Bangkok Post
editor Veera Prateepchaikul is fired -
Reuters & The Nation, February 20, 2004
[Ed.: This will make the folks at The Nation
especially concerned. The Post's editorial policy
is, at most, respectfully or lightly critical of the government.
The slant of the rest of the news they carry is what we
have long called 'government happy news.' On the other hand,
The Nation's editorial policy borders on hysterically
anti-government. This is not the first time this kind of
editorial meddling has happened at the Post--see
the story below about the demise of the Insider column.
]
...Bangkok Post reporters said Veera, a long-serving
journalist at the paper and its editor for the past 21 months,
had resisted management efforts to have the paper soften
its critical coverage of government policies of Prime Minister
Thaksin Shinawatra. "He has in effect been sacked despite
the beautiful words given by the management that the decision
is a promotion," said Bangkok Post reporter Ampa Santimatanedol.
"The management may have been concerned that the newspaper's
editorial policy under Veera has frustrated their business
interest by its constant attacks on the government,"
she said.
...Some Bangkok Post reporters said some of their earlier
stories had been withdrawn apparently over concerns that
they would make major shareholders unhappy.
Post Publishing is 30 percent owned by the family of retail
business tycoon Suthikiart Chirathivat, 20 percent by the
SCMP Group , publisher of Hong Kong's South China Morning
Post, and 3.7 percent by Thailand's Bangkok Bank PCL.
Earlier: What happened to the Insider
column in the Bangkok Post?
- April 25, 2003
Several people have asked what happened to the beloved Insider
column in the Bangkok Post. When 2Bangkok.com first
mocked the Paragon website (someone has mirrored the original
Paragon website here),
we also challenged the local press to do the same. The Insider
took up the challenge and poked
fun at the English used on the site. 2B learned that
the Insider article resulted in a warning from powerful
people involved in both the Post board and the Paragon
development not to make fun of the Paragon in the future.
Then doing the Insider column was "not fun anymore."
The Insider was offered a new job within the newspaper that
conveniently made it not possible to continue the column.
Also: Insurers
Shun 'Sick Note' Politicians - Reuters, February
20, 2004
Insurers are refusing to give health care cover to Thai
politicians because many are checking into hospitals instead
of hotels during trips around the country and then claiming
the money back, the parliament's speaker said.
Bangkok Post editor Veera Prateepchaikul is fired
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