Thai opinion: The dangers of SELECTIVE TRUTH

[webfact]

TELL IT AS IT IS
The dangers of SELECTIVE TRUTH

BANGKOK: -- In 2011, Reuters reporter Andrew MacGregor Marshall left the agency after 17 years in the job. His exit, according to the UK's Independent newspaper, came after he dared to "tell the truth" about Thailand in articles and a book.

There is no doubt that Marshall believed in his cause. But plenty of questions should be raised about his "truth".

On Sunday he tweeted a picture of students in a Thai classroom practising "Benjangkapradit" - the traditional salutation to a Buddha statue, using five parts of the body. Marshall captioned the photograph "Thai education is about producing slaves, not empowering people". Once again, Marshall allowed fanaticism to get the better of him when it came to "the truth". In reality, the picture showed youngsters being educated about a traditional Buddhist gesture practised around the world, not just in Thailand. It had absolutely nothing to do with slavery.

In another tweet, Marshall posted a picture of General Prayut Chan-o-cha posing with kids on National Children's Day and captioned it "Dictators love posting with children to make themselves look more human". He seems to have forgotten the photographs of US presidential candidates holding babies that appear during every election. Or perhaps they are dictators, too.

If there is a proper term to describe Marshall's truth, it is "selective". And a selective truth is no truth at all.

Marshall's profession is journalism. He must know that truth and perception are two different types of information, and that sometimes they coincide and sometimes they are mutually exclusive. Every diligent journalist knows that this distinction is the most daunting challenge in information gathering that produces objective reports. Nuance and innuendo always threaten to creep in to a journalist's point of view and his/her reports.

And that's what happened with the so-called "truth" on Thailand Marshall delivered in his book, "The Kingdom in Crisis: Thailand's Struggle for Democracy in the Twenty-First Century".

The information that led him to believe he had a grip on the truth came in the Wikileaks cables containing American diplomats' correspondence about Thailand, released in late 2010. The death of his Japanese colleague Hiro Muramoto earlier in 2010 during political violence in Bangkok seems to have been a petri dish that incubated his dislike for the Thai military and what he terms the powers behind their hubristic behaviour and impunity.

The problem with his stories is they were founded on presumption, not fact. Marshall never seemed to ask himself, as any good journalist would, if there might be another side of the story hidden by his own prejudice. As such, his book and many of his articles on Thailand amount to a set of unsubstantiated conspiracies, enforced by like-minded individuals who, harbouring their own personal grievances and vendettas, are bent on moulding facts to satiate their hatred of certain institutions. Their twisted epistemological logic seems to be, "If I think it is true, it is true; and darn it, I am right".

This same attitude was invoked by US President Barack Obama to describe Ted Cruz - a hawkish Republican presidential candidate for 2018 - during his speech at the White House Correspondents' Dinner this year.

"Ted Cruz said that denying the existence of climate change made him like Galileo. Now that's not really an apt comparison. Galileo believed the Earth revolves around the sun. Ted Cruz believes the Earth revolves around Ted Cruz."

It is said that the biggest moral pitfalls on the path to truth are omission and selective evidence. Nick Davies of the Guardian recently noted that journalism was an industry whose task should be to filter out falsehood, but it has become a conduit for propaganda and second-hand news.

While it is understandable that conscientious Western journalists fall victim to distance and unfamiliarity when it comes to writing about faraway countries like Thailand, it does not make it excusable. Marshall lived in Thailand for many years and he used that tenure to claim he knew the place better than many others. Unfortunately, that claim has proven to be false. He conveniently glossed over the wrongdoings, corruption and repression of politicians elected under so-called democratic regimes. He was more than willing to give them the benefit of the doubt, and always hedged his accounts of them with a big "if", especially when it came to corruption and abuse of power by an elected government. But he went full throttle on his harsh and presumptuous judgements of other Thai institutions. Apparently, investigative journalism was too much trouble.

