Bangkok Post Vs. The Nation

[cdnvic]

I've been pretty hard on The Post as of late, because the quality of the news and editorial content leave much to be desired. But that aside, I think it's rival The Nation could still learn alot from it's politically compromised competitor.

Now I always read The Nation first because I find the news to be as honest as I can expect here, but after that The Nation is pretty thin on content. The Post's business and sports sections are roughly the same as it's rivals, but it's other sections are either much better than The Nation, or in most cases, The Nation doesn't have anything like it.

Learning Post: useful for learning thai, teaching english, and he may be a kid, but "Gor's World" is one of my favourite columns in any paper. It's rare to see anyone write with this kind of honesty, let alone a troubled kid.

Horizons: Great travel features.

Outlook: In depth human interest stories that The Nation lacks.

Database: Excellent. As good as any tech section elsewhere. I'd like more open source stuff, and less digital camera/cellphone features, and gratuitous shots of Japanese models holding them, but otherwise it's great. The Nation spreading 'Byteline' helter skelter around it's pages just doesn't cut it.

R.T. (Nation) is aimed at people much shallower than I am. Explore (Nation) isn't bad. Weekend Magazine (Post) thinks we're all rich.

Classifieds: Not certain who at The Nation or in it's ad dept thinks that putting ads in thai in an english languge paper will accomplish. The Post rules here, except for the jobs section which goes to The Nation.

Also noticed that when holidays come, Post has holiday features, while the Nation gets very very thin. (Price stays the same thickness.)

cv