SA-NGUAN KHUMRUNGROJ

Citizen journalist with 40 years of experience working in the field

If the media bill passes in its current state, how will you be affected?

As a citizen j ournalist working independently, how can I obtain a certificate from my employer? How will a freelance journalist get one?

And if there’s a news emergency, and I happen to be on location to cover it, but don’t have a certificate to show the authorities, what will I do? Will I be prevented from reporting this event to my audience?

What consequences will the media bill have on the media landscape?

The authorities are clearly afraid of online journalists, citizen journalists like myself or tools such as Facebook Live. On the contrary, I believe that everyone should be encouraged to become a citizen journalist.

As a professional news man, I believe that the word media shouldn’t be separated from the adjective ‘mass’. We are media at the service of the people. We do not serve the interests of the government.

The government already has its own means of communication — whether it be through its Public Relations Department or government spokesmen.

However, I don’t believe the new bill will change much. The government’s grip on the media has already tightened considerably. So many orders that violate freedom of expression and freedom of the press have already been issued under the ruling junta.

Also, the media in Thailand relies too heavily on government spokesmen — whether at Government House or ministries. Many news report that come out today are just passing on messages that journalists are being fed.

Media outlets are so afraid of missing out on a piece of information that their competition might print or air, they end up conveying it as well.

Plus, our country is not big on law enforcement. The media today already doesn’t respect much rules.

What is your definition of ‘media’ in this time and place?

The expression ‘famous pages’ used by legislators is really too broad. There is a multitude of web pages that have many followers, some can include content that’s totally journalistic — I’m talking about pornographic sites or others.

But they’re putting us in the same basket. For me, there is professional media and citizen journalists. I have 40 years experience in journalism and I do my work responsibly. But as a citizen journalist, I don’t have my hands tied, I can inquire freely. I’m not forced to listen to a spokesman feed me stories as well.

What do you think about registration?

Legislators have turned it into a certificate, which is not so different. It’s like tying our hands. There’s a risk that individual journalists will be blacklisted or banned and prevented from reporting the news truthfully.

Is the media in Thailand out of control? Should there be regulation and, if so, how should it be done?

The media has sure broken a lot of ethical rules. Personally, I believe that we have too many professional organisations that could be assembled into one. That will make it easier for the profession to be regulated, without needing the government to interfere.