Jump to content

Bangkok Post

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Bangkok Post
The newspaper you can trust
The front page of theBangkok Post14 May 2015
TypeDailynewspaper
FormatBroadsheet
Owner(s)Bangkok Post PCL (SET:POST)
Founder(s)Alexander MacDonald and Prasit Lulitanond
PublisherKowit Sanandang
EditorSoonruth Bunyamanee[1]
News editorAnucha Charoenpo
Sports editorWanchai Rujawongsanti
Photo editorSarot Meksophawannakul
Founded1 August 1946;78 years ago(1 August 1946)
LanguageEnglish
HeadquartersBangkok Post Building, 136 Sunthorn Kosa Road, Klong Toey, Bangkok 10110
CountryThailand
Circulation110,000
Sister newspapersM2F[th](defunct)
Post Today(defunct; took over byNation Groupin 2022)[2]
ISSN1686-4271(print)
0125-0337(web)
OCLCnumber980335362
Websitewww.bangkokpost

TheBangkok Postis anEnglish-language dailynewspaperpublished inBangkok,Thailand.It is published inbroadsheetanddigitalformats. The first issue was sold on 1 August 1946. It had four pages and cost onebaht,a considerable amount at the time when a baht was a paper note. It is Thailand's oldest newspaper still in publication. The daily circulation of theBangkok Postis 110,000, 80 percent of which is distributed in Bangkok and the remainder nationwide.[3]It is considered anewspaper of recordfor Thailand.[4][5][6][7]

From July 2016 until mid-May 2018, the editor of theBangkok Postwas Umesh Pandey.[8][9]On 14 May 2018, Pandey was "forced to step down" as editor after refusing to soften coverage critical of the ruling military junta.[9]

History

[edit]

TheBangkok Postwas founded by Alexander MacDonald, a formerOSSofficer, and his Thai associate, Prasit Lulitanond. Thailand at the time was the only Southeast Asian country to have aSoviet Embassy.The U.S. embassy felt it needed an independent, but generally pro-American newspaper to counter Soviet views. Some claim[who?]the financing came directly from theUS State Departmentor possibly even the OSS itself, although there is no proof of this.

Nevertheless, under MacDonald's stewardship, theBangkok Postwas reasonably independent and employed many young reporters, includingPeter ArnettandT. D. Allman,who later became known internationally. Alex MacDonald left Thailand after a military coup in the early 1950s, and the newspaper was later acquired byRoy Thomson.The paper has since changed hands. Major shareholders in Post Publishing include the Chirathivat family (owners ofCentral Group), theSouth China Morning PostofHong KongandGMM Grammy Pcl,Thailand's biggest media and entertainment company.

Post Publishing PLC, publisher of theBangkok Post,Post Today(daily Thai language business), andM2F(free Thai language daily) newspapers, returned a modest profit of 450,000 baht in 2016 compared to a 42.1 million baht loss in 2015.[10]

On 14 May 2018, Pandey was "forced to step down" as editor after refusing to soften coverage critical of the ruling military junta.[9]He said the board of directors had asked him to "tone down" the newspaper's reporting and editorials on the actions of the military government, especially its suppression of free speech and election postponements. In a written statement by Pandey issued on 14 May, he said, "When asked to tone down I did not budge and was blunt in letting those who make decisions know that I would rather lose my position than bow my head."[9]ThePostissued a statement on 16 May to assure its readers of its continued commitment to "editorial independence".[11]A seniorPostofficial said that, "This is not an issue of government interference or press freedom per se,...This is simply an internal organisational matter."[12]Pandey was not fired, but transferred to another high-ranking post as assistant to a deputyCOOat no loss of income.[13]Some sources within the company attributed Pandey's ouster as editor to his poor management style and ethical breaches. Some staffers who worked with Pandey cited his creation of a hostile workplace environment and unprofessional behavior. Five current and former staffers blamed him for driving away many newsroom employees, creating a toxic environment and breaching ethics.[13]Meanwhile, Prime MinisterPrayut Chan-o-chadenied that the government pressured thePostto reassign Pandey, dismissing the action as "an issue within a private company."[13]

