Hanoi (VNA) –Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc met with veteran journalists and leaders ofmedia agencies across the country in Hanoi on July 20 on the occasion of the93th anniversary of the Vietnam Revolutionary Press Day (June 21).

The PM highlightedthat over the past 93 years, under the leadership of the Communist Party ofVietnam, the Vietnam revolutionary press has been a major force playing an importantrole in the field of ideology and culture.

The sector has achievedgreat progress over the past years and made significant contributions to therevolutionary cause of the Party as well as the national construction anddefence, he said.

The Government leader praisedthe press sector for reporting on the domestic and world situation in a fulland timely manner, covering all aspects of life and society and discovering newfactors and effective models in various fields.

The media has honouredgood examples and countered wrongful arguments and distorted information,contributing to fighting corruption, wastefulness, protecting the national sovereignty,promoting external relations, and combating degradation in morality andlifestyle, thus strengthening social consensus, noted the PM.

Accompanying the causeof renewal and national development, the Vietnam revolutionary press has developeddiverse media forms, including printed newspaper, radio, television, e-paper, andmultimedia, he said.

With a strong force ofnearly 850 media agencies and more than 18,000 reporters having press cards, anda Vietnam Journalists’ Association with more than 22,000 members, the Vietnamrevolutionary press has been a vanguard force on the ideology battlefield.

Many journalists have setbright examples in devoting their life for the national construction anddefence.

“We are deeply movedby the many journalists who died or get injured while performing their job inpeaceful time, most recently Dinh Huu Du from the Vietnam News Agency who died whencovering flood and storm situation in Yen Bai,” stated the PM.

He also expressed hopethat media agencies will show better performance in implementing their tasks ofcommunications assigned by the Party, State and people.

PM Phuc stressed thatthe current domestic and world situation requires journalists to continuerenovating and exerting more efforts in order to keep their role and position inguiding public opinion and contributing more to the national construction anddefence in the new period.

In the context ofdeeper international integration of the country and strong development of the informationand communication technology, media staff should quickly get access to newcommunications technology and methods.

“The press, in anyforms, should be sharp-witted and keep updated on new technology,” headded.-VNA