Protecting media freedom, or tightening govt control?

LET IT BE

Protecting media freedom, or tightening govt control?

Published: 7/01/2011 at 05:12 AM
Newspaper section: News

On Tuesday cabinet approved a draft legislative bill to ensure the protection of the rights, freedom and the setting of ethical standards for people who work in the mass media.

The draft bill purports to protect the media’s right to report the news, but more and more websites are being shut down every day.

The intention of the law, according to Ong-art Klampaiboon, the PM Office's minister in charge of media relations, is to guarantee that people who work in mass media can freely report their work, especially targeting those working in government-controlled media agencies which are prone to bureaucratic and political interference.

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About the author

: Writer: Suranand Vejjajiva; Position: Contributor

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ricefield
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Discussion 4 : 08/01/2011 at 01:42 AM4
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No radio station, magazine or newspaper should be shut at the discretion of the Government. Only the courts should have that option following strict guidelines of what is and is not correct. Be they red, yellow or rainbowed they have the right to air and transmit their views as long as they meet the guidelines, which Thailand has very few of and those they do have are vague at best.

Disc 2 - You have to apply to the government for licensing of a magazine in Thailand. If such a magazine as PE surfaced it would be banned or censored immediately. The Economist comes to mind here where not only the sale is restricted the website is blocked when content deemed by the government to be inappropriate is in their issue.

Disc 3 - I think that there is room for both a government and Military stations, just not only Government and military stations. Government run stations like the BBC (UK) and CBC (Canada)actually produce some of the most unflattering government programs.
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Northman061
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Discussion 3 : 07/01/2011 at 09:48 AM3
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The biggest problem is that the Government and military should have NO TV/Radio stations. No Democracy can really justify the need or reason for these unwanted and unbalanced propoganda outlets.

The Government will and should be judged by its actions and works, not through its TV PR machine.
The Military are servants of the Civil Power and should have no time or need for a TV/Radio station.

Both are clearly not independent and both work with "conflict of interest", so both should close.
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domdunnn
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Discussion 2 : 07/01/2011 at 09:40 AM2
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Fifty odd years ago in the UK, a magazine, "Private Eye", was founded. Journalists who had stories spiked by their editors would give the story anonymously to PE who would publish it. Over the years the magazine was sued for libel many times and sometimes it lost (notably to billionaire Jimmy Goldsmith), but the readers always sent money to the magazine's "Goldenballs" fund to pay the damages. It is still going today.

Thai journalists who have stories spiked should put them on 'you tube' and the rest of the press should spread the word about where to look.
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bangmodken
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Discussion 1 : 07/01/2011 at 04:11 AM1
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Most red medias were shut down only because they instigated and incited violence,distorted historical facts and told outright lies.I guess this is what you're referring to.
If you think you can act like most of Thaksins red medias did here,in Europe,I'm afraid you'll be pretty disappointed.
I will however agree that blogging YouTube,Wikileaks and similar sites here in Thailand is absurd.
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Protecting media freedom, or tightening govt control? | Bangkok Post: opinion