Judging from another angle, the press itself is a component of the national culture. It is impossible to reflect the cultural identity and depth of a nation without taking into account the role and contribution, as well as the capability and characteristics of the press in the nation.

In the fullest sense of meaning, journalists are those who work in the cultural field. By nature, journalists are cultural workers, but not many of them daringly assume themselves to be culturalists. A proverb says “Good wine needs no bush”. Whether it is spoken out or not, the responsibility of journalists as cultural activists is undeniable.
 
When talking about journalists-cultural activists, we want to emphasise their cultural nature. No one boasts of “being cultured” when conditions are not ripe. An old saying says “we cannot make bricks without straw”. “Straw” here is the fundamental characteristics of culture which can be understood as lofty humanitarianism rather than as academic degrees, knowledge, talents and career, even though they are indispensable elements of cultural activists. Basically, culture is not congenital, but reflects the tradition of civilisation and the quality of education that human beings derive from society and family. It results from hard study, persistent training and experience gathering. Journalists who live from hand to mouth will never have genuine cultural nature.

The cultural nature of journalists is mainly reflected in their lifestyle and daily attitudes towards the nation, society, family, fellow countrymen and colleagues. In their career, journalists have to integrate with the upper class, intellectuals and politicians without being affected by their lifestyles. Even when they have to live together with people of lowest rank in society, they still respect their personality and know how to keep themselves from falling under bad influences.

During the war, journalists volunteered to go to the frontline although they knew many could never return home. In the history of the Vietnam revolutionary press, many journalists have bravely laid down their lives on the battlefields.

More often than not, journalists can hardly hold back their tears when they see unlucky women and orphans living or suffering diseases in tumbledown thatch huts.

In other words, the cultural nature of journalists is mainly seen through their daily behaviours: some having an indifferent attitude towards other people’s suffering; some living a noble life in society, but reacting violently against their wives and children; some pursuing the goal of making a fortune or seeking a social position and even moving in for the kill of friends and colleagues. Despite their flowery words, they cannot cover their true colours as “philistines”. An old saying says “Journalism can take you anywhere, but the matter is you know where to stop”.

The cultural nature of journalists is proven by their daily work based on professional ethics. The ethical principles sum up the basic cultural elements that society requires from the author. Therefore, the expression “being cultured” means “being ethical.”

The cultural nature of journalists is also judged from their serious and honest working styles. For instance, they are generous and helpful to others, strict with themselves, and cautious about handling the situation. This requires them to put the national interests above all. Diligent work and conscience are indications of the cultural nature of human beings.

Last but not least, the new culture finds a vivid reflection in newspapers or over radio and television. However, we should neither assimilate both good and bad values of the works with the cultural nature of the author, nor separate the two values, although they have something in common to a certain extent. The cultural nature is proven by the real quality of the work, not by technical effects or flowery words. An interesting article and a beautiful picture are not enough to reflect the cultural nature of the author. Works of cultural nature respect and improve the values of human beings rather than look down on them.

In a nutshell, the cultural nature is reflected in social impacts of each work and the whole life of human beings. The efficiency of all works and whole-life devotion portray the personality of the author in the end.

Phan Quang