Nation defends interview after Somchai announces boycott

On September 5, 2026, following a post by Associate Professor Somchai Srisutthiyakorn about Nation Online’s interview with Nattawut Wongniam, in which Somchai announced that he would boycott all Nation programmes, the issue drew widespread criticism from various quarters.

The editorial teams of Nation Online, which is the website and Facebok page of Nation TV and  commonly referred to as Nation TV Online, and Nation TV would like to clarify that they have performed their journalistic duty by reporting the dispute professionally and straightforwardly. Nation neither stated nor guaranteed that Nattawut’s conduct was justified. It merely reported his explanation of what had happened. Nation does not under any circumstances support the use of violence against others.

Statement by the Nation Online and Nation TV editorial teams

Since the incident occurred, Nation has continuously reported on the physical assault on Assoc Prof Somchai. However, as a media organisation, it has an ethical duty to provide space for people who are mentioned in a story or are directly involved, in accordance with the principle of fairness.

The programme “Yukol Chon Khao Live” subsequently contacted both parties and sought interviews with them immediately because the dispute involved public figures. The intention was to arrange separate phone-in interviews so the two sides would not confront each other or become involved in an argument during the programme, allowing each to explain the incident from their own perspective.

Assoc Prof Somchai, however, was still occupied with undergoing medical examinations and treatment for his injuries at hospital. When the programme went on air, he could not be reached despite several attempts to contact him by telephone.

The programme therefore interviewed Nattawut and questioned him about the incident in strict accordance with professional journalistic standards. It did not conclude that either side was right or wrong and did not endorse violence in any form.

Nation media outlets across all platforms have reported on the incident, conducted interviews and carried statements from both parties in detail. The decision to interview both sides, particularly Nattawut, was an exercise of the media’s duty to provide an opportunity for a person who had been referred to in the dispute to respond under the principle of fairness.

It did not mean that Nation “supported violence”. The incident involved allegations and counter-allegations from both sides.

Nation also reported the background to the dispute, including the origins of the disagreement between the two men, their previous exchanges and how the conflict developed into the current incident.

Providing media space for information and differing views is a basic principle of openness to ideas, perspectives and disagreement, as well as of listening to each side’s reasoning.

Assoc Prof Somchai, as a former lecturer and a direct party to the dispute, should be open-minded and willing to listen to different arguments and perspectives surrounding the incident, which would be more constructive than refusing to hear them.

If Assoc Prof Somchai is unwilling to consider differing views, there is no need for him to announce that he “will not appear on any Nation programme”, because Nation’s editorial teams already have a clear journalistic principle of not supporting those who refuse to accept differing opinions or listen to the views of others appearing to express their opinions on its programmes.

Importantly, after Nation Online interviewed Nattawut and published the interview, journalists from several other media organisations contacted Nation to request the footage for use in their own reports, providing the other side’s account of the dispute.

Nation believes this reflects that its actions were part of the normal journalistic process of seeking facts under professional ethical standards and principles that are commonly upheld across the media.

To demonstrate how the editorial teams have covered the issue, Nation has attached links to all reports published across its various platforms so that all parties can have confidence in the work carried out by Nation media outlets.

Nation hopes that Assoc Prof Somchai, all parties involved and members of the public receiving the information will exercise their judgement and consider the full facts in order to reach an accurate understanding of the matter.

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