Staffing

[edit]

TheBangkok Postemploys (April 2015) 179 journalists, including reporters, rewriters, editors, copy editors, photographers, and designers. Twenty-nine foreign nationals work as copy editors and print and digital news editors. Sunday editor Paul Ruffini is an Australian national. ManyPoststaff reporters are Thai nationals, as fluency in Thai is required. Foreign staff write for the newspaper's news, op-ed, sports, business, and features sections.[14]

Editorial stance

[edit]

In a country where media censorship is common, theBangkok Postportrays itself as being comparatively free. There are instances where the newspaper has been accused of self-censorship to avoid controversy or conflict with powerful individuals, including adherence to the country's strictlèse-majestélaw, which prohibits open criticism of members of theThai Royal Family.Yet another example was the newspaper's failure during theVietnam Warto report on bombing forays made from US Air Force bases in Thailand over military targets inNorth VietnamandCambodia,none of which received coverage in the local press.[citation needed]

Throughout the early-2000s, theBangkok Posttook positions that were, at times, generally favorable to the government.[15]After theThai election of 2011the paper took a largely anti-Thaksin position aligned with theYellow Shirtsand theDemocrat Party.[16]

TheBangkok Postwas at one time well known among expatriates forBernard Trink's weeklyNite Owlcolumn, which covered the nightlife of Bangkok. Trink's column was published from 1966 (originally in theBangkok World) until 2004, when it was discontinued. The newspaper has a letters page where expatriate and Thai regulars exchange opinions on local and international concerns. According to thePost,more than half of its total readership are Thai nationals.[14]

During the tenure of Prime MinisterThaksin Shinawatra,thePostlargely toed the government line—at one point bowing to government pressure by firing a reporter who had exposed cracks in the runway of the prestige projectSuvarnabhumi Airportalong with the news editor, whileThe Nation,thePost's competitor, actively campaigned for Thaksin to resign.[15]

Bangkok PostcolumnistAndrew Biggs,who had previously worked atThe Nation,views thePostas the "more staid" of the two dailies. He noted that both publications have been "...champions of democracy.The Nationwas just a little more vocal about it. "[17]Biggs's column in theBangkok Postwas ended with the 30 December 2019 edition.[18]

Sections

[edit]
  • Main body: Local, regional and world news, opinion and analysis pages, and sports news.
  • Business: Local, regional and world business and financial news and stock-market tables.
  • Life: A features section including human-interest stories, travel, motoring, technology, entertainment news, a society page, advice columns, comics, puzzles, local television listings and film advertisements.
  • "Elite Life": Published the last Friday of every month. Luxury lifestyle features.
  • Learning: An online English-language education section.
  • "Guru": An entertainment magazine, inserted on Fridays and aimed at young adult readers.
  • Classified: A classified advertisement section.
  • "MyLife": A supplement which gives advice on how to improve every aspect of your life along with comic strips, every Thursday (to end December 2020).
  • "Sunday Spectrum": A weekly news analysis and investigative journalism section. Discontinued with the 5 August 2018 issue.[19]
  • "Muse": A female-oriented supplement on Saturdays which contains fashion news, make-up tips, stories of successful women, family and travel tips. Muse was discontinued with the 26 August 2018 issue, merged with Sunday supplement Brunch to make Sunday supplement,B. Magazine.
  • "Brunch": A Sunday supplement. (Discontinued with the 26 August 2018 issue, merged with Saturday supplement Muse to make Sunday supplement,B. Magazine.
  • B. Magazine:Sunday supplement covering lifestyle, travel, fashion, celebrities, columns. First issue, 26 August 2018.

English language education site

[edit]

A special Learning[20]section of theBangkok Postwebsite helps Thais learn to read English by using the daily newspaper. Vocabulary, reading questions, video and web resources are provided for a selection of articles every day. Articles are taken from the general news, tourism, entertainment, and business sections of the newspaper. The targeted audience includes individuals studying English and teachers using articles in the classroom. The editor of Bangkok Post Learning is British national Gary Boyle.

