(SEAPA/IFEX) – Thai television coverage of campaigns for the upcoming general elections appears biased towards the party of incumbent Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, a study by the Bangkok-based Assumption University Abac Poll center says. Srisakdi Charmonmaan, chairman of the polling group, said at a press conference on 1 February 2005 that content analysis of evening […]
(SEAPA/IFEX) – Thai television coverage of campaigns for the upcoming general elections appears biased towards the party of incumbent Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, a study by the Bangkok-based Assumption University Abac Poll center says.
Srisakdi Charmonmaan, chairman of the polling group, said at a press conference on 1 February 2005 that content analysis of evening news programmes on six major television stations, conducted between 26 and 30 January, found that reports on the ruling Thai Rak Thai party totalled more than five hours in airtime. In comparison, the opposition Democratic Party was a distant second, earning less than three hours’ worth of coverage over the same period.
In a related survey also conducted by Abac on 1,156 eligible voters aged 18 and older, more than 45 percent of those surveyed agreed that the Thai media is not neutral in covering political developments ahead of the 6 February national elections. Only 20.4 percent of Abac’s respondents said they found the media to be impartial.
Thai Journalists Association Secretary-General Prasong Lertrattanavisute also noted a spike in the number of “public service” spots trumpeting the achievements of state agencies. Prasong said the “broadcast media has always been used by politicians as their mouthpieces, but this tactic is more deliberately and shamelessly used under this government.”
