| Vietnam bans interviews |
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| World Affairs Talk | |
| Tuesday, 12 June 2007 | |
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The decree states that government spokespeople will have a monthly media briefing, and each ministry will hold a briefing at least once every six months. It also instructs the ministries to publish monthly or quarterly information for the media on their web sites. Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung issued the decision on May 28, banning everyone within government ministries from speaking to the media. Ministers, provincial governors and officially appointed spokespeople are however excluded from the list. Reporters working in the Vietnamese media, which is entirely state-controlled, feel that the new rules will make it more difficult to obtain information. They fear that many government officials will use the regulations as a tool to refuse to talk to the press. The journalists already have to go through thick layers of bureaucracy before they can get someone from a government agency to talk to them. The decree seemed to conflict with the government's commitment to implementing administrative reforms and opening government procedures. Until now, Vietnamese journalists routinely sought information from mid- and lower-level government bureaucrats. The new decree does not specify what will happen to officials who provide information to reporters without permission. The reporters and journalists now have to carry out investigative journalism and to analyze, scrutinize and report relevant and accurate information from other sources. Share & Bookmark             |
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| Last Updated ( Saturday, 16 June 2007 ) |
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