FROM THE FORUM
Hoping for a more responsible media
- Published: 24/11/2009 at 10:29 AM
- Newspaper section: News
Social thinkers and representatives from the media and business sectors shared their views yesterday on the role of the media in these troubled times of prolonged political conflict in Thai society. The occasion was a seminar organised by the Buddhadasa Indapanno Archives and the Public Relations Department.
"It is time for the Thai media to look beyond superficial events such as who has been appointed Prime Minister Hun Sen's economic adviser. Journalists must arm themselves with knowledge and in-depth information in order to look beyond daily incidents. Now, there are no reporters specialising in social or economic analysis. It's time for people in the media profession to open their minds to comments and criticism of their work.” — THEPCHAI YONG, MANAGING DIRECTOR OF BROADCASTER THAI PUBLIC BROADCASTING SERVICE (TPBS)
“Most media recipients believe what they see on TV and radio or read in newspapers is over 50% true. Media and politics are the two most powerful segments in Thai society. So, media professionals should have two important things in mind _ first, their mission is to disclose and follow up on all bad things, such as corruption, and second, they must not report the incidents in a way that will provoke unrest.” — BANTHOON LAMSAM, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OF KASIKORNBANK
“The media is a more effective opposition party than those in the parliament. The media cannot stop reporting on political issues, but they should report more in-depth information than what someone has said or done. If they continue to convey shallow content on politics, readers will get only a shallow understanding or only one side of the matter. For the public, they should not just sit and wait for the media to do the job. Everybody can help expose the truth too because we all have eyes, ears and the ability to think.” — PHRA MAHA VUDHIJAYA VAJIRAMEDHI, SOCIAL THINKER AND WRITER
“The media, like other businesses, operates in a world of profit and loss. Since the media is one type of business, it should come up with a corporate social responsibility scheme by providing more knowledge and useful content to their audiences. One thing the media can do to create a better society is stop paying too much attention to political issues. They should not only focus on reporting political conflicts.
Thai society is very complicated and the government cannot resolve the problems by only using its power, which does not last long. Thai political history tells us that politicians have been part of violent conflicts that have claimed many lives. In past political unrest, greedy politicians mobilised their supporters to fight and kill each other.” — PRAWASE WASI, SENIOR SCHOLAR