See also

[edit]

Further reading

[edit]
  • MacDonald, Alexander (1949). "Bangkok Editor". New York, USA. Macmillan.

References

[edit]
  1. ^"Editorial Contact".Bangkok Post.Retrieved7 July2023.
  2. ^"เนชั่น ปิดดีลซื้อ" โพสต์ทูเดย์ – นิวส์เคลียร์ "กว่ามูลค่า 59 ล้านบาท".Post Today(in Thai). 26 September 2022.Retrieved6 August2023.
  3. ^"Bangkok Post".Multimedia, Inc.Retrieved9 January2017.
  4. ^Katz, William A.;Katz, Linda Sternberg (1997).Magazines for Libraries For the General Reader and School, Junior College, College, University, and Public Libraries(9th ed.). Bowker. p. 185.ISBN978-0-8352-3907-3.Bangkok Postis the English-language newspaper of record in Thailand...
  5. ^Lawler, John J.; Bae, Johngseok (April 1998)."Overt Employment Discrimination by Multinational Firms: Cultural and Economic Influences in a Developing Country"(PDF).Industrial Relations.37(2). Blackwell Publishers: 137.doi:10.1111/0019-8676.00079.S2CID154396371– via Bibliothek der Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung.TheBangkok Postwas used because it is a newspaper of record in Thailand and the most widely read of the English-language dailies.
  6. ^Ruiz, Todd (16 March 2022)."Bangkok Post trashed for broadcasting Russian ambassador's 'propaganda'".Coconuts Bangkok.Coconuts Media.Retrieved19 February2024.The newspaper of record's decision to uncritically broadcast a closed session with Russia's ambassador to Thailand yesterday has been met with anger and disbelief.
  7. ^Hart, Bonnye (December 2013).WAI U NBA LANCED? A CONTENT ANALYSIS OF MEDIA COVERAGE OF THE 2011 THAILAND GENERAL ELECTION IN THE BANGKOK POST NEWSPAPER(PDF)(M.A. Major in Mass Communication thesis).Texas State University.
  8. ^"Bangkok Post Newspaper Editorial Contact".Post Publishing PCL.Archived fromthe originalon 20 January 2017.Retrieved9 January2017.
  9. ^abcdEllis-Petersen, Hannah (15 May 2018)."Editor of Bangkok Post 'forced to step down' over coverage of government".The Guardian.Retrieved16 May2018.
  10. ^Rojanaphruk, Pravit (8 January 2017)."Thailand's Devastating Year For Print Was a Wake-Up Call. Adapt or Die".Khaosod English.Retrieved9 January2017.
  11. ^"Bangkok Post statement: Committed to editorial autonomy".Bangkok Post.16 May 2018.Retrieved16 May2018.
  12. ^Reed, John (16 May 2018)."Bangkok Post editor sacked after critical coverage of Thai junta".Financial Times.Retrieved16 May2018.
  13. ^abcCharuvastra, Teeranai (15 May 2018)."EDITOR REMOVED FOR MISMANAGEMENT – NOT JUNTA PRESSURE: BANGKOK POST".Khaosod English.Retrieved16 May2018.
  14. ^abChuensuksawadi, Pichai (2015-04-17)."Bangkok Post rebuts CJR falsehoods".Bangkok Post.Retrieved18 Apr2015.
  15. ^ab"Thai journalists protest ouster of editors".USA Today.Associated Press. 2005-08-29.Retrieved24 July2015.
  16. ^"The weakness of the Thai royalists".New Mandala.2014-02-07.Retrieved2017-01-12.
  17. ^Biggs, Andrew (7 July 2019)."Another one bites the dust"(Opinion).Bangkok Post.Retrieved7 July2019.
  18. ^Biggs, Andrew (29 December 2019)."All things must pass".Bangkok Post.Retrieved30 December2019.
  19. ^"CONTENT REVAMP FOR 'SUNDAY'".Bangkok Post.5 August 2018.Retrieved5 August2018.
  20. ^"Learning".Bangkok Post.
[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bangkok_Post&oldid=1242445641"