Reporting From The Forums

[zaphodbeeblebrox]

I welcome another print rag based in Pattaya. Let's face it, the city has plenty of trash to talk about. But, I've noticed a trend I find disturbing in the first two issues of PattayaOne. That is, the tendency to report and print material from the Pattaya chat forums, and, what's worse, to print it like it's a trusted source. Most of the people I have met who are prolific posters on the Pattaya forums are habitual liars. They get a kick out of riling up the troops by writing some concocted story about a bar girl whom they turned the tables on and drugged, or some motorcycle accident victim, dying in the street, whose distress all the bystanders are ignoring. If people want to read the stories posted on the Pattaya chat forums, they can log on. It's not journalism to report from the forums, and do absolutely no fact-checking.

Several of the columns that I enjoy on PattayaLive come from the internet (Stickman and the Nightmarch). But, I also have enjoyed Pete's Peregrinations, which seems to be first-hand impressions reporting. So far, I'm finding the paper to be a good read. But using the Pattaya forums as a news source is dishonest, reprehensible and demonstrates a lack of journalistic integrity. Maybe I'm taking this rag too seriously and it's really just a rip off the Walking Street Journal?

Edited October 19, 2010 by zaphodbeeblebrox

[nullx8]

Yet another example about that its more important to be known as to know

i guess

[TCW]

Zaphod....X, some good points made, but I do think the forums column is more entertainment than serious news reporting going by its writing tone. Unless the writer really thinks it's news to report someones joke suggestion to re-use a condom!

I have enjoyed both Pattaya One editions. Made me LOL. Keep it up Howard.

Do you plan to distribute the paper in Bangkok anywhere?

Edited November 1, 2010 by thaiphoon
Font size changed for easier reading

[britmaveric]

Great idea... gives the man on the street slant to whatever is written. Pattaya One should be credited for using such a good idea. Besides not as if they are using real names - just anonymous nicks.

[Jingthing]

Great idea... gives the man on the street slant to whatever is written. Pattaya One should be credited for using such a good idea. Besides not as if they are using real names - just anonymous nicks.

A rare time we agree, BM. Also, they are not misrepresenting what they are doing at all. It is quite clear they are sharing stuff that happens here on this forum. The only small problem I have with this is for the users that use their REAL NAME as their identity here. They may legitimately not be so happy about being quoted, but on the other hand, the content is already on this site, and fully google-able.