Thai media reform: 'Reporters need to build credibility and be accountable'

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MEDIA REFORM
'Reporters need to build credibility and be accountable'
KORNCHANOK RAKSASERI
SPECIAL TO THE NATION



BANGKOK: -- TO STAY relevant in the social media era, professional media need to build trust and be more accountable and proficient while promoting media literacy to children and the young generation, a seminar heard yesterday.

The only difference between the professional media and citizen reporters, if any, is credibility," said Suthichai Yoon, chairman of Nation Multimedia Group.

The seminar also discussed Thai media's need to have a strong self-regulatory body.

Suthichai said professional media nowadays need the "three Ts" for creative communication - technology, which they use for their work and to build trust while ensuring transparency.

The seminar on "Revolution of News People, Revolution of the Media" was held to mark the launch of celebrations for the Thai Journalists Association's 60th anniversary on March 5 next year.

Pirongrong Ramasoota Rananand, a journalism lecturer at Chulalongkorn University, said one important role of journalists in the modern era might not be news seeking but verification of information.

Suthichai said a consolidated media self-regulatory organisation is necessary, and it should also reach out to and cover alternative media.

A new professional code of conduct should be drafted, he said.

There should be only one agency tasked with and accepted for the regulation of all media channels, he said.

Currently, there are many professional media organisations and regulatory bodies, including the National Press Council of Thailand (NPCT) for newspapers and the News Broadcasting Council of Thailand for broadcast media.

Any external body authorised to regulate the media might open the chance for intervention in content, Suthichai said.

The public would help examine the work of the media and put pressure on outlets that fail to join as a member of the regulatory agency, he said.

"Within two minutes of making a mistake on Twitter, so many people mentioned and corrected my tweet," he said.

Wasan Paileeklee, a former president of MCOT Plc and now a member of the National Reform Council (NRC), proposed a co-regulation system.

The idea of media self-regulation was ideal and should be the first step, but there should be another legally authorised committee or agency as a backup in case the self-regulation step fails.

For example, in the past some media companies quit the NPCT as they refused to allow the NPCT to investigate their employees' conduct.

"It's important that the media are accountable. Many people see the media as always calling for press freedom but they are not responsible," he said.

Pirongrong said she agreed that when it comes to news, the media should regulate itself or there might be interference in content.

Pirongrong, who is a member of an NPCT panel, said the public knows too little about the NPCT or whom they can approach to report media misconduct, so newspapers should publish the statement and provide an address for readers to send their complaints to the NPCT.

'Advertorials should be marked'

Saree Aongsomwang, secretary-general of the Foundation for Consumers and now also an NRC member, said there should be a law requiring companies or state enterprises to declare their sponsorship to the media.

The media should make clear that any sponsored article must be labelled as an "advertorial".

The media should pay more attention to and cover stories that would make a difference in society.

"The media can lead society. They must make the public see we can have a better quality of life," she said.

Public transport and environmental issues are examples of topics the media should cover without concern for their business.

On-usa Lamliengpol, president of the Advertising Association of Thailand and another NRC member, said advertising in the media was still preferred to social media as they have measurable ratings and circulation. The brands and credibility of the media were built through character.

Suthichai also proposed that professional media organisation provide intensive training for journalists as well as promote strong labour unions to counterbalance media capitalists.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/Reporters-need-to-build-credibility-and-be-account-30245343.html


-- The Nation 2014-10-13

[thesetat2013]

I wonder if they initiated this because of how the police tried to blame the reporrters and social media for their inability to do their jobs in finding the killers of kho tao?

Most reporting here is biased when it comes to something that can bemefit or hurt a certain political party. It will be a long time before this can be changed as it stems from the basic corruption that plagues this country. Although i do not think any reporter will publish a direct lie, I do think facts and comments are left out many times to sway opinion the way they want.

[EricBerg]

Reporters or coppers?

[NongKhaiKid]

I wonder if they initiated this because of how the police tried to blame the reporrters and social media for their inability to do their jobs in finding the killers of kho tao?

Most reporting here is biased when it comes to something that can bemefit or hurt a certain political party. It will be a long time before this can be changed as it stems from the basic corruption that plagues this country. Although i do not think any reporter will publish a direct lie, I do think facts and comments are left out many times to sway opinion the way they want.

