Bangkok Post and Nation are products of failed editorial
- By Ranger, Thai Intel’s political journalist
Over the past about 10 years, there is no doubt, Bangkok has grown to become very much a global city.
The numbers of expatriate living here in Thailand and the tourist, both long stay and short-term, have exploded-and with ASEAN‘s AEC looming, that trend will likely explode up-ward even more.
Businesses in Bangkok, like the retail center around Patunam and Rajprasong, have exploded into the global stage, with often, there are more people from around the globe, shopping there, more than the local Bangkok people.
Even cable TV, is reflecting that global trend of Bangkok, offering programing from around the globe.
Everywhere one looks, radio and the internet social networks, bookstore to magazine racks, it is going global. Indeed, one example, is that local copied version, of global newspapers, from about every corner of the globe, have even went from black and white, to color.
Yet having said all of that, about the explosion of Bangkok into a global city, Bangkok Post and the Nation, two of Thailand’s main English language newspapers, are struggling with subscriptions.
The fact is, given the explosion of the numbers of foreigners in Thailand, at any given time, as it grew years after years, both Bangkok Post and the Nation, have fallen off the cliff as far as subscriptions is concerned.
- To put it bluntly, in compared to the market opportunity, both are failing badly. Subscription numbers, of both, have stagnated.
Bangkok Post has a subscription of about 50,000 and Nation, about 15,000 a day. There are both Thai and foreign internet news agancy, that specialize on Thailand, that gets more than both a day.
Thai Intel’s report on how a Fascist posted the picture of a red Shirts leader, Nuling, young kid on Facebook, got over 4,000 hits for example. One story, one report, one little not very well known blog-and it comes to about a third of Nation’s total subscription in a day.
- “I only read the Bangkok Post and the Nation for indicators,” one of Thai Intel’s former friend told Thai Intel, but, quote: “I do not buy what they say.”
There have been many attempts to explain this fact. But the most credible, is an advertisement executive, who told Thai Intel, Bangkok Post and the Nation, are not commercial enterprise and are not interested in being commercial enterprise.
- “It is not market penetration both are seeking, but it is maintaining editorial position,” said the advertiser to Thai Intel.
As a former journalist, on one side, is that Bangkok Post and the Nation are correct in maintaining editorial integrity, yet on another angle, both Bangkok Post and the Nation, clearly, is anti-democracy and propagate the interest of the Thai establishment.
In maintaining that “Rigid” pro-Establishment position, how many times already, have both the Bangkok Post and the Nation, been provened wrong in their report? Can readers depend on both for accurate news?
- The answer, is that both, regularly, proved to be nothing but a little better than “Fortune Tellers.”
But what will likely be the future of Bangkok Post and the Nation?
It is impossible to know, except that, if anything, if what has occurred for about 10 years now continues its trajectory, the city of Bangkok will become even more globalize, and both the Bangkok Post and the Nation, will be as now, meaning, they will be left “Eating Dust.”
That is off course, if there is not another military coup, to slow the globalization of Bangkok.
Related articles
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- Blog: How can editors & journalists at Bangkok Post, Nation, Reuters & Bloomberg live with themselves? (thaiintelligentnews.wordpress.com)
- ASEAN Defense: Bangkok Post’s Wassana “Thai Army Chief, Prayuth, Rejects “All” Arms Dealers Appointements” (thaiintelligentnews.wordpress.com)
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