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We Strongly Support ‘Bangkok Post’ Journalists’ Independence

Source: The Nation
February 21, 2004

The Bangkok Post has served as a mirror of Thai society for 58 years. Like any newspaper, it has gone through highs and lows depending on political circumstances. Yet all along their journalists have withstood any attempted intervention to restrict their freedom of expression and have continued to report the news in "a straightforward, accurate, balanced and fair manner".

This has been a mantra of the Bangkok Post. As an English-language newspaper, it has an additional responsibility in portraying the whole gamut of Thai life, be it politics, economics or social. When Thailand had only one English newspaper, these tasks were omnipresent. Therefore, the Bangkok Post's reputation has been built on solid, professional journalism.

When colleagues from the Bangkok Post yesterday faxed us their letter of appeal to the board of directors of Post Publishing Plc, we gave them our wholehearted support. We also share with them a common desire to protect our freedom and independence in carrying out our duties. We also agree with them that journalists must "be strong enough the stay the course - ethics and principle demand no compromise". Compromise we will not. We share the same belief that journalists are educators, counsellors and sounding boards for both the highest echelons of business and government as well as for the poor, the disenfranchised and the oppressed.

As journalists working in current circumstances, we feel the pain of our friends at the Bangkok Post as if it were ours. Even though for more than three decades we have competed to be the best in the print media, we have done it professionally. Together, we have disseminated news and analysis and helped to raise public awareness of the prospects and problems of our society. However, at this time our hearts are with them.

An English-language newspaper has a mission beyond the vernacular media because its content can be accessed throughout the world. What the journalists of the Bangkok Post report or say has far-reaching implications around the world for Thailand's image. Any effort to curb these journalistic attributes can only taint the country's international standing and augment anxieties.

Like the Bangkok Post's journalists, we need assurances from proprietors of editorial independence to report without fear or bias. This is a trying time for all of us as the government continues to muzzle the media and their owners. Unfortunately, the current Thai leaders have made no commitment to stop interfering in the media.

The print media is a business and we have a responsibility to our owners. But what is more important is our duty to our readers - we have to be honest in reporting the truth. George Orwell said, succinctly, that if liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they don't want to hear. In this case, that includes the owners.