Job Discussion Forums

[krell]

I have been reading local english papers like Chiang Mai news and
Bancock post and am struck with the amateurish and rather jejune
nature of the stories printed(by their names the reporters
seem to be Thai)

I mean what's with the stories that end like:
"hopefully the police will find the dasterdly criminal"

or (about a drunk breaking into a home)

" he was drunk, but not so drunk as to show stealth when
breaking in"!



Both are paraphrases but you get the idea. Often reporter's
opinions are tagged, inappropriately by western standards,
at the end of a story. Is this style common in Thailand?

I have to admit I laughed at the last one..

What's your observation on journalism in the land of smiles?

[sigmoid]

[laben18]

jejune ?

[sigmoid]

I'm pretty sure that it means/is related to 'juvenile'.

[wix]

I think the quality of the English newspapers in Thailand is quite good for a non-English speaking country. You can't really compare the Bangkok Post with The Guardian or New York Times. It is only really fair to compare them with other fairly low circulation papers in non-English speaking countries.

The papers have their strengths and weaknesses. The Bangkok Post does some excellent features on social justice and welfare issues. It also has some good supplements, most notably the computer section on Wednesdays. However, its coverage of Thai news, in particular politics is not great. The paper also shies away from naming names and being directly critical of the government.

The Nation has excellent coverage of Thai news and Thai politics. It doesn't hesitate to name names and criticise the government. Some might say it is too critical of the government and has lost any sense of objectivity though. Its supplements and feature articles are poor compared to the Post.

ThaiDay is another English newspaper not too many people might know about. It is an insert in the International Herald Tribune. It is published by the Manager Group which is owned by Thaksin's arch enemy Sondhi.

[Kent F. Kruhoeffer]

^ Speaking of Mr Sondhi ...


Here's a link to Manager Online.


If you scroll down a little, you'll see the link

to Thai Day: http://www.manager.co.th/


Let's hope it stays online after the

big broohaha with CAT last week!

[sethness]

Have you read a copy of the Phuket Gazette ? ( http://www.phuketgazette.net/ )

A friend of mine forwarded a copy to me (I live in Japan, and am thining of moving there). I found that the writing standards were quite high for a non-native language newspaper, and quite equal to the average local American or Ozzie newspaper to be.

Layout, grammar, and so on were impeccable, with only one exception: the editorial cartoonist must be somebody's preschool nephew. He/she is an artist not merely at the bottom of the barrel, but in fact holding up the bottom of the barrel. I'd love to replace him/her.

However, as I think you're pointing out, the standards of fairness and impartiality one expects from journalism are not always readily apparent. (Americans used to the abscenity that is Fox news will be intimately familiar with biased reporting. Fox News, however, does not have the excuse of low salaries and lack of education.)

In one notable example, there was a half-page article with photo, of a man being arrested for being suspected of doing the nasty with some underage boys. It's a sad mark of the policeman's morals that they ust have invited the press to witness and photograph the arrest. The man's full name, nationality and face are in the article. The man's innocence has not yet been determined in court, yet this man's ability to live and work in Phuket is now utterly erased. Bad man or not, jounalistic standards should have prevented the smear article being published before his trial.

Perhaps Thai journalists of some merit, training and English ability aren't attracted to jobs at second-language newspapers in Thailand. Perhaps you're looking at poor journalism because the talented Thai journalists gravitate to higher-profile jobs within Thailand, or become an overseas contract worker ?

You should also be aware that the Thai government is (I'm told) deeply involved in controlling the Press. Much like America. While this is not directly relevant to your observation, it's a related bit of news you should be aware of when judging Thai journalism.[/url]