Let’s hope media learns a lesson from ‘Por’ coverage

Tridsadee passed away on January 18, after a heartbreaking 70-day battle. 

The media, in particular, have to a few lessons to learn. 

At the start of Tridsadee’s battle with dengue at Ramathibodi Hospital in Bangkok, throngs of reporters almost literally camped out inside hospital buildings. They often chatted, causing loud noises that some people had complained about. Relatives of other patients expressed disappointment that reporters had also tried to throng around Tridsadee’s two-year-old daughter – fondly called “Mali” – and encourage her to dance to music inside the hospital. 

While Mali is cute, it is understandable that some people were unhappy given that patients generally need a quiet environment for rest and recuperation. Medical workers prefer a quiet environment to focus on their work, which more often than not is a matter of life and death. 

In response to complaints aired by the public, entertainment-news reporters have publicly explained that their members did not really disturb other patients and acted within a proper scope. 

But last week, when Tridsadee’s family was moving his body out of the hospital, news photographers and cameramen tried to scramble for good shots to the point that at many stages his family members were not by his body’s side. 

A monk who was invited to carry out the religious ritual for Tridsadee was pushed into a corner, and the fabric covering Tridsadee’s body slipped a bit amid the pushing. As a result, his forehead could be seen in some pictures.

A large number of people were appalled at such new coverage. At least 26,000 people have already signed an online petition on change.org to demand that the media improve its ethical standards, social etiquette and work procedures. 

Self-regulatory media bodies have also organised seminars to address the ugly side of news reporting in cases like Tridsadee’s. 

At a recent seminar, Mana Treelayapewat, dean of the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce’s Communication Arts Faculty, said if all media organisations had a panel in place to investigate alleged ethical violations, such problems would be significantly reduced. 

He also pointed out that other sectors in society could help tackle such issues too. He said student networks for example should help investigate media work while sponsors should give support to quality programmes, not only the most-watched programmes. 

But the media was not alone in being disrespectful in relation to Tridsadee. He said some members of the public disregarded the feelings of Tridsadee’s family when they showed up at his funeral and took selfies with big smiles. 

Many people also took selfies with Tridsadee’s wife and daughter in the frame. Photos on social media showed Tridsadee’s wife shedding a tear in the background as people beamed into the camera. One such person was identified on social media, and she was quick to apologise and ask society to forgive her for her ignorance. 

Let’s pray that all sides really learn a lesson. 

At least there are signs for optimism. When news photographers headed to a temple in Buri Ram to cover Tridsadee’s funeral services and royal-sponsored cremation ceremony, they set up rules to ensure there was no pushing and commotion. Five photographers were selected as representatives to work at the venue and they shared the photos to prevent anyone from going beyond what is considered proper to get a better shot. 

Everything thus ran smoothly without more outcries when the ceremony concluded on Sunday.

It is possible that the media’s handling of Tridsadee’s illness and death will result in reporters and news photographers focusing more on ethics when they compete for news coverage. Let’s hope they respect the rights and privacy of others too.

On the plus side, the Tridsadee case has resulted in Thais getting more knowledge of dengue and how to reduce the chances of getting it. Many more people now know there are four strains of dengue in the country. 

Those who have already come down with one strain may be immune to that strain but not to the rest. Even worse is the fact that when dengue hits for a second time, symptoms are severer. 

With the huge coverage of Tridsadee’s case, no one will ever take dengue for granted again. And people are now keener than ever to get rid of mosquito-breeding grounds.