EDITORIAL
A memorial to the pro-democracy protesters slaughtered by the military on May 17, 1992 - known as the Black May incident - is finally to be completed next year. It has been 16 years now, yet as we approach another anniversary can we say for sure that the country has matured politically? Can we say Thailand has come a long way from pitching contentious opinions to the point that they boil over and some general says the military must step in to restore order?
As we approach the Black May anniversary, a sense of uneasiness seems to have crept back into the minds of the people. Political tension has again risen to the fore. Opinion polls reveal the public is less than satisfied with the government's performance. The ongoing move to amend the charter remains controversial. And the very unhealthy rumour of another coup makes the rounds almost every day.
The political divide is of itself not as threatening as the attempts by people who have control over media, and some media professionals themselves, to use it to instigate animosity. It is fortunate there are only a few of these media outlets inciting an extreme, us-against-them attitude among an already divided public. It is less fortunate for us all that these few outlets are trying their best to provoke an ideological furore, even justifying violence as a means for suppression.
If we care to review recent history, we will see how extremely dangerous such irresponsible acts turn out to be. We will see how biased reporting contaminates the minds of the people, prompting them to terrible action.
Earlier this month two academics, Ubonrat Siriyuwasak and Chaiwat Satha-anand, issued an open letter urging media professionals to fulfil their duty of providing an open, free and impartial forum for different groups to tackle problems in a peaceful and civil manner. The role of the media is to foster understanding, not to provoke irrational passion or suggest the use of violence to settle differences of opinion. Their call has gone unheard.
Now, a petition signed by more than 100 academics and activists condemning the radio programme and website produced by Manager Group, is the latest attempt to bring this serious matter to attention. One of the hosts of the media group's "Metro Life" community radio programme not only urged listeners to physically harm people with different political opinions, but also gave the identity and address of a private citizen so that others could assault him. That particular radio host has "shown responsibility" by quitting the radio show. The problem, however, does not stop there. The Manager Group's website, and some others, are littered with extreme opinions and bigotry. Some of its columns have done away with not only factual accuracy but human decency as well.
The onus may be on media organisations - the Thai Journalists Association, the Broadcast Journalists Association and the National Press Council of Thailand - to exert influence and do their best to instil a sense of responsibility in their peers. Any attempt at self control is likely to be futile when it comes to the Web with its free-flowing nature. Under such a scenario, the best way to cope would be for news consumers to be aware of what they are hearing, watching and reading. They must be vocal in their disapproval when they come across bad ones. They must be literate enough about the media and not fall prey to irresponsible writers who seek to pitch people against each other just to serve their own vested interests.
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