Investigative reporting, indeed just printing the full facts of a story is fraught with danger because of many factors not the least of which are the defamation laws and the personal danger to reporters who write just a little too much of the truth.

[Always18]

Shouldn't this headline read :-

"Thais need to build credibility and be accountable"?

[yellowboat]

I wonder if they initiated this because of how the police tried to blame the reporrters and social media for their inability to do their jobs in finding the killers of kho tao?

Most reporting here is biased when it comes to something that can bemefit or hurt a certain political party. It will be a long time before this can be changed as it stems from the basic corruption that plagues this country. Although i do not think any reporter will publish a direct lie, I do think facts and comments are left out many times to sway opinion the way they want.

Investigative reporting, indeed just printing the full facts of a story is fraught with danger because of many factors not the least of which are the defamation laws and the personal danger to reporters who write just a little too much of the truth.

Agreed, Thailand's freedom of the press ranking is rather poor.

Only one country in the region experienced a status change in 2012.

Thailand

, whose designatio

n

has shifted several times over the past few years, moved from 60 to 62 points and back

in

to the Not Free

range due to a trend of aggressive enforcement of lèse-majesté laws that was already apparent in late

2011. Court decisions in 2012 found that the existing laws, which restrict speech deemed offensive to the

monarchy,

do not contradict the constitution’s provisions for freedom of expression, and that third

-party

hosts may be held liable for online lèse-majesté violations

.

Harsh penalties continued to be handed down

during the year, and even convictions coupled with relatively lenient sentences threatened to encourage

http://www.freedomhouse.org/sites/default/files/FOTP%202013%20Full%20Report.pdf

See page 44

.

[razer]

How about making the headline read ... 'Police need to build credibility and be accountable'

This would do a lot for tourism ... heh? It would also make a lot of honest, hard working Thai people happy.

[realenglish1]

You should start with the level of reporting and teach your reporters to finish a story. I worked for ABC for a number of years and all stories must have a beginning middle and end.

So many stories here are missing one component or more and are disjointed. They will start with the middle and next have the end and then the beginning

How can someone have faith in a news organization that have so called journalists that do not even rise to the challenge

Edited October 13, 2014 by realenglish1

[WhizBang]

You should start with the level of reporting and teach your reporters to finish a story. I worked for ABC for a number of years and all stories must have a beginning middle and end.

So many stories here are missing one component or more and are disjointed. They will start with the middle and next have the end and then the beginning

How can someone have faith in a news organization that have so called journalists that do not even rise to the challenge

While some (many?) go off on a tangent completely, and start talking about things completely unrelated to the original story.

[rickirs]

"... professional media nowadays need the "three Ts" for creative communication ..."

No need for freedom of Speech or freedom of the Press? This was guaranteed in the 2007 Constitution under Article 45 (in part):

- A person shall enjoy the liberty to express his opinion, make speech, write, print, publicise, and make expression by other means.

- The closure of a newspaper or other mass media business in deprivation of the liberty under this section shall not be made.

- The prevention of a newspaper or other mass media from printing news or expressing their opinions, wholly or partly, or interference in any manner whatsoever in deprivation of the liberty under this section shall not be made except by the provisions of the law enacted in accordance with the provisions of paragraph two.

- The censorship by a competent official of news or articles before their publication in a newspaper or other mass media shall not be made except during the time when the country is in a state of war; provided that it must be made by virtue of the law enacted under the provisions of paragraph two.

But the military coup abrogated the 2007 Constitution so presently none of the above provisions apply, particularly now with martial law still in place. So everything Suthichai says is pure “pie in the sky” rhetoric.

[Zooheekock]

'The Nation' and 'credibility' are not words which one often encounters together.

[amja]

Nothing new, the good stuents wirite the wicwst things for gpuverment (junta)

They are students wriring an hava a läme guess how they are told to write their SES!In the "good ol+ days" it was WAr on druge, you coud be shot down in good memory of the (Taksin) law! nowADAY I THINK YOU NEED TO BESENTECENT BEFORE THE KILLSHOTS SHOLD NE DELIVERED!i

i remender so welle when the shot was donen