Chương 4 Nghị định 51/2002/NĐ-CP Hướng dẫn Luật Báo chí, Luật Báo chí sửa đổi: Tổ chức báo chí và nhà báo

Chapter IV

PRESS ORGANIZATIONS AND JOURNALISTS

Article 6.- Parent agencies of the press bodies

1. Based on the Press Law, the Law Amending and Supplementing a Number of Articles of the Press Law and the Government’s planning for press development, the organizations defined in Article 1 of the Press Law shall have the right to directly apply for the establishment of press bodies and become the parent agencies of those press bodies after being granted press body-establishing permits by the State management agencies in charge of the press.

2. The heads of the parent agencies of the press bodies shall direct and oversee the latter’s activities, take responsibility before law within the ambit of their tasks and powers for violations committed by their dependent press bodies.

3. The parent agencies of the press bodies shall appoint, relieve from office or dismiss the editors-in-chief, deputy editors-in-chief (for print journalism and electronic journalism), the general directors, deputy general directors, directors and deputy directors (for radio and television stations, audio-visual news establishments) after getting written consent from the Ministry of Culture and Information.

The heads of the parent agencies of the press bodies and the persons designated to represent those parent agencies to monitor and direct the press bodies must not currently be the heads of the press bodies.

4. The parent agencies of the press bodies shall prescribe the regime of inspection of operations of the press bodies, and periodically report on operations of the press bodies to the Ministry of Culture and Information.

5. The parent agencies of the press bodies shall have to allocate initial fundings, arrange offices, invest in equipment and operational means and provide price subsidy for the press bodies in cases where the latter, due to the performance of information and propagation tasks, have to sell their products below the cost prices or are entitled to operational funding allocation (for radio and television stations).

Article 7.- Powers of the press bodies

1. To be entitled to capital and operational funding allocation, price subsidies and loss compensation, by their parent agencies. In addition to the tax and charge preferences for press publication and distribution activities, the press bodies of political organizations, the press in service of the youngsters, inhabitants of mountainous and island areas or ethnic minority people, external relations press as well as scientific and technical press shall be considered for annual financial support by the State.

2. To organize business and service activities in the fields of printing, publishing and distributing books and newspapers, advertisement, film-shooting, photography and trading in equipment and supplies for press professional activities in order to create sources of revenues for reinvestment in the press development.

The press bodies that wish to expand their business and service lines to other fields related to their professional operations must get consents from their parent agencies and notify such to the State management agencies in charge of the press.

The business and service activities must be registered separately from professional activities of the press bodies and comply with law provisions on the business lines and trades as well as services, which the press bodies are engaged in.

3. To receive and use voluntary financial supports from domestic and overseas organizations and individuals for activities in accordance with the provisions of law.

The parent agencies of the press bodies shall have to guide the reception and use of voluntary financial supports in strict compliance with the State’s stipulations.

The heads of the press bodies shall be held responsible before their parent agencies and before law for the management and use of financial supports.

Article 8.- Powers of journalists

1. To come to agencies, organizations, libraries, museums and exhibitions to gather information, consult documents and practice journalism. When coming to the said organs, they need only to produce the press cards. The State agencies must not refuse to provide journalists with materials and/or documents not falling under the scope of regulation by the Ordinance on the Protection of State Secrets.

2. To carry out professional activities at the National Assembly’s sessions, meetings of the People’s Councils of all levels, open congresses and conferences as well as meetings and guest receptions of the Party, State and/or other agencies as well as organizations, at the invitations and according to specific provisions of the organizing committees of such activities.

3. To carry out such professional activities as news-gathering, photographing, film-shooting or tape-recording at open court hearings; to be given exclusive seats, to contact directly with judges and lawyers in order to gather news or take interviews according to the provisions of law.

4. To be given priority in buying train-, bus- and air- tickets, and quickly sending telegraphs, articles and photos as well as audio and video tapes and disks and other press works when carrying out their professional activities.

5. To be given priority and conditions for smooth travelling in case of traffic jams and enjoy traffic toll exemption for the transport means of their own and their press bodies when those means are used in service of the professional press activities.