ไทยในสายตาสื่อลาว: ศึกษากรณีหนังสือพิมพ์ ประชาชน (Pasaxon)

Abstract

                  The article titled “Thailand as Seen by the Laos Press: A Case Study of the Pasaxon Newspaper”, drawing on the research project “A Presentation of Content Related to Thailand Appeared in Newspaper of Lao PDR: A Case Study of the Pasaxon Newspaper”, has two objectives: (1) to study a direction in content presentation related to Thailand as appeared in the Pasaxon, and (2) to study a relation between sources and presentation’s direction related to Thailand as appeared in Pasaxon.
                  Population of the study is a Laos newspaper with the highest circulation which is the Pasaxon Newspaper, which is owned by the government of Lao PDR. The study applies a content analysis which is a quantitative approach. Data collection was done through a random sampling by weekly rotating of Pasaxon. During a period of 2013, one issue of Pasaxon was collected weekly (Monday to Friday), with a total number of 51 issues. The content analysis uses character as a unit of analysis and percentiles concept for statistics. Additionally, the study applies a qualitative method of in-depth interviews.
                 In the framework of the objective (1) to study a direction in content presentation related to Thailand as appeared in Pasaxon, it is concluded that the presentation style related to Thailand used the most is to firstpresent article, then followed by news and photos. The front page is used the most to present news, and the next is the fourth page (social news) with articles, and the last is the twelfth page (international news) also with articles. In relation to news sources, the Laos journalists are the most providing news related to Thailand, followed by Laos officialsand Thai private sectors. Direction in presenting content related to Thailand is positive more than four-fifthof the whole contents related to Thailand.
                In light of the objective (2) to study a relation between sources and presentation’s direction related to Thailand as appeared in Pasaxon, the conclusions are as follows:
                (1) Presentation of contents related to Thailand in the forms of news, headline and article of Pasaxon is presented in a positive direction in four-ffth of entire spaces having contents related to Thailand. For news photos and other formats of presentation are presented only in a positive, not neutral or negative, direction.
                (2) Pasaxon has positively presented contents related to Thailand on every page. Specifcally, the front page is the most presenting contents in a positive direction. However, with regards to a negative direction, which is 7.68%, appears the most on the twelfth page which is international news.
                (3) Laos journalists are the sources in news and headlines who present contents related to Thailand the most and with a positive direction with more than four-fifth.The contents are about Thailand as an alliance in social, cultural, economical and political partnership.
                (4) Pasaxon’s policy is to follow the government’s policy in maintaining international relations and not intervening domestic affairs.
                Findings of the study suggest that the positive direction in presenting contents related to Thailand is regulated by the government’s policy in having Pasaxon as the voice of the government. However, a genuine feeling of the Laotians towards the Thais may not be in the same way as guided by Pasaxon because of rooted conflictssuch asa territory dispute concerning Ban Rom Klao (1988) or Thailand’s influencesover Laos’s economy, etc. This may have caused the Laotians relatively distrust the Thais. Recommendation for Thailand as a neighboring country should adjust to gain trust from Laotians such as presenting news contents about Laos as an equal alliance.