President Võ Văn Thưởng (right) and head of the Party Central Committee’s Commission for Publicity and Education Nguyễn Trọng Nghĩa (left) give the A Prize to Võ Mạnh Hùng, from the Vietnam News Agency's VietnamPlus e-newspaper. — VNA/VNS Photo Minh Quyết

HÀ NỘI — Hundreds of journalists from all over the country on Wednesday evening gathered to attend the National Press Awards awarding ceremony - the highest award for outstanding journalistic works.

The awards council said that out of 157 finalist works, the council discussed, evaluated and chose 123 excellent works, of which eight A Prizes, 24 B Prizes, 46 C Prizes and 45 Consolation Prizes.

Lê Quốc Minh, member of the Party Central Committee, editor-in-chief of the Nhân Dân (The People) newspaper, deputy head of the Party Central Committee’s Commission for Publicity and Education, chairman of the Việt Nam Journalists’ Association, chairman of the National Press Awards Council, said that the participants closely followed major topics from politics, economy, culture, society, national defense, security and other aspects of the country in 2022.

They strongly reflected important events of the country, he said, including efforts for socio-economic development, building independent economy in the context of COVID-19 pandemic, the fight against corruption and protecting the Party’s ideology.

Notably, many press agencies this year innovated, approached modern journalism technology, put their works on different communication platforms to increase people’s accessibility, step by step implement digital transformation.

The awards council assessed that many works are written carefully, their content discovered new problems, expressed major policies of the Party and the State, proposed good solutions that are pervasive and influential in society.

Many works have good quality, are presented in a good way that is lively and attractive to readers.

Excited and moved to receive the A Prize, journalist Võ Mạnh Hùng, from the VietnamPlus e-newspaper under the Vietnam News Agency (VNA), said that he spent nearly six years on conducting the series about environmental protection.

He directly set up ideas, outlines and plans to investigate in more than 20 provinces and cities.

To get information, he had to play many different roles and jobs. He acted as a worker at an industrial park, a ore and coal buyer, or a student studying geology to gain the trust of business owners.

In some places, when he first asked, he received warnings that it might be life-threatening if he was detected.

Overcoming all obstacles in the course of his work, in early December last year, Hùng proposed to the newspaper leaders to appoint two more reporters specialising in photos and videos.

They together returned to some hot spots to get the newest and panoramic footages.

Returning from the field trip, he quickly completed the series and published in the last days of December last year.

After the series of articles were published on the VietnamPlus e-newspaper, many localities across the country quickly carried out examination. From that basis, they issued decisions to punish violated enterprises and require them improve the polluted condition.

Many residents' petitions have been handled by the authorities.

Hùng said that much of the information provided in the topic was studied by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, and applied in the amended Law on Environmental Protection, which was effective from the beginning of last year.

“Our joy is multiplied when the series is awarded the A Prize. For me, this is happiness and also a great motivation to continue my efforts and dedicate the VNA writers’ bravery,” said Hùng.

Also won the A Prize, the documentary film Bẫy (Trap) spoke about human trafficking to Cambodia.

It was made by the Vietnam Television's Journalists Association and was first broadcast on December 24 last year.

With many professional measures, journalists played different roles, penetrated the criminals’s dens, learned their rules of guarding, and drew up an escape plan.

The film has vivid images about where the victims work and in solitary confinement. — VNS