Lessons Learned for Institutional Media on the Report on the Cave Rescue Operation of Youth Football Team and the Coach--the Wild Boars Academy, at Tham Luang-Khun Nam Nang Non Forest Park, Chiang Rai Province

Abstract

                The article titled “Lessons Learned for Institutional Media on the Report on the Cave Rescue Operation of Youth Football Team and the Coach--the Wild Boars Academy, at Tham Luang-Khun Nam Nang Non Forest Park, Chiang Rai Province” is based on a study with the same title. The article explains different aspects when media performing their duty in reporting on the rescue of youth football team and the coach (the Wild Boars). These include elements that successfully done, elements to be improved and those still in question. The analysis can be used to further enhance the work of media in the future.
                The study applies a qualitative approach. It adopts principles of children’s and patients’ rights, media ethics, reporting on disaster and news commercialization. The study interviewed five specific groups of samplings in total 23 persons, which include reporters, editors, and media entrepreneurs (11 persons), committee members of media institutions (3 persons), members of the Joint Administration Center for Rescue Operations (3 persons), parents of the Wild Boars (2 persons), and experts on youth, laws and media (4 persons). A method of in-depth interviews is used.
                The study finds that the distinctive points for most media include following field works’ rules and regulations, verifying for facts before reporting, and using info graphic to simplify complicated contents for the audience. This group of media also avoids presenting certain contents to protect the patients’ rights and not to hurt the feeling of parents of the Wild Boars Team. However, some practices of media, which is a minor group when compared to the rest, are to be improved. These practices include an inappropriate behavior with news source, not following field works’ rules and regulations, reporting news focusing on immediacy rather than accuracy and presenting provocative contents.
                For the elements that are in arguments, the samplings have different opinions on these matters. These controversies include the identification of the Wild Boars should be revealed or not, and how. The government authorities should mark special area for media (zoning). Another point is how to balance freedom of media when on duty and whether or not media can attach their emotion when reporting news and how. Lastly, the television broadcasters should totally suspend the existing programmes in order to broadcast live the disaster events or not.
                Recommendations are: (1) encouraging the reporters in the field to use “peer-warn-peer” to remind each other regarding rules and regulations when working; (2) media institutes should have a proactive approach in using regulating and monitoring system for reporters’ ethics, and to establish organizational culture in giving importance on accuracy rather than immediacy; (3) professional media associations should improve their roles to be accepted by their members; (4) government agencies should summarise the lessons learned in supervising media when work-ing on emergency, and should be cautious in not violating freedom of media unnecessarily; (5) audience/civil society should develop a media monitoring system and demand media to perform their duty with validity, accuracy and not to create hatred. This is to make media better recognizing voices of the people.