At the forum “Press – Businesses Accompanying to Create the Future,” held on June 20, Mr. Dao Quang Binh, Vice Chairman of the Editorial Board, General Director, and Managing Editor of Tap chi Kinh te Viet Nam / Vietnam Economic Times / VnEconomy, emphasized that the press and businesses must stand together, with “correct” but “worthy” information provided by the press to businesses.

At the forum “Press – Businesses Accompanying to Create
the Future” held on June 20 on the sidelines of the National Press Festival 2026 in Hai
Phong city, speakers, including journalists and business representatives,
discussed and dissected issues to ensure that the press and businesses work
closely together, allowing the press to continue playing a leading role amidst
the information explosion, social media, and the rising influence of artificial
intelligence (AI).

Trust is built from correct information

From a business perspective, Ms. Le Thi Hong Nhi, Deputy
General Director of Communications, External Relations, and Sustainable
Development at Unilever Vietnam, highly appreciated the important role of the
press in connecting information with social context, helping the public
understand issues correctly and promoting constructive dialogues. When
information is understood correctly, trust will be strengthened; when trust is
strengthened, society will have more motivation to act.

“However, trust is not something that exists
automatically. Trust must be built from correct information, responsible
dialogue, and substantial actions that can be verified,” Ms. Nhi said.

Addressing the current state of information, Ms. Nhi stated
that social media can rapidly impact readers’ emotions. Many unverified pieces
of information can spread easily and have a wide influence. In this context,
businesses need to proactively engage in dialogue, ensure transparency of
information to protect their reputation, while the press needs to maintain a
two-way information mechanism to help the public access the full essence of
events.

From the perspective of the financial sector, Mr. Chu Hai Cong,
Public Relations Director at the MB Bank, noted that Vietnam currently has 137
million mobile connections, 85.6 million internet users, and 78 million social
media accounts. According to Mr. Cong, society today is not lacking
information, but is facing challenges regarding trust in information. In the
era of AI and the explosion of social media, the biggest challenge is no longer
accessing information but identifying what is trustworthy information.

To illustrate the impact of the trust crisis,  the representative from the MB Bank  cited the collapse of Lehman Brothers in 2008
and the crisis at Silicon Valley Bank in 2023. When public trust is damaged,
waves of withdrawals and stock sell-offs occur, causing financial institutions
to quickly lose liquidity. “Trust is an intangible asset, but when lost,
the damage is entirely tangible,” Mr. Cong remarked.

In the digital economy, technology helps connect, data helps
operate, but trust is the factor that enables society to accept and accompany.
Trust is not created by calls for it but is formed through actions and
reinforced by the truth. The MB representative also stated that customers may
come to the bank for products but will stay because of trust.

Therefore, businesses must be responsible for maintaining
transparency, ensuring asset safety, protecting data, and creating real value
for customers. At the same time, the press and businesses need to enhance
mechanisms for sharing, verifying, and interacting to build a healthy
information environment together.

The press must be authentic, aiming for positive
effectiveness

Leading the discussion on trust in the current context, Mr.
Le Quoc Vinh, Chairman of Le Bros Media Group, raised the question of whether public
trust is being shaken by the explosion of fake news and unverified content in
cyberspace.

Mr. Nguyen Minh Duc, Deputy Director of Hanoi  Press, Radio and Television, believes that
trust is an eternal value. The press has legitimacy and must protect the truth.
In an era where fake news is rampant, all information needs to be verified and
confirmed from multiple sources before publication.

Ms. Vu Thi Anh Hong, Deputy Editor-in-Chief of the Economic
– Finance Magazine, stated that public trust is only formed when the press
effectively fulfills its role of conveying the truth and disseminating accurate
information. Referring to the story of importing scrap materials during
2018-2019, when concerns arose about Vietnam becoming the “world’s trash
dump,” Ms. Hong noted that the press stepped in to clarify information and
urged regulatory agencies to implement appropriate solutions.

For the press and businesses to accompany each other, in
addition to policy communication, the press needs to spend more time listening
to the thoughts and recommendations of businesses, thereby proposing solutions
to improve mechanisms and policies that align with reality. Businesses must
also be bold in providing information to the press, as there has been a
tendency for businesses to hesitate or not truly engage in responding to the
press.

Mr. Nguyen Anh Vu, Editor-in-Chief of Culture Newspaper,
likened trust to the soft infrastructure of society. The press sometimes chases
views, leading to unverified and inauthentic reporting, gradually losing
readers. “We can be slow, but it must be true and clean, with reasoning,
guiding, and orienting public opinion. Businesses must also build trust through
correct business practices and environmental protection,” Mr. Vu stated.

Speaking at the panel discussion, Mr. Dao Quang Binh, Vice
Chairman of the Editorial Board, General Director, and Managing Editor  of Tap chi Kinh te Viet Nam / Vietnam
Economic Times / VnEconomy, affirmed that trust is a particularly important
spiritual foundation for the press, businesses, and society as a whole.
According to Mr. Binh, the press operates in an environment where social media
also reports news, and AI can also create content. Therefore, the
distinguishing factor of mainstream journalism is the ability to verify,
confirm, and ensure the authenticity of information. “To maintain trust,
the press must prioritize authenticity and verification,” Mr. Binh said.

However, press information not only needs to be correct but
also useful, providing positive value to society, contributing to guiding and
promoting development. Information provided by  Tap chi Kinh te Viet Nam / Vietnam Economic
Times / VnEconomy  has always aimed for
positivity. “The press must not only  provide 
‘correct’ but also  ‘worthy’
information which must bring positive effects to society; if it causes harm, it
should not be used. The ultimate criterion of the press is that information
must be beneficial to society,” said Mr. Binh.

In response to the question of how to create a bridge
between the press and businesses, Mr. Binh stated that after 35 years of accompanying
businesses, Tap chi Kinh te Viet Nam / Vietnam Economic Times / VnEconomy has
now taken a further step to stand alongside businesses. Economic journalism has
an advantage since businesses are already the subjects served by the press.
However, the editorial office must have an organic connection with the
business’s communication department, understanding the business to create a
bridge. “We have a division to communicate with the PR staff of businesses,
with all information conveyed immediately,” Mr. Binh said.

Speaking at the panel discussion, Mr. Le Quoc Minh, Chairman
of the Vietnam Journalists Association, noted that the press’s revenue mainly
comes from businesses, making the role of businesses extremely important to the
press. Therefore, mutual support is very much needed. However, in recent times,
this relationship has evolved differently, leading to a context that businesses
feeling apprehensive and complaining that the press is not operating healthily.
“The press and businesses must accompany each other, not think that ‘you need
me, but I don’t need you,” Mr. Minh said.

Vneconomy-Nam Khanh