Laws of Vietnam

THE MINISTER OF CULTURE AND INFORMATION

Pursuant to the December 28, 1989 Press Law and the June 12, 1999 Law Amending and Supplementing a Number of Articles of the Press Law;

Pursuant to the Government’s Decree No.81/CP of November 8, 1993 defining the functions, tasks, powers and organizational structure of the Ministry of Culture and Information;

Pursuant to the Government’s Decree No.51/2002/ND-CP of April 26, 2002 detailing the implementation of the Press Law and the Law Amending and Supplementing a Number of Articles of the Press Law;

At the proposal of the director of the Press Department of the Ministry of Culture and Information,

DECIDES:

Article 1.- To issue together with this Decision the Regulation on press interview.

Article 2.- The press agencies, the press-managing agencies, the heads of press agencies, journalists, organizations and individuals involved in press activities shall have to implement this Regulation.

Article 3.- The Regulation on press interview shall take effect 15 days after its signing. All the earlier provisions contrary to this Regulation are hereby annulled.

Minister of Culture and Information
PHAM QUANG NGHI

(Issued together with Decision No.26/2002/QD-BVHTT of September 26, 2002 of the Minister of Culture and Information)

Interview is a journalistic form aiming to provide the public with information through journalists’ questions and interviewees’ answers.

For the press agencies, interviewers and interviewees to exercise their rights and perform their obligations under the provisions of the Press Law, the Ministry of Culture and Information issues the following Regulation on press interview:

1. Interviewers must be persons with full capacity to represent the interviewing press agencies.

2. Interviewers should notify interviewees of the purposes, requirements and contents of interviews. When requested by interviewees, interviewers must send interviewees questions beforehand or clearly state their requirements so that interviewees can make preparation therefor. In case of direct interviews without advance notices, the interviewees’ consent is required.

3. After the interviews, the interviewers, on the basis of the information and materials supplied by interviewees, may present their writings in appropriate genres. Where interviews aim only to collect information, interviewers may write articles at the requests of the press agencies; interviewers must present accurately and truthfully the contents of answers of interviewees and take responsibility for their writings’ contents.

For interviews to be inscribed clearly with the full names, titles and addresses of interviewees, if such interviewees request to see the contents before they are published or broadcast, the press agencies and interviewers must not refuse their requests.

In cases where the information need to be released soon, if interviewers and press agencies present accurately and truthfully the contents of the interviewees’ answers and the interviewees have no requests, the interviews need not necessarily be sent to the interviewees for examination.

4. Upon receiving the press agencies’ or journalists’ requests for interview, the to be-interviewed persons should create favorable conditions for them to conduct the interviews. The persons requested to give interviews may refuse to do that when they are unprepared or have neither responsibility nor competence to answer.

5. Interviewees may give written answers to questions already sent to them in advance or answer journalists directly so that the latter may take notes, make audio or video recording for press publication or broadcast.

6. When editing interviews, press agencies and journalists must not add or trim the contents of questions and answers at their own will, thus distorting the contents of the interviewees’ answers.

For statements not for the purposes of answering press interviews at conferences, meetings, seminars or talks..., attended by journalists, the journalists may take notes, relate or briefly relate such statements for press publication or broadcast in consistency with the purposes and requirements of information provision, but must not use those opinions for conversion into interviews without the speakers’ consent.

7. Press agencies, interviewers and interviewees shall all be responsible for the contents of information published or broadcast on the press.

In cases where the interviews’ contents violate the Press Law or other law provisions, the press agencies, interviewers or interviewees shall, depending on the nature and seriousness of their violations as well as responsibilities therefor, be handled according to law provisions.

Minister of Culture and Information
PHAM QUANG NGHI