easily, you must be more responsible with what you write. Readers can find out your mistakes and complain directly to you. On the other hand, readers will want to cooperate with you for story ideas or look for your next story if you are a good writer. But if not, you will lose your readers. And, no journalist wants to be considered incompetent. The best way to serve readers is to let them have their voice, or involve them in building the content of the newspaper.

During my time in the U.S., I asked myself many times: “Why does the American public believe in newspapers?” I’m a foreigner in the U.S., my English is not good, but when I interview people, they are willing to talk to me; they are very open to me. In a conference about ethical journalism in Pittsburgh, the first question discussed was “Do Americans believe in newspapers?” All experienced journalists from The Washington Post, The New York Times, and Pittsburgh Post-Gazette gave the same answer…“yes.” I could sense that belief when I received emails from readers on my stories. They shared with me their thoughts, their opinions. Even when they disagreed with me, I knew that they wanted me to do better next time. I’m sure that Vietnamese readers also want to share their comments, but they can’t do it that easily if they don’t know the real names of reporters.

Americans believe in newspapers because it’s not easy to bribe journalists. When Vietnamese journalists attend press conferences and meetings to make a story, they usually receive a gift which is normally an envelope of money. I once saw a Vietnamese journalist talking to his colleagues: “Why doesn’t this conference have envelopes?” That’s why some events are not worthy to make news but still become news because reporters are paid to write about it. In all the conferences and meetings that I participated in the U.S., I didn’t see any gifts or envelopes. Even if a journalist is invited for lunch by a PR person or director of a company or organization, he/she pays for himself.

What I want to do back home is to persuade my colleagues to be more responsible in writing. It means we have to serve readers to the best. First, it must be writing style. I’ll tell them the difference between a report and a story. With the same information, storytelling style will be more attractive and closer to readers. I could hold a small meeting in the newsroom of my home newspaper and talk about this subject.

Second, I have to persuade my boss to force reporters to use their real names for most of their stories, except for some sensitive stories. Reporters will have to take responsibility if their true names are in the newspaper. I’ll explain the benefit of direct connection between writers and readers. This will encourage readers to get more involved in the content of newspaper, thus making the newspaper closer to the readers. It means we can increase the circulation and have more advertisements. On the other hand, this will enhance the prestige and credentials of my newspaper.

Third, how to wipe out the habit of receiving “envelopes” is one of the most difficult jobs. We cannot do it right now because the income of writers at the newspaper is still low. Moreover, we cannot ban them to take envelopes while most reporters of other newspapers do, and while receiving envelopes is a habit not only of journalists but many authorities. But I’ll start insisting we not publish stories that seem to be paid for. Then, I’ll persuade my editor not to let reporters have working travel sponsored by companies or organizations. And I’ll suggest to my editor to issue a policy: any writer who is subjected to receive a gift from a company with an aim to keep that important relationship will be given a bonus if they submit that gift to the newspaper.

As I learnt in the U.S., newspapers have existed not only to provide information to readers but also to give a voice to the voiceless. How could you do this if you are not really responsible in your work? Providing the facts to readers is a main task of journalists, but being responsible enough to find the truth behind those facts is a more important duty.