Most Thai political news reports believable, say Bangkokians
Bangkokians are relatively confident about political news reported by Thai media, the collaborative fact-checking network “Cofact Thailand” found in a recent survey.
The survey was conducted to gain insight into Bangkok residents’ attitudes, opinions and trust in political news reports produced by Thai media.
The aim of the survey was to also help Thai media outlets to improve their reporting guidelines to enhance professional standards, boost confidence among people and promote their role in mitigating conflict in society.
“Cofact Thailand will cooperate with related networks, especially media outlets, to develop media efficiency and perception in a bid to reduce fake or distorted reports that trigger conflicts in society,” the network said.
The survey – conducted between August 28 to 31 on 200 people from different backgrounds in 15 Bangkok districts – focused on those who follow the news via different platforms at least three to four times a week.
The survey was based on eight trust indicators that media outlets use as standards across the world. The indicators were created in the US.
In descending order, Bangkokians gave media outlets 3.42 points out of 5 for reporting methods, followed by 3.38 for journalistic expertise, 3.36 for diverse voices, 3.27 for sourcing locally, 3.26 for reference, 3.25 for labels, 3 for actionable feedback and 2.91 for best practices.
The survey also found that teens aged 15 to 19 had more confidence in Thai media outlets than people aged 20 to 45.
Respondents said they had more confidence in reporting methods as they believe Thai media outlets have access to solid news sources. However, they are not confident in Thai media outlets’ practises as they provide only one-sided news from sources like the government and influencers like politicians, celebrities and millionaires.
Respondents also found that Thai media placed too much weight on its own opinion and did not screen sources enough, which resulted in misinformation.
The survey also found that most respondents rely on online media and pay attention to personalities, like well-known reporters, moderators and newsmakers.
