Reporting Protests: The Roles of Thai Press in Political Assembly and Political Violence

Abstract

        This research article presents parts of findings from the study, entitled Reporting Protests: The Roles of Thai Press in Political Assembly and Political Violence. The objectives of this article are: (1) to study the operation of news media in reporting political assembly, (2) to study factors that influence news media’s reporting of political assembly, and (3) to study news media’s approaches in reporting political assembly that legitimize the use of violence, and ways to reduce conditions that lead to the use of violence. Three sets of concepts and theories are used as the analytical framework: the roles of mass media in reporting protests, peace journalism, and sociology of journalism. Qualitative research methodology, including documentary research, in-depth interview, and focus group interview, was employed to examine how Thai journalists worked in their coverage of 5 political mass demonstrations from 1992 to 2021.

        Research findings show that news media generally planned on reporting political assembly since they were important political events in which a large number or people participated. Usually, news media would assess the situation to prepare safety precautions for field crew and had specific reporting guidelines. Factors influencing news media’s reporting include internal and external factors. Findings also identify the approaches that legitimize the use of violence: the description of protests as important events, yet unusual ones that often stir up public disorder; monitoring of unfolding situations, but not elaborating on the crux of conflict that gives rise to the protest, highlighting the competition between the government and protesters, particularly the organizers or protest leaders, and the focus on discernible physical violence, but failing to connect such occurrences with structural or cultural violence. Factors that compel journalists to use such approaches are the news production routine that prioritizes event-oriented reportage over in-depth reporting, and the press being interfered with and being affected by violence, which deprives them of editorial autonomy. Meanwhile, the reporting approaches that minimize the use of violence are the description of protests as an exercise of communication rights and a means of political participation by attempting to report facts from multiple stakeholders; prioritizing in-depth reporting to explain the conflict, principles underpinning the protesters’ demands, rationale behind the use of violence from the state and protesters, the repercussions of violence on disparate parties, as well as monitoring, documenting, and investigating the use of violence. One important factor that enables journalists to use such approaches is editorial independence and safety in carrying out their work. Based on the study’s findings, the guarantee of press freedom and people’s communication rights are strongly recommended to support news media in de-legitimizing violence and minimizing the conditions that leads to the use of violence.