HCMC – Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Van Hung presented the draft of the revised Press Law to the National Assembly on October 23. The latest version has four chapters and 51 articles, compared to six chapters and 61 articles in the 2016 Press Law.
Lawmakers will review the draft and pass it during the ongoing 10th National Assembly sitting.
The amendments aim to update press regulations to match the rapid development of digital technology and communication. They also delegate detailed and frequently changing issues to the Government and relevant ministries for flexible management.
The draft law recognizes that many media outlets have expanded their presence online to reach wider audiences and generate digital ad revenue, but the current law only covers conventional media.
Under Article 30 of the draft, media organizations operating in cyberspace must comply with laws on journalism, cybersecurity, and their registered editorial missions and goals. They may also provide online services on their platforms under Government regulations.
Media organizations will be responsible for the content and copyright of materials posted online, but will not be liable for any changes caused by social media platform errors. They must notify authorities when opening online content channels and link their systems with state-run databases for content archiving and monitoring.
The draft introduces new terms such as “online press publication,” “press organizations’ content channels in cyberspace,” and “national digital press platform” to define the scope of online journalism.
The Government will also invest in digital tools to monitor press activities in cyberspace and support regulatory oversight.
