FRIDAY, March 29, 2024
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Message to journalists on World Press Freedom Day: ‘Watch yourself!’

Message to journalists on World Press Freedom Day: ‘Watch yourself!’

Members of the Thai media gathered on Tuesday to call for an end to post-coup orders that restrict press freedom. The occasion was World Press Freedom Day, inaugurated by the United Nations in 1993, to “raise awareness of the importance of freedom of the

Accurate, complete and unbiased reporting requires a high degree of media freedom. For instance, when a new law with significant public impact is issued, the media has a duty to report not just its benefits but also its negative impacts. Without such accurate and full disclosure, reporting cannot benefit society as a whole.
But to present the whole story to the public, the media needs freedom of access to information – and especially to official information. The Thai media have succeeded in this regard thanks to their efforts in pushing the Official Information Act many years ago.
Media freedom helps reporters probe deeper into irregularities at the official level, including those involving corruption in state agencies. Without the freedom to access critical information, such high-level graft would never be exposed.
More importantly still is the freedom necessary to present such information. There is no use producing reports that are accurate, complete and unbiased if they cannot be presented because the media has been gagged – whether by overzealous state authorities, business or any other illegitimate power.
However, even in the media there are those who view this issue with twisted logic. Typically they will admonish colleagues to first report “correctly and completely” if they want to ensure media freedom. That thinking is tantamount to surrendering to the current controls and restrictions on Thai media. Apparently, these journalists endorse the curbing of free expression through special laws. Yet the reality is that scrutiny of the media should be limited to conventional legislation such as defamation laws rather than extended to suppression of a basic right. Scrutiny can otherwise safely be left to consumers of the media. The threat of losing readers or viewers is the most effective weapon against any media professional or outlet that abuses their freedom.
One media group issued has issued statement warning against freedom of expression, both by the media and by individuals. In doing so they undermined a cornerstone of their own profession – the duty to speak truth to power – and maintained a deferential stance that does nothing to further the cause of media freedom in Thailand.
In their latest move to seek relief from the clampdown, media representatives met with Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha at Government House on Tuesday to submit an open letter calling for the junta to rescind certain special restrictions on the media.
 They were given short shrift. 
“You still don’t have enough freedom, right?” asked a sceptical General Prayut, before adding that if certain orders were to be repealed, more would be added. The open letter was also rejected, with officials explaining it would set a “bad precedent” for other groups who wanted to petition the prime minister.
As Prayut turned to walk away, Yuwadee Thanyasiri, a senior reporter on the Government House beat, muttered, “Media freedom is people’s freedom”. 
The prime minister did an about-turn and demanded to know who had spoken. Yuwadee identified herself, at which Prayut pointed to her and said, “Watch yourself!” 
As it turned out, the call for media freedom on World Press Freedom Day seemed to fall on deaf ears.
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