Academics call for balanced news coverage
The media was urged to be careful when covering today's anti-Thaksin rally by not presenting provocative speeches that might incite violence.
Vilasinee Pipitkul, of the Media Monitor Project, said she wanted to see balanced press coverage of the event. Organisers have vowed their protest will continue until Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra quits. "Apart from not repeating provocative speeches made by protesters, the media should report the event in a way that won't provoke or agitate. "It should report all aspects and highlight the demands of the protesters. If the media wants to calculate the number of people attending the rally, it needs to use a scientific method [not guesswork]," said Vilasinee. She also encouraged news organisations to accept the culture of checks and balances among fellow reporters. Vilasinee's recommendation was based on analyses of media coverage during the rallies on February 4, 11 and 26. Her paper was presented yesterday at the office of the Thai Journalist Association. Uajit Virojtrairatt, director of the Media Monitor Project and a former lecturer in mass communications at Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University, defined "fairness" as giving equal space and news quality to both camps. In comparing the three events, she said the February 26 rally appeared to have been given the "fairest" coverage. Uajit said that during the February 26 rally, every TV channel, except Channels 7 and 11, presented sounds and images from both pro-Thaksin and anti-Thaksin groups equally. In the February 11 event, however, no channel provided "fair" coverage, she said. In that event, she noted that all TV channels aired the voices of Thaksin supporters four times more than those of his opponents. She said all TV channels should maintain neutrality in their coverage. Reporters and news anchors of the six free TV stations should refrain from broadcasting their opinions in news reporting. Somchai Sawaengkarn, president of the Thai Broadcast Journalist Association, said the paper and the recommendations of the media scholars would be submitted to editors at all news stations. He also urged TV stations to exercise fairness in their broadcasts.
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