When crossing the line kills the buzz

Talk on the death of lese-majeste suspect “Mor Yong”, Steve Jobs’ last words, the bidding for fourth-generation telecom licences and whether the Thailand Creative and Design Centre and TK Park will be dissolved all made way for Por’s condition on Tuesday afternoon, after requests for blood donations were widely shared. A few hours later, rumours began doing the rounds that doctors had brought him back from the brink of death when his heart stopped beating. 

Timelines were flooded with messages offering support, and his doctors spoke to the press for the first time about his condition on Wednesday. 

Kullatip Satararuji wrote: Support for Por’s family ... I also want to learn how my family and I can protect ourselves from this type of dengue fever. 

Soon after, some media outlets and doctors began posting information on dengue fever to educate people. 

@epinephrinerx wrote: If there is high fever and there is no response to a cool sponge, the patient should see the doctor no later than the third day. 

Wararak Schoensmaul shared a ThaiPBS photo from Mahidol University’s Associate Professor Supatra Thongrungkiat, with a caption saying that emptying containers of water was not enough, as eggs of Aedes mosquitoes clinging to the containers can live for a year and hatch as soon as there is water. Therefore, it is best to wash the containers properly. 

The Drama-Addict page on Facebook warned that dengue fever reaches a dangerous stage when the temperature drops – a point at which a blood test may also give a negative result. Therefore, it said, the sooner the patient sees the doctor, the better. 

The focus soon shifted from warnings and returned to the actor, with some media outlets posting photographs of him on life-saving equipment. This was met with condemnation, and some journalists jointly posting photos of themselves with the message “with freedom comes responsibility”. 

@fukumoji tweeted: I don’t think the media deserves freedom, as it lacks manners, consideration and ethics. If they don’t know their duty, they don’t deserve to have rights.

@PongJung_SJ: Reporters who tried to interview Tridsadee’s parents were too evil ... please be less thirsty for news and be more human. 

@tanatpong_nna: Don’t be selfish, don’t see patients as commodity. Use your heart, it’s not just about doing your duty.

@c72b7dbff318414: Sharing the picture of a patient in an emergency room is illegal. Please respect and think of his relatives. #StrongerPor

@dr_mana: Here’s an example – a reporter asked a child of a politician how he felt, and the answer was, “the same as you do when your father dies”. 

On Thursday, Pramon Tangtrakulsub wrote: Have some members of the media shifted their focus from the disease already? They now focus on fortune-tellers, [spirit] mediums, people with sixth sense and how to help him recover.

Komson Toom Kaemthong: I’m looking forward to the day Por comes back. I don’t even dare to check out the update. 

@eabz1000 tweeted: Every year people die or almost die of dengue fever, but no one cares. A good-looking actor gets the fever, and the whole country is on alert. 

Paweena Plangprawat: It is good that people are alert about dengue fever. But could you please use other pictures than those of a mosquito sucking blood until it has a big butt? There are mosquitoes everywhere on my [Facebook] feed.