Thai media is part of the crime
The conflict today is partly the result of the atrocious media, esp TV. The government's "interference" is not the only reason to blame. It is bad enough that the government have the full control of one TV channel with outcries only from a fraction of media professionals and none from media professional bodies. But the media professionals at major newspapers and other TV channels including the ThaiPBS do it out of their own biases and horrible lack of professionalism. The government may take some minutes to tell a lie live on air. But the journalists themselves intentionally report and unreport selective news at their own volitions.
Had they reported fairly, without even a tiny bit of comment, things could have been better. Had they showed the pictures of the troops confronting the Red demonstrator yesterday, without a word of comment, Abhisit's lies that the soldiers were for public relations would have become a lie. Had they reported fairly, without a single syllable of comments, people would form their better views about the conflict and solutions.
Troops at Rajdamri BTS station on 6 April (photo from http://www.pantip.com/cafe/rajdumnern/topic/P9087873/P9087873.html)
Long Rang Acoustic Device for crowd dispersal spotted near Rajprasong on 6 April (photo by Unter, http://www.prachataiwebboard.com/webboard/id/36544#comment-340800)
The mainstream media right now not only fails as a professional media. Instead they are successfully becoming a Rwanda-like media.
THAI MEDIA ARE PARTS OF THE CURRENT TRAGEDY. IF THERE ARE CASUALTIES, THEY MUST BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR THEIR COMPLICITY TO CRIMES.
Comments
Great article. Nothing but
Great article. Nothing but the truth.
I certainly agree with that.
I certainly agree with that. The Thai MSM are a part of the government... the Department of Disinformation.
There is no real Thai journalism at the corporate, MSM level, just propagandists complicit with the regime and co-responsible for the mess that Thai politics are in.
The Red Shirts are absolutely alone in opposing the dictatorship. Imagine what would obtain if the Red Shirts were crushed, the goal the MSM has set for themselves. There would then be absolutely no opposition to the rule of the elite and to their continued exploitation and degradation of the Thai land and the Thai people.
Onward to elections! and to the rollback of the Thai Military authoritarianism welcomed with open arms by the MSM on 19 September 2006 and fostered, defended, and propagandized ever since.
I've never understood why the
I've never understood why the army still runs free-to-air terrestrial TV stations.
It's time TV stations were confiscated from the military. Maybe compensate the military, offset against its budget, but get them out of the media and back to the barracks the.
Abhisit wants to use
Abhisit wants to use force
Isn't it just so
Isn't it just so true.Military coup and all.But still the "mainstream media" cry out;Oh why, oh why. can't "we" settle our differences peacefully. ugggh I wanna be sick.
The crowd dispersal device
The crowd dispersal device was something I found very interesting the moment I saw the vehicle on Bangkok Post article and there was no mention about it. At what moment Thai military has acquired these devices, would be worth investigating (and how much they paid for them).
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2009/09/11/18621646.php
Re. mainstream media being
Re. mainstream media being the problem...
When police are getting a bad rap for being corrupt that I usually, not in defense per se but for fairness, I usually point out that the only difference between police and the man on the street is a gun and uniform. Police are people who came from a certain social value system. The same, in a sense, goes for the Thai media with whom I worked shoulder to shoulder for over seven years here in Korat.
The media are not serious or anywhere near quality because their society does not allow it nor encourage it. Entertainment, illusion, cursory commentaries, preoccupations with being polite and cooperative, etc., all lead to an ineffectual broadcast, print and online media that closely panders to its social values. Just watch what people, media or not, do outside the office - philandering at night while women are home with kids, not blinking an eye to take a bribe or to shoot a fellow in the face and then hop off to Cambodia et. al,... these are hallmarks of society. Now that society is itself a product of certain controlling influences, as we know, and it is those influences that mold society and the media.
There is still a huge xenophobic component to Thai social values, so when foreigners are involved in criticism of certain institutions or events in Thailand, or when they are working with Thais to pursue halfway sensible investigations, the entire matter is represented as more foreigner meddling.
No, it is much more the fault of society as a whole rather than just the media. As a media person, I know I have the ethical, moral and even legal obligations to campaign, to report, to analyze, to balance but be emphatic when that is needed. But here in Thailand, as I found many dozens of times while trying to follow this respectable path, that society, the state, religious leaders, politicians, etc., almost no one wants to become involved in real change. There is so much personal benefit from keeping a low profile that nothing else seems to matter - not even the country's image...