Cutting words in cyberspace

“I’ve been popular for the past two or three years and people have listened to what I had to say. Now they have doubts and I think some will be quick to criticise my work,” says the 28-year-old Nation Channel reporter and TV host. 

Noppatjak came under heavy fire for his recent article “The Media Must Listen to People’s Opinions” published in the March 9 edition of Nation Weekend. In it, he described the unexpected visit to the MCOT studios by a group of red shirts led by TV presenter Jor Jate, during which they criticised TV host Kanok Ratwongsakul for his political stance.

Noppatjak was attacked for the way he worked, his thoughts about media intimidation and for his own political stance. His critics took umbrage to his quoting a red shirt supporter saying that the talks between red shirts and Kanok went well to support his personal message that it was a good sign that the media were now listening to the people and that they could talk to each other.

He promoted both article and message via his Twitter account @noppatjak, which has about 65,000 followers, and on his blog.

Kanok posted a rebuttal almost immediately on his Facebook Fanpage, which has almost 60,000 Likes, asking Noppatjak how he knew this was true. He also wondered why Noppatjak had not consulted him firsthand, given that the two work for Nation Broadcasting Corporation.

“On Saturday, after I apologised Kanok on his Facebook Fanpage, a lot of Kanok’s fans came out to attack me. On Monday, many red shirts praised me,” Noppatjak says wryly.

“I was too optimistic and focused too much on what I wanted to see. I forgot that a good story is not always a true story,” he says, insisting he watched the video clips of Kanok talking with Jor Jate on the Internet before writing the article. 

Noppatjak went to see and apologised to Kanok in person. “Kanok told me he had no problem with the criticism but stressed I needed to get information from all sides,” Noppatjak says.

“Now I keep thinking, ‘have I discredited the company? Will people doubt my work or that of the company in the future even though our reporting is well-rounded and solid?”

Another lesson he has learned, like many others before him, is that the social media is a two-edged sword. While it has promoted his career, it has also amplified the criticism against him. 

Noppatjak says he will be more careful in future but insists that the media needs to be more open and listen to other people’s opinions as a closer relationship can help reduce conflicts.

“Jor Jate’s group’s visit to Kanok was inappropriate in the sense that Kanok was not forewarned. But Kanok was very patient and set a good example of how a media personality should behave by being open and listening.”

Likewise, Noppatjak says he welcomes criticism as long as it justified. He will listen but if the comments are irrational, then he will discard them.

Working behind the scenes at Modernine before signing up for a training programme with Nation Channel, Noppatjak says being in front of the camera allows him to share his passion for social and political issues with others.

He made his name by reporting on the demonstrations via social media, which earned him criticism from both the yellow and the red shirts. During the rallies, he was surrounded and verbally attacked by the protesters, hit with foot-shaped clappers, and even deprived of his camera. 

Raised as a Democrat and a member of the Young Democrats programme while a student at Thammasat University, Noppatjak has nonetheless been dubbed ab daeng or “red by image”.

“A political party isn’t like a football team that you support for life whether it wins or loses,” says the Manchester United fan. “I don’t support or oppose everything any political party does. No political party is always right or wrong.”

Noppatjak said he doesn’t consider himself either conservative or particularly progressive. In his programmes, he tries to inform viewers about new issues, such as the controversial proposal for a change to Article 112, the lese majeste law. Sometimes, if one side of the story has been covered by plenty of other people, he’ll present only the other side.

After discussions with friends and confidants Nation Weekend editor Can Sarika, Nation Broadcasting Corporation chief executive officer Adisak Limparungpatanakit and Nation Channel producer Somphop Rattanawalee, Noppatjak decided not to publish a clarification about last week’s work in this week’s article. “I’ve apologised to Kanok and we’re good,” he confirms. 

“Somphop always told me to stick to my principles. He told me that even though 99 out of 100 people hate me, that’s still okay as I can have the principles as my friend. He also told me not to follow trends too much,” Noppatjak says.

“At least, now I can be myself. As the saying goes, ‘It’s better to let people hate me for what I am than love me for what I am not’.”