News

The Vietnamese news industry should look to Australian publishers for business news reporting advice, according to QUT Master of Journalism student Vu Ha Phuong.

The 28-year-old Vietnamese student presented her research to a group of QUT Journalism academics in March. Her research compares the content, distribution, editorial standards and audience satisfaction of business news between Australia and Vietnam.

The Australian Awards Scholarship recipient has spent the last year in Australia observing the editorial practices of the Courier-Mail and Brisbane Times, surveying editorial staff and measuring the editorial content of specialist business publishers.

Having worked for Vietnam News Agency (VNA) before arriving in Australia, her post graduate course work focused on finding ways to build an audience for business and economic news for the Vietnamese publisher.

Ms Vu believes that Vietnamese publishers can increase their revenue by offering higher quality business news that engages with the audience and attracts business advertisers.

"Business news has evolved to include autonomy, negotiation and boundary-spanning issues," Ms Vu said in her presentation.

"Niche media are doing a better job of covering business news for a general audience than the mainstream news."

According to the post graduate student, local publications such as the Australian Financial Review employ editorial methodology that the Vietnamese news industry can mirror.

"The Vietnamese news industry is facing survival issues, and must respond to change by focusing on personal finance, mortgage and other issues that people can relate to better," Ms Vu said.

QUT Journalism, Media and Communication Post Graduate Study Area Coordinator Dr Lee Duffield supervised her study and introduced Ms Vu to Australian media organisations.

He said her research project was interesting because of the real world changes taking place in Vietnam.

"Ha Phuong is writing a business report that stands to be influential with her employers in that country," Dr Duffield said.

Ms Vu said that she had selected QUT to undertake her post graduate study due to its flexible course structure and unit options.

"I can study advertising, design and other areas outside journalism," Ms Vu said.

She hopes to continue her academic career in Europe after she completes her post-graduate study at QUT.

Info

Dr Lee Duffield

Phone

07 3138 8164

Email

l.duffield@qut.edu.au

URL

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