Time for media to do some soul-searching
November 24, 2000
FOLLOWING a 22-hour hostage ordeal, which ended with nine jail-breakers
killed in a dramatic shoot-out, the real hero to emerge from this bloody event
was, you bet, TV Channel 9.
It was the only TV channel to have captured live on camera, at 7:30am
yesterday, the bloody episode near the Thai-Burmese border in Kanchanaburi. One
of Channel 9's announcers triumphantly issued a message of self-congratulation,
telling the nationwide audience about how great its film crew had been in their
hot pursuit of the hijackers. You only had to tune into Channel 9 to witness
this five-minutes of spectacular killing in the comfort of your own home.
Unfortunately, this self-proclaimed act of heroism was typical of an era of
media arrogance and insensitivity.
For while Channel 9 was busy congratulating itself over its live broadcast of
the shoot-out, it failed to give due credit to the real heroes - the awesome
police force from the Naresuan camp, in Prachuab Khiri Khan.
These special Thai commandos, dressed totally in black and carrying automatic
rifles, executed their raid almost flawlessly. They killed the Burmese inmates
instantly. After the operation, they returned to their camp incognito. They were
the same team which took on the God's Army rebels and killed of all of its
members in Ratchaburi Hospital earlier this year.
Two hostages were rescued unharmed from this daring operation: Sema Kummanon,
a deputy chief of the Samut Sakhon prison and Lek Phothong, a Thai prison inmate
forced to join the Burmese jailbreakers. Unfortunately, prison chief Somwong
Siriwej was severely wounded in the ambush. He remained in a coma as of
yesterday.
Put yourself in the hearts and minds of Somwong's family, particularly his
wife and his son. They must have been hurt badly after learning about Somwong's
condition - while watching a gleeful Channel 9 boast of its 'triumph'.
On Wednesday, the hostage crisis claimed the life of Don Chitthongpan, who
was shot dead by one of the inmates. His wife, Rangsima Chitthongpan, almost
collapsed under the weight of sorrow. This real story of the loss of a loved one
was under-reported.
Over these past two days, the Thai people were presented with this hostage
ordeal as if it was a sort of entertainment programme. On Wednesday evening,
Ruam Duay Chuai Kan ("Helping Each Other"), a local radio station
anchored by Thanom Onketphol, undertook to mediate the crisis. The radio station
turned itself into a command centre through which negotiations were conducted
between the Burmese inmates and authorities. The voice of Win San, the group
leader, was broadcast live nationwide.
Then an army of reporters set out on the trail of the jail breakers from the
prison in Samut Sakhon to Ratchaburi, before ending at Kanchanaburi. It was
confusing all along the way as reporters quarrelled with police about their
right to cover the event "ringside" - citing the public's right to
know, to see and to hear. Under intense competition to capture the drama,
reporters and photographers hardly gave any regard to the police's difficulties
handling the crisis.
The media has become all too self-important.
Earlier this week, an iTV reporter and her TV cameraman were attacked by a
group of Democrat supporters. The behaviour of the Democrat supporters was
unacceptable. Yet there was widespread condemnation by newspaper associations
over the safety of the media and obstructions to their profession. The prime
minister, as a Democrat, is required to apologise to iTV.
Other professions do not get the first-class treatment that journalists do.
In the US, the media is undertaking some self-examination. CNN and other news
networks were forced to retract their calls when they first gave Al Gore a win
in Florida, before handing it to Bush, and then retracting it altogether when it
became apparent the presidential race was nearly a dead-heat - and too close to
call. Now the TV networks are soul-searching as to whether they had crossed the
border of appropriateness in the rush to be the first to name the next president
of the United States.
It's time the Thai media undertake the same soul-searching about overstepping
the line of appropriate behaviour. Journalists and reporters are members of
society. They, too, are ordinary walking mortals.
BY THANONG KHANTHONG
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