Press agencies must go side by side with the nation in the cause ofnational construction and play an active role in fulfilling thecountry’s important tasks, said Dinh The Huynh, Politburo member andHead of the Party Central Committee’s Commission for Popularisation andEducation.

Huynh chaired a conference of thenational press in Hanoi on March 19 to review the sector’sperformance over the past year and map out orientations this year.

He urged for closer coordination between the authorities and branchesat all levels and the press as well as among the national press, so thatthe press can access authentic information, especially regardingimportant, complicated and sensitive one that draws public’s attention.

Only when doing so, can the national press wellperform their function of guiding public opinions and countering wronginformation and hostile allegations, Huynh said.

Furthermore, the national press should give extensive coverage of thecountry’s renewal process, timely highlighting good examples andpatriotic movements as well as drawing attention to the achievements andprospects of the economy.

The Party official saidpress coverage must be comprehensive and truthful, which requires a highsense of social responsibility and citizen duties of every journalistas well as each press agency.

The conference, whichwas jointly held by the Party Central Committee’s Commission forPopularisation and Education, the Ministry of Information andCommunications and the Vietnam Journalists’ Association, agreed thatthis year, the national press will continue to report on thegovernment’s solutions and actions to curb inflation, stabilise macroeconomy, ensure social welfare, restructure the economy and renew growthmodels.

They will uphold an active role in the fightagainst corruption, wastefulness and negative phenomena, as well as inproviding a forum for social debate, while proactively counteringdistorted information from hostile forces.-VNA