Constructive Journalism: Partnering with Businesses for Growth

Press media is a vital channel for promoting enterprises, guiding public opinion, and building labor trust. In their mission, the press and businesses share a symbiotic relationship that supports mutual growth.

In the special issue celebrating the 99th anniversary of the Vietnam Revolutionary Press Day (June 21, 1925 – June 21, 2024), the Vietnam Textile Garment and Fashion Magazine collected opinions from business representatives and journalists who closely follow the textile garment industry to build an environment of “constructive press accompanying with business”.

BUSINESSES WITH THE MEDIA

Mr. Nguyen Duc Tri – Deputy General Director of Vinatex, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Hoa Tho Textile and Garment Corporation:

In reality, media plays a vital role in supporting and promoting business development by enhancing brand recognition, and updating market trends, consumer needs, economic policies, and industry changes. The media also creates opportunities for business cooperation and development through articles and reports on fairs, exhibitions, and economic events. Furthermore, the media raises awareness among employees about their rights and responsibilities, fostering a fair and responsible working environment, stabilizing labor, and encouraging innovation. In special situations, the media helps businesses manage crises by delivering transparent, accurate, and timely information, minimizing negative reactions, and strengthening trust with partners and customers.

To develop more official information channels that help employees aware properly and accompany business development, I hope the media will focus more on:

1. Reporting accurately and honestly, avoiding the spread of false or unsubstantiated information, and limiting sensational articles that cause public confusion and negatively affect the company’s image and reputation.
2. Understanding the industry and specific businesses to write deep and objective articles, collaborating closely with businesses to verify news before publishing for accuracy and comprehensiveness.
3. Publishing more articles and programs helping workers to understand their rights, obligations, and company policies, and reporting on corporate social responsibility and sustainability activities to enhance employees’ understanding of the company’s contributions to the community, thus increasing their trust and loyalty.
4. Creating high-quality articles, reports, and programs that build and maintain a positive image of effective businesses, and promoting articles about labor competition, innovation, and exemplary workers to guide training and enhance worker pride.
5. Fostering two-way interactions allows businesses and employees to provide feedback and engage with the media, helping the media better understand their needs and provide more useful and relevant information.

I believe that by improving these aspects, the media will contribute more to building official information channels, helping Hoa Tho’s employees and the textile garment industry have a correct understanding, stabilizing the workforce, and supporting sustainable business development.

Mr. Than Duc Viet – General Director of Garco 10 Corporation – JSC:

Currently, digital media is expanding its activities in both breadth and depth to achieve the highest information efficiency. Businesses like ours need media to understand market information, partners, and the business environment, which helps guide operations and make production and investment decisions. Media also plays a crucial role in promoting and introducing business strategies, business models, and products.

The media acts as a bridge between businesses and regulatory agencies, allowing the government and relevant authorities to hear business feedback on policy implementation, improving directives, management, and operational effectiveness.

Moreover, the media connects businesses with partners and consumers. Through the media, we understand market demands and consumer trends, allowing us to convey comprehensive product and service information to partners and consumers.

Media recognition of business achievements motivates and encourages continuous creative efforts, spreading positive values in the business community to contribute to the national economy.

In the future, I hope the media will continue to promote its role in fostering a favorable business environment, acting as a strong bridge between businesses and regulatory agencies, and between businesses and domestic and international markets. This will create an equal environment, providing opportunities for businesses to develop and contribute to national development.

In June,  on the occasion of celebrating Vietnam Revolutionary Press Day, I hope the media will enhance its role in guiding public opinion, consistently providing timely and accurate information on the Party’s and Government’s views, and avoiding vague or misleading news. Additionally, continue to promote good businesses, exemplary individuals, innovative practices, and new models, increasing valuable content for readers and viewers, and strengthening and promoting positive values. This contributes significantly to building an advanced Vietnamese culture with a strong national identity and developing national values, cultural values, family values, and Vietnamese human standards in the new era.

Strengthening healthy and effective cooperation between media and businesses is crucial for each party’s development and achieving national development goals. To sustain this important cooperation, we need to build a cooperative culture and establish cooperation based on cultural foundations.

Ms. Dang Ngoc Lan – Deputy General Director of Duc Giang Fashion and Investment Corporation, Duc Giang Corporation – JSC:

In the past two years, the textile garment industry has faced many challenges due to the economic downturn and changing consumer trends. Consumers are tightening their budgets and paying more attention to environmentally friendly and sustainable products. This requires us to innovate our business models. We hope the media can deliver positive information to consumers, raising awareness about recycled products and the importance of sustainable fashion.

During this time, we have received significant support from the media in conveying new trends in the textile garment industry and information about Duc Giang and HeraDG. This has helped consumers recognize and embrace the new image of sustainable fashion.

As a local fashion brand, we hope domestic media can actively support Vietnamese brands by showcasing their strengths and product quality to attract consumers. This will help local brands enhance their position, expand market share, and compete with foreign brands.