Many years ago, as a journalist working in the US, I was called by a Central Intelligence Agency officer. He was angry about a story I had filed on the wars in Laos that involved the CIA. He told me that if he hadn't been aware that I had no ulterior motive and no axes to grind, he would have sued me. Raising his voice, he told me that to be a good journalist, I should check my facts thoroughly before publishing. I was grateful for that lesson.

These days, with fierce media competition and the rise of the social media, sensational stories sell. And because there is never enough time to do exhaustive fact-checking, falsehoods are spread, and oftentimes taken as truth.

As Mark Twain noted, "A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes."

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/opinion/The-dangers-of-SELECTIVE-TRUTH-30262093.html


-- The Nation 2015-06-11

[daoyai]

Perhaps the author of the editorial should distribute some copies of Marshall's book for review by his peers and the public so they can read for themselves and judge his work.

[canuckamuck]

This Nation writer is the one believing selective truths.

And his only case against MacGregor is that his captions don't match the photos. It is pretty hard to show that an education system is creating slaves and not empowering people with a tweet, but showing the enforced religious ceremonies which occur in every school is a very good start.

His other comment about dictators loving to pose with children to appear more human is also right on the mark and historically accurate. That politicians also use this ploy does not make the first fact untrue.

Tweets are one liners, and not the same thing as publishing an article in news media.

And since when has The Nation allowed facts get in the way of a propaganda piece? They must have been low on their xenophobic quota for the week.

[toybits]

Now I am interested in reading what Marchall wrote in his book. Thanks for the heads up..

[tbthailand]

In another tweet, Marshall posted a picture of General Prayut Chan-o-cha posing with kids on National Children's Day and captioned it "Dictators love posting with children to make themselves look more human". He seems to have forgotten the photographs of US presidential candidates holding babies that appear during every election. Or perhaps they are dictators, too.

comments like this expose the p!ss-poor logic being used by the authors...

AMM's book has been critically reviewed internationally, but has been banned in Thailand... wonder how many at The Nation have actually read it?

Last but not least, the use of a quote from the White House Correspondents dinner is not only out of place, but indicates that the authors have absolutely no clue what the WHCD is about...

[englishoak]

Well done to the Nation for this article on Andrew MacGregor Marshall,

Good read and highly recommendable, you find the free pdf online readily available

[canuckamuck]

Now I am interested in reading what Marchall wrote in his book. Thanks for the heads up..

Yes, anyone know the title?

[Bluespunk]

Seems to be a journalistic condition, this selective truth thing.

[NongKhaiKid]

This may be a bit simplistic but over the years it seems to me that programmes, articles, books etc that are negative or critical of LoS are automatically wrong, anti-Thai etc.

No country or its people likes criticism but some will accept some, albeit reluctantly, but Thais are especially sensitive and adverse comment isn't tolerated.

Edited June 11, 2015 by NongKhaiKid

[baboon]

Now I am interested in reading what Marchall wrote in his book. Thanks for the heads up..

Yes, anyone know the title?

"A Kingdom in Crisis."

I thought the article was petulant ca-ca, by the way...

Edited June 11, 2015 by baboon

[NeverSure]

A Kingdom in Crisis - banned in LOS.

Oops - posted while I was typing.

It's time for the OP to do a piece about banning books by Thailand.

Edited June 11, 2015 by NeverSure

[baboon]

A Kingdom in Crisis - banned in LOS.

Oops - posted while I was typing.

It's time for the OP to do a piece about banning books by Thailand.

No doubt the author of the OP will claim that the ban is in place for the protection of the Thai people - State run media who knows what is best for them is all they need...

[Lunchbob]

The depth of confusion on this planet might just be insurmountable. What a shame.

[T_Dog]

Truth in Thailand is elusive, but for those that seek it out, Marshall's insights are a definite prerequisite. He is a rather experienced journalist.

[NeverSure]

I read the OP again. It appears to be angrily defending dictatorship and the Thai education system. How low can you go?

[baboon]

Truth in Thailand is elusive, but for those that seek it out, Marshall's insights are a definite prerequisite. He is a rather experienced journalist.

