Thai Media Educators and Advocates Opposed Government’s Information Center

January 24,2002

Ten Thai media educators and advocacy and groups issued a joint statement on Tuesday, opposing the formation of the government’s information center to feed information related to the government ‘s policies and performance for use by the state-run media organisations.

The groups said having the center was a deliberate attempt by the government to interfere in and impose control on the works of both state-run and private media organisations, no matter what the name the center was.

Set up informally in December 2001, the center’s original name was the Information Management Center. Its name was changed to the Management Center for the Good Understanding of the Public last week when the government said it would announce the official existence of the center this week to try to quell media’ critic and opposition.

In the statement dated January 22, 2002 , mass communications academics as well as media advocacy groups opposed the government’s latest action. They said there have been earlier attempts by the government to interfere in and control the works of media, for example, the proposed government-sponsored workshop in December to enhance media’s capability and the order by Defense Minister Gen Chavalit Yongchaiyuth last week to all army radio and television stations to air the government-related news at the top of every hour of their broadcast.

The statement also urged the government to take a clear stand on whether it supports the realisation of broadcast media reform as stipulated in the Article 40 of the 1997 Constitution, in particular the enactment of a broadcasting operation bill. So far the government has yet to show its willingness to push through the bill, it said.According to the statement, the government must be well awared of its obligation to promote and protect the rights of the media to present news. In fulfilling such obligation, it would guarantee the right of the public to get access to wide-ranging information through media outlets, in accordance with the principles of Democracy, said the statement.

It said to enable the state media to work to the government’s benefits was to allow them to work under present framework, guaranteed by the Constitution.

The statement followed a brainstorming session among the group at University of Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday.

The list of signatories are as follow:

Faculty of Mass Communications , Chulalongkorn University

Faculty of Journalism and Mass Communications, Thammasart University

Faculty of Mass Communications, University of Thai Chamber of Commerce

Faculty of Mass Communications, Bangkok University

Department of Mass Communications, Sukhothai Thammathirath University

Mass Communications Program, Rajabhat Institute, Suan Sunandha

Committee to Campaign for Media Reform

Thai Journalists Association

Thai Broadcast Journalists Association