Juryfury.com
Articles:
Current Topics:
911 & al-Qaeda
US-Iraq
War
US
Congress
US
Elections
Bush
Administration
Law
& Enforcement
Minorities Post-911
International News:
Africa
Canada
East
Asia
Europe
& EU
Latin
America
Palestine-Israel
The
Middle East
Communism
& China
Russia
& Neighbors
South Asian Politics
United
Nations
Republic
or Democracy?
Leaders
& Dictators
Power Politics:
The Pulpit
The
Internet
Religion
& State
Narcotics
& State
Censorship
& Media
The
Defense Industry
Treaties
& Alliances
Foreign
Aid or Trap?
Health Care Reform
Lobby
Groups &
Think Tanks
Corporations
& Global
Sweatshops
Economics: A Postmortem Necessary
Leaders in Energy
& Environment
The World
& You:
Your
Finances
Legal
Advice
Your Health
Human
Rights
Immigration
Education
Sports
World
Self
& Society
Entertainment
News
Peaceful
Activism
Editorial:
Dear Politician
Venerated Citizen
Letters
to Readers
|
East Asia
Press Freedom in Mainland Southeast Asia
by Dr. John C. Walsh
A global survey of press freedoms in 2005 ranked a total of 194 different
states in terms of institutional and legal freedoms, as well as the skill
of journalists and publishers. In terms of the countries of mainland Southeast
Asia, the best ranked was Thailand in joint 72nd position and a ranking of
‘partly free.’ A position of 72nd would be lower than the Kingdom’s aspiration
to be a close-to-developed country and a state which is now to become a donor
rather than a recipient of overseas development aid. The other countries
were all classified as ‘not free,’ in other words countries which do not
permit freedom of _expression. These rankings are amongst the lowest in the
world. Cambodia was ranked joint 128th, Vietnam joint 177th, Laos joint 179th
and Burma joint 191st.
These ratings relate not just to state interference in publishing or censorship
but also to the capacity of local journalists to identify and publish important,
investigative stories which are accurate and timely. War and persecution
forced the dispersal of almost the entire middle class of both Cambodia and
Laos and journalists and commentators were among those who are no longer
present. From overseas countries, some of those who are part of the Diaspora
are able to use greater opportunities and access to technology in western
countries to influence strongly the global, Internet-based discourse about
events in their erstwhile home countries. Web surfers searching for information
on Burma, Laos and Cambodia, in particular, are likely to find sites which
are managed by expatriates who have their own particular views and biases.
Those sites are frequently better designed and maintained than official ones,
since state-based organizations or even non-state indigenous information
sources tend to be less well-researched.
Unlike China, which has the ability and the clout with international media
service providers, Southeast Asian states are unable effectively either to
censor information on the Internet or to force international firms to reveal
information about those designated as dissidents. Nevertheless, there is
still evidence that intelligence services are able to monitor and intercept
modern forms of communications and action against individuals may be effected
later.
Education
The education systems in each of the countries involved also fail to provide
individuals able and willing to become skilled journalists. In general terms,
education focuses too strongly on the teacher-centric model of education
in which pupils pay respect to the teacher by listening and memorizing everything
he or she tells them. Replication of that information in subsequent examinations
is much more highly prized than the ability to question or to think critically
about information or the world. Combined with a sense of deference towards
persons of authority, it is clear that young journalists are more likely
to accept at face value governmental statements and policies instead of conducting
them to rigorous examination or seeking triangulation of any figures stated
or assertions made. Generally low levels of English language ability have
contributed to the fact that reporting by international sources is more respected
and quoted than local sources. Duncan McCargo, writing about the Thai press
in 2000, observed that relationships between politicians and reporters could
become very close. The reporters needed access to their sources, who would
often provide them with travel expenses, accommodation and meals in order
to use them as unofficial research assistants. This poses an obvious threat
to journalistic independence.
Legal Action
In recent months, a new threat to press freedoms has been posed in Thailand
by a series of libel suits issued both by the Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra
and by the Shin Corp which he founded. These have been aimed at individual
journalists who have made allegations about the plaintiffs or who have repeated
allegations made by other individuals. For example, on October 11th, 2005,
Dr Thaksin launched a libel suit against the Manager newspaper after it reprinted
a sermon by a venerable monk which effectively accused the Prime minister
of being ‘power-hungry.’ Such accusations, irrespective of having any justice
or not, would be brushed aside in most western countries (although accusations
of criminal or non-spousal sexual activities would not be). Some believe
that these libel suits are little more than coincidental and result from
the need to control a press that does occasionally make wild accusations.
Others point to the long struggle after Shin Corp’s investment in the iTV
television station and the eventual, contested, reinstatement of journalists
deemed to have overstepped the line. These observers suspect there is a concerted
effort to tame the media.
A strong press helps democracy by contributing to making governments and
organizations generally more accountable to the public interest. Across the
world, investigative journalism is under threat as authoritarianism uses
‘patriotism’ to suffocate genuinely necessary political debate and because
of the dumbing down of popular media by over-concentration of power in too
few media hands. Lack of accountability can result in corruption, corner-cutting
and consequent risks to the safety of the public. As ever, the poor and the
weak suffer disproportionately.
References and Further Reading
"PM to Sue Manager Today," Bangkok Post (October 11th, 2005), downloaded
from: http://www.bangkokpost.com/News/11Oct2005_news10.php
Karlikar, Karin Deutsch, Freedom of the Press 2005: A Global Survey of Media
Independence (New York and Washington, DC.: Freedom House, 2005), downloaded
from: http://www.freedomhouse.org/research/pressurvey/fop05.pdf
McCargo, Duncan, Politics and the Press in Thailand (Bangkok: Garuda Press,
2002).
About the Author:
Please see our list of Contributors for details.
|