Don’t accept just being a writer
Dr. Phan Van Kien, Director of the Institute of Journalism and Communication Training, University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Hanoi National University, said writing is just one task of a journalist. AI only increases efficiency for journalists and newsrooms. Therefore, according to Mr. Kien, AI was born to reposition the position of journalists in the newspaper industry and editorial offices, not to eliminate journalists from the game.
“Reporting news and writing articles is the first competency of a reporter, a professional skill. If we only live by that skill, reporters will always be just news writers and this job will be done better by AI, so humans will be replaced,” Mr. Kien said and gave the example of 2020, an American media company banned creating an AI platform capable of producing 2,000 video clips from open data globally. Assuming that after screening, only about 5% of them are of good quality, then one day an AI platform can produce 100 videos that even the most demanding newsroom can use. Meanwhile, how many people does it take to produce those 100 videos in 1 day? Journalists who can only do the work of a machine will be replaced. When the journalism market has a new factor (AI), journalists must find their place and market share. “Journalists don’t have to worry about how they will be affected, but think about how they can continue to do journalism,” Mr. Kien shared and gave direction on how to reposition the role of journalists.
Students majoring in Journalism, Institute of Journalism and Communication, University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Hanoi National University practice at studios. Photo: Diep An
In the context of social networks and AI development, the press is the place where readers verify the reliability of news sources, no longer the role of information provider. Readers come to the press to read impressive information. The press is a place to express political opinions about events under the interpretation and direction of journalists and editors. According to Mr. Kien, readers also come to newspapers for emotional orientation. Only journalists can write investigative articles and reports that make readers angry or moved. Journalism or literature and art is the highest crystallization of human emotions. Looking from that angle, we can see that the journalist’s land is still vast. In the context of AI appearing, the press will not accept journalists and writers.
“We still teach students that journalism and journalists must work for the lives and interests of people in society. In the digital age with the strong development of AI, journalistic ethics need to be promoted and enforced more effectively than ever. Instead of fearing AI, every journalist, including journalism students, needs to have enough courage, intelligence, and ethics to use AI as a work support tool. AI can do many things for humans, but the key thing is that humans have warm, loving hearts and smart, alert, creative minds that no AI can replace.”
Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Thi Truong Giang
Associate Professor. Dr. Nguyen Thanh Loi, Editor-in-Chief of the Economic and Urban Newspaper, said that the advancement of science and technology has provided the Journalism and Communications industry with outstandingly advanced tools and communication methods. The new media environment, especially the digital transformation of newspapers, requires new mechanisms in fostering and training journalists. Digital journalists today must know how to apply new communication techniques, film, write, process sound and images, and must grasp modern information techniques such as Skype, MSN, blogging, Podcasting … This shows that the traditional journalist training model has become outdated and difficult to meet the needs of the new media environment.