Journalism: Why have so many people “No Longer Believe” the mainstream Thai press?

/ July 10, 2011

actually, with so much sexy tech around, mainstream is now mostly the internet.....lol

  • By Tammy, Thai Intel’s humanity journalist

Recently, the famous Twitter, Thai_Talk asked a question, something like, “The mainstream press will have to ask themselves, why so many have decided not to believe them?”

That question came after the Pheu Thai Party won the election, where about 90% of the mainstream press, except for the Matichon Group, went after the Pheu Thai Party with just so much attacking the party, for years now, and heading into the election-clearly, taking the side of the elite.

How odd is that? Bangkok Post and Nation have cornered the English language press and Thai Rath have cornered the grassroots press. And the government controlled media-controls about 100% of the free TV in Thailand.

So Thai Intel thinks that, Thai_Talk, comment, to be about the Bangkok Post, Nation and Thai Rath-and a horde of other far extreme right wing newspapers and government controlled TV.

The answer, really, goes way beyond when foreign journalist says things like this fact or that fact, presented by the mainstream press, is clearly false information-meaning, it is not just basic twisting of facts and figures that have meant a non-credible mainstream Thai press.

Like Bangkok Post saying about 30,000 Thais went to Abhisit speech at the World Trade Center-is just clearly a lie. “You look ridiculous,” said one foreign journalist, who also went to the same Abhisit speech event-of the Bangkok Post report. Then the Nation, what can be said, except that it is even worse than the Bangkok Post-and does not hide the fact that it is just a propaganda effort of the establishment.

The answer, if the Thai mainstream press will ask themselves the question Thai_Talk, talked about, and change or not-after the election result-runs very deep, however.

As Thai Intel have said it before, and will say it again here-those that are part of the establishment, they make more money from seeing the establishment in control, and not from seeing a vibrant and commercially successful Thailand.

The same can be said about Thailand’s mainstream press.

  • Bangkok Post, is simply not there for their readers, but to be used as a tool by the newspaper’s board-which is the elite of elite in Thailand-to propagate.
  • Then the Nation, also relies on lucrative establishment contract-to remain viable commercially.
  • Most of the other far extreme right media in Thailand, and the elite controlled free TV, also follows the same formula getting support from the elite.

The sad fact is, Thai mainstream press does not rely on being a successful enterprise from its followers-and the fact is, they only rely on their elite supporters and connections.

Like literally, speaking, there are 1,000s upon 1,000s foreigners who support democracy in Thailand that are not being served.

That said, the only real question question left is Thai Rath, a newspaper with an elite tone that is targeted to the grassroots-with a few democratic leaning journalist at the paper. Thai Rath, itself, is a rich entity with a rich franchise-but as Thai Intel have always said-Thai Rath is deep into the traditional male-ego dominated and runs most of its reports based on that egotistic feelings.

That ego of Thai Rath, have long clashed with the ego of Taksin. Nothing can be done here. Thai Rath will always say that the problem of Thailand is Taksin.

The bottom-line to all the above, is that do not expect much changes in the Bangkok Post, Nation, Thai Rath and others-they wil ask themselves very little-since they are very much locked in to promote the elite interest in Thailand.

And as Thai_Talk asked the question, Thai Intel’s answer is that the bottom-line is, they will continue to loose readership and respect-but the bottom line is also-they do not care.

To sum it up, when Thai Intel was just a famous journalist at the Bangkok Post for example, one famous editor said, quote: “I do not give a shit about the readers.” The same can be said about Thai Rath and the Nation-they just do not care about their reader. Again, their franchise, is not about the reader, but about the elite of Thailand.

Their attitude is, “Take it or leave it.”

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