No, he is critical of the current political situation and therefore wrong. 'La la la, fingers in my ears, I can't hear you, I win...'

Edited June 11, 2015 by baboon

[Ichabod]

Just the kind of defense of totalitarian rule that you would expect from that yellow rag, The Nation.

Marshall's book, however, overemphasizes the importance of the succession in the ongoing Thai political crisis. Other commentators like Patrick Jory or Pavin Chachavalpongpun make the point that it is the preservation of the political and economic dominance of the elites as against the majority of Thais that is the core issue.

This piece, for instance:

http://www.eastasiaforum.org/2015/06/06/thailand-haunted-by-the-ghost-of-absolutism/

Edited June 11, 2015 by Ichabod

[BigBadGeordie]

TELL IT AS IT IS

And a selective truth is no truth at all.

truth and perception are two different types of information, and that sometimes they coincide and sometimes they are mutually exclusive. Every diligent journalist knows that this distinction is the most daunting challenge in information gathering that produces objective reports. Nuance and innuendo always threaten to creep in to a journalist's point of view and his/her reports.

And that's what happened with the so-called "truth" on Thailand Marshall delivered in his book, "The Kingdom in Crisis: Thailand's Struggle for Democracy in the Twenty-First Century".

. The death of his Japanese colleague Hiro Muramoto earlier in 2010 during political violence in Bangkok seems to have been a petri dish that incubated his dislike for the Thai military and what he terms the powers behind their hubristic behaviour and impunity.

The problem with his stories is they were founded on presumption, not fact. Marshall never seemed to ask himself, as any good journalist would, if there might be another side of the story hidden by his own prejudice. As such, his book and many of his articles on Thailand amount to a set of unsubstantiated conspiracies, enforced by like-minded individuals who, harbouring their own personal grievances and vendettas, are bent on moulding facts to satiate their hatred of certain institutions. Their twisted epistemological logic seems to be, "If I think it is true, it is true; and darn it, I am right".

It is said that the biggest moral pitfalls on the path to truth are omission and selective evidence. Nick Davies of the Guardian recently noted that journalism was an industry whose task should be to filter out falsehood, but it has become a conduit for propaganda and second-hand news.

While it is understandable that conscientious Western journalists fall victim to distance and unfamiliarity when it comes to writing about faraway countries like Thailand, Apparently, investigative journalism was too much trouble.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/opinion/The-dangers-of-SELECTIVE-TRUTH-30262093.html

-- The Nation 2015-06-11

I think the OP SHOULD RE-READ his own article and apply these values to it, also 99.9% of the articles published in his own newspaper.

[Manbing]

I am sure this guy operates most of the frequent poster accounts on TV.

[gandalf12]

This may be a bit simplistic but over the years it seems to me that programmes, articles, books etc that are negative or critical of LoS are automatically wrong, anti-Thai etc.

No country or its people likes criticism but some will accept some, albeit reluctantly, but Thais are especially sensitive and adverse comment isn't tolerated.

Criticism is the fuel for change. Unfortunately most people dont like change, and I dont just mean politicians, as it makes demands on their own life style

[gandalf12]

"If I think it is true, it is true; and darn it, I am right". sounds very Thai to me

[dcpo]

Just the kind of defense of totalitarian rule that you would expect from that yellow rag, The Nation.

Marshall's book, however, overemphasizes the importance of the succession in the ongoing Thai political crisis. Other commentators like Patrick Jory or Pavin Chachavalpongpun make the point that it is the preservation of the political and economic dominance of the elites as against the majority of Thais that is the core issue.

This piece, for instance:

http://www.eastasiaforum.org/2015/06/06/thailand-haunted-by-the-ghost-of-absolutism/

I interpret him as emphasising the importance of the succession in preserving the political dominance of certain factions, not that the succession in itself is hugely important. You don't have to be hugely well informed to see potential problems on the horizon for groups who rely on nationalist instincts for their position. The military, for example, owes much of its status in Thai society to its perceived role as defender of the monarchy. Were, hypothetically, the stock of the monarchy to go down, then so to would the stock of the military.

