Outstanding media reports awarded

A Nation TV representative is among 14 members of the media honoured by former prime minister Anand Panyarachun. Xpress/Pramote Putthaisong

The Daily news was judged best newspaper, while TV Thai took first place in the television category and Mahasarakham University (MSU)'s newspaper won the vote for best student news provider.

"Lottery gambling: A hidden menace for children" was the Dailynews story that caught the judges' eye; the outstanding scoop "Before completely becoming a Thai citizen" won the prize for TV Thai; and "A detective on a mission to preserving Songkhram River" brought success for MSU journalists.

A Bt50,000 cash prize and an honorary plaque went to the Dailynews and TV Thai representatives while the student newspaper received Bt20,000.

Nation TV got a special mention and prize for the scoop "Special needs children: rights and educational opportunities" by Thananuch Sanguansak. Representatives of the station took away Bt10,000 and a plaque.

The presentations were made for the Best Child Rights Reporting Awards 2009, which took place at the Emerald Hotel and were supported by the UN International Children's Emergency Fund (Unicef).

A seminar held at the event announced research by Thammasat University's Faculty of Journalism and Mass Communication which criticised television as the media which most frequently ignores or violates children's rights. It named newspaper and radio as the next two worst offenders.

According to the research, most of the offending news items featured images of violent crime that needlessly identified the young victims. In one typical case cited, a newspaper published the photo of a rape victim along with her name.

"To find a solution to this rightsviolation problem, we must encourage cooperation between the authorities and the media," said Rungmanee Meksobhon, speaking at the seminar as a member of the Isra Institute.