Thai press comes of age
By David Lamb Posted Wed, Sep 1 1999
Among the casualties of the Asian economic crisis is Thailand’s press, which has a healthy tradition of lively, hard-hitting reportage but was never greatly concerned with accuracy, balance or investigative journalism.
Like the rest of Southeast Asia, Thailand was flying high until the Thai baht’s devaluation in July 1997 burst the regional bubble of prosperity. At the heart of the collapse was a lack of transparency in business dealings — something Thailand’s newspapers had expended precious little energy looking into.
The crisis has resulted in the closure of a dozen newspapers and magazines and the layoff of 2,000 workers, including hundreds of journalists. Many reporters who survived have seen their salaries frozen and benefits cut. With advertising revenue down 60 percent industry-wide and the price of newsprint soaring, papers have reduced the use of color and cut their pages by as much as half.
But out of the ashes a more aggressive, sophisticated and responsible press appears to be emerging, with the active encouragement of the government. As Thakoon Boonfarn, executive editor of Khao Sod (Fresh News) daily, puts it, ‘‘There’s no issue we won’t try to smoke out now.’’
Almost every day, Thai papers are delving into serious economic issues they long ignored. They are reporting corruption and mismanagement. Late last year they were instrumental in uncovering a scandal surrounding the government’s purchase of medical supplies at inflated prices. That controversy led to the resignation of Health Minister Rakkiat Sukthant and two deputy ministers.
‘‘We were caught napping by the (economic) crisis, and I think we’ve learned some lessons,” Boonfarn says. “First, we have to be better informed, more vigilant. Second, we have to explain the crisis in terms readers can understand, and I think it’s safe to say most of our reporters didn’t really understand the economic issues they were writing about before the crisis.’’
Boonfarn says he has been surprised to see young journalists in the newsroom reading economic textbooks and trying to fill the gaps in their knowledge. ‘‘That wouldn’t have happened 18 months ago,’’ he notes.
Khao Sod itself has become a crusading voice, mainly on environmental and economic issues. It has been rewarded with a 3 percent circulation increase, to 350,000. Although ad revenues fell by half, the paper has been able to keep all 120 reporters on the payroll and show a 20 percent increase in 1998 net profits through cost-cutting measures to increase efficiency.
The coming of age of Thailand’s press is not an isolated event in Southeast Asia. The region’s economic crisis has increased the level of debate and the questioning of government policy. That, in turn, has led to increased demands for democratization, political reform and an independent role for the press.
No subject, except the royal family, is off limits to the Thai press. That’s a far cry from 20 years ago, when newspapers in Thailand were little more than government mouthpieces. The Philippines, Cambodia and Indonesia also are reaping the benefits of a press unfettered by government controls. Even Vietnam, Singapore and Malaysia, where the information flow remains stunted, have taken timid steps toward more press freedom.
What is particularly noteworthy about the shift within Thailand’s press is that it is happening with the active encouragement of Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai’s government. The government realizes the importance of image and has tried to foster good relations with the press.
Under the new 1997 constitution, the most democratic in the country’s history, Thailand is doing away with the Press Control Act of 1941 and other Draconian anti-press laws. The government even passed a National Information Act, which promotes transparency in government.
It also helped set up the Southeast Asian Press Alliance to monitor both the press’s performance and abuses, reversing a trend in which such pressures traditionally came from outside the region.
Senior editors agree, however, that the Thai press does not yet have a clean bill of health. Too many well-known journalists still trade their influence for personal or financial gain, they say, and too many young reporters (average starting salary: US$300 a month) still accept ‘‘white envelopes’’ — tip money — for favorable stories. Additionally the press failed to provide any warning of the impending economic crisis.
‘‘The crisis didn’t just start two years ago as everyone believes,’’ says Pichai Chuensuksawadi, editor of the English-language Bangkok Post (circulation 52,000), whose staff has been slashed to 840 from 1,760. ‘‘There were plenty of indications five, six years ago that things were seriously wrong: corruption, scandals, mismanagement, public-sector debt, a lack of transparency.
‘‘Like everyone else, we in the press were caught up in the bubble, believing the good times were real and would go on and on. We never gave the warnings of what was happening. So did we do a good job? In that respect, no.’’
But Chuensuksawadi believes the watchdog performance of Thai newspapers, which are independently owned and often listed on the stock exchange, has improved dramatically because of the crisis. As a result, he says, questions are being raised that long have gone unasked, and Thais increasingly have come to realize ‘‘the press’s job is to serve the society, not the government.’’