[Fat Haggis]

I follow AMM onFB and he admitted the photo he used wasn't the best one to get his point across.

But my oh my oh my the comments from Thai females who call themselves buhddists wishing his family dead was nothing short of disgusting and they were from the so called "educated " crowd!!

His whole argument is that prostrating was outlawed before but brought back in surprisingly after a coup in the 1950s

The arguments used were this was a class teaching about buhddism and there were horrendous comments coming from those defending the teaching of buhddism!!!

In other words the hypocrisy knew no bounds with some sections within Thai society and the best laugh is his haters mostly stem from the PDRC side of things.

AMM and Michael Yon, are constants at each other's throats too, and Cartalucci who AMM posted his real name the other week isn't much better.

Buhddism does not teach hate and anger, something the OP needs to bear in mind.

When you start posting comments about wishing someone's family to die, you are the worst uneducated buhhdist going!!

[LannaGuy]

Finding a true Buddhist in Thailand is as difficult as finding a virgin in Pattaya's Walking Street. She is there, somewhere, but one would be searching a very long time.

Truth, in Thailand, is the first casualty of living here. Hopefully, one day, freedom of speech will find it's way to Thailand but one should not lose sleep awaiting her arrival.

Edited June 11, 2015 by LannaGuy

[joshstiles]

another nation writer idiot. Narshall is dead on correct. Thailand only wants to raise slaves...that why the education system has been whackrd for so long...and nothing will change...not even thectruth as revealed by Marshall and so many others...thus truth is now "common knowledge"

[PETDCAT]

Just the kind of defense of totalitarian rule that you would expect from that yellow rag, The Nation.

Marshall's book, however, overemphasizes the importance of the succession in the ongoing Thai political crisis. Other commentators like Patrick Jory or Pavin Chachavalpongpun make the point that it is the preservation of the political and economic dominance of the elites as against the majority of Thais that is the core issue.

This piece, for instance:

http://www.eastasiaforum.org/2015/06/06/thailand-haunted-by-the-ghost-of-absolutism/

Good read, I am surprised it's not banned

[graft]

His other comment about dictators loving to pose with children to appear more human is also right on the mark and historically accurate. That politicians also use this ploy does not make the first fact untrue.

Re-read that section as he never said it made it untrue.

He said that all politicians pose with children.

Thus it's an extremely poor example of a supposed journalist trying to depict what dictators are presumably like.

Marhall's extremely selective truth is well known, although it never hurts to highlight it from time to time as obviously some people here still think he's relevant.

"Politicians" posing with children, Pass or Fail?

[Pieman]

Marshall is one of a rare breed, someone who is prepared to risk his personal safety and publish his painstakingly researched conclusions about what is the hidden reality in Thailand. When he decided to publish his latest book, he knew that by doing so, he could never again enter Thailand - a country he loves - at least until the lesse majeste laws are repealed.

He sets a fine example of speaking truth to power unlike the author of this op ed from that bastion of free speech, The Nation. A pussy of a paper which does not dare to speak candidly about negation of human rights and unjust laws, preferring to cozy-up to those in power rather than attack them. It does not have the moral authority to criticize journalists who are braver than it has ever been.

As to justifying the practice of "Benjangkapradit" because is historic and traditional well, so is the fascist salute and the swastika. My three year old is made to put his feet together, wai and bow respectfully to any adult in his vicinity and whenever he passes a buddhist statue - he does it because he is told to, not because he wants to. That is indoctrination, get them when they are young and they'll do what they are told for life.

[ExPratt]

"Thai education is about producing slaves, not empowering people"

"Once again, Marshall allowed fanaticism to get the better of him when it came to "the truth". In reality, the picture showed youngsters being educated about a traditional Buddhist gesture practised around the world, not just in Thailand. It had absolutely nothing to do with slavery"

I wonder if the author of this article heard a loud WHOOOOOOOSH over his head when he'd finished writing that

Edited June 11, 2015 by ExPratt

[Thaddeus]

Quite a numbers of truths are selective, but there are more that are inconvenient.