With media and communication support, Duc Giang Corporation and HeraDG hope local brands can prove their capabilities and build consumer trust that high-quality Vietnamese products are worth spending on, supporting the “Vietnamese people prioritize Vietnamese goods” campaign.

MEDIA WITH BUSINESSES

Journalist Hoang Van Anh – Nhan Dan Newspaper:

Understanding the economic difficulties and challenges facing the textile garment industry, we journalists share and support businesses. Having followed the textile garment industry for many years, I have seen the pressures faced by the industry and Vinatex since the end of 2022. I hope Vinatex and other companies in the industry can overcome these difficulties and achieve their goals, especially with positive export market signals.

For journalists, businesses are not only valuable information sources but their development is closely tied to the country’s development. Business growth indicators reflect economic achievements. Therefore, to provide timely and valuable information and propose solutions to business challenges, we hope businesses will facilitate information exchange and provide accurate, timely policy-related information. This helps journalists have a comprehensive view of businesses, assisting government agencies in resolving institutional bottlenecks and creating favorable conditions for business growth.

Furthermore, to gain an objective and deep understanding of the industry and create high-quality, thematic articles, we hope to conduct field surveys and experiences at business sites. This helps us reflect on business activities accurately and listen to businesses’ concerns about institutional and policy-related challenges, timely proposing solutions to the government. Moreover, we understand that businesses are not only entities that contribute to the annual GDP and create job and social stability, but also one of the important links for the press to have access to multi-dimensional information so that the press can fulfill its mission of transmitting and reflecting information.

In the future, I hope Vinatex and the textile garment industry can provide timely information about business activities, help the media update current and objective news, and gradually build a modern, transparent, and accurate communication environment.

Journalist Nguyen Thi Loan – Vietnam Economic Times (VnEconomy):

As a key export sector, ranked 3rd among Vietnam’s key export industries, the textile garment industry has always received media attention. Besides, textile garment is a labor-intensive industry with nearly 3 million workers, contributing to social stability. This dual goal has been a focus in many government meetings, analyzing strategies for industry development and removing obstacles for businesses. Recently, the strategy for textile-garment and footwear development until 2030, with a vision to 2035, was approved by the Prime Minister in 2022, providing a clear direction for investment and long-term planning for competition with other textile garment-exporting countries such as Bangladesh, Indonesia, India, etc.

Following Vinatex for many years, I have always received timely, in-depth insights from the Group’s leadership, helping journalists understand the industry’s challenges and competition. Vinatex and other textile garment businesses provide an “infinite” source of information, enabling us to create diverse, multi-dimensional content. The challenges businesses face are not only institutional but also internal, such as labor stability and competitive working environments.

Therefore, I hope exemplary models in the textile industry, useful union structures, and inspiring stories will be shared more through articles, alongside export statistics. Therefore, I hope that exemplary models in the textile industry, beneficial union structures, and inspiring stories of overcoming difficulties will be shared more through articles, alongside export figures. To achieve this, businesses need to be more open with the media, allowing us to experience the reality at factories and interview workers to create diverse and thematic articles..

Additionally, I hope Vinatex can build a multi-dimensional communication channel, from the Group to member units, allowing journalists to update on social security, industry greening, and sustainable development.

Journalist Phan Huong – Hanoi Radio and Television

For nearly 30 years, I have accompanied and witnessed the resilient growth of the textile garment industry, including the strong development of Vinatex. However, I never imagined the industry facing compounded difficulties as it did in 2023. In 2024, despite the global economic instability, I believe that with an “overcoming challenges” spirit and the resilience built through hardships, the textile industry will recover and grow. Signals of increasing orders at many companies and rising export turnover in the early months of the year support this expectation.

Moreover, I have observed significant innovations in the management and operations of the textile garment industry, especially within the Vietnam National Textile and Garment Group (Vinatex). The focus on digital transformation, greening the industry, and sustainable development is creating new advancements and a fresh look for the industry. When delving deeper into the enterprises and Vinatex, one finds many creative practices and ideas worth reflecting on and sharing. As journalists, we are always ready to accompany and spread these positive values.

At Vinatex, the reporters following the Group have engaged in two-way communication via social media, enhancing the speed and accuracy of information exchange and feedback. The Group’s communication has also become more open, with both challenges and successes being timely shared. This openness is expected to promote diverse and multi-dimensional information, avoiding one-sided reports that could be detrimental to businesses. Most importantly, with tens of thousands of direct workers, Vinatex has built a safe working environment focused on employees, which is another aspect that will attract media attention and coverage.

I believe that the media will be a bridge, conveying the voices of textile garment enterprises to regulatory agencies, and contributing to the recovery and sustainable development of this strategic and important industry. For Vinatex specifically, I hope the Group and member units will make significant breakthroughs, enhance their competitiveness, and continue to lead and be the core of the industry with nearly 30 years of overcoming challenges and development.

Reporters

Translated from the article published in the June 2024 issue of Textile-Garment and Fashion Vietnam Magazine.