Professor Emeritus Dr. Visanu Kreuangam, Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the Media and Creative Development Fund, presided over the opening of the “TMF Power Fusion” event. Organized by the Media and Creative Development Fund, the event provided a platform for students and the public from five regions to participate in developing media literacy skills and producing safe and creative media. It also served as a tool for learning and developing themselves, their communities, and society. During the event, the Chairman delivered a keynote address. Also present were Mr. Itthipol Khunpluem, Minister of Culture; Assoc. Prof. Dr. Phana Thongmi-archom; Ms. Ladda Tangsupachai; Asst. Prof. Dr. Warach Khrujit; Mr. Somchai Charoenamnuaysuk; Dr. Thanakorn Srisukhsai; Dr. Suangmon Sitisaman; and Mr. Thawatchai Thaikeaw, who conducted TMF Talks on the topic of “Integrating Development Plans.” The event included presentations on "The Development of Safe and Creative Media Phase 1 (2020-2022)" and an academic seminar on "Creative Media Creation through Participation" (Wednesday, December 9, 2020, Miracle Grand Convention Hotel, Bangkok).
Professor Emeritus Dr. Wissanu Krea-ngam, Deputy Prime Minister, revealed that the Safe and Creative Media Development Fund is extremely important, especially in today's world where we are constantly exposed to media. Media here refers to the transmission of information and meaning to another party. If it reaches a large number of people, it's called mass media; if it reaches a small number of people, it's called individual media. Mass media with the ability to reach a large audience is crucial. However, unsafe and uncreative media, such as false information, harassment, or any news that incites hatred and animosity, is detrimental and creates division and estrangement. If people believe such information, it can have harmful consequences. Therefore, the government has assigned the Safe and Creative Media Development Fund to help create safe and creative media. We started this fund with limited funds and personnel, and a short establishment period. How will we proceed? The principle is simple: we need to find partners, volunteers, and volunteer networks to increase participation.
Associate Professor Dr. Phana Thongmi-Arkom, Chair of the Sub-Committee on Promoting Public Participation, revealed that today's event was organized to provide an opportunity for everyone to participate with the Safe and Creative Media Development Fund. Public participation is a crucial universal principle. The definition of "public participation" is the distribution of opportunities for citizens to participate in important activities of national administration, and to jointly decide on matters affecting their lives and well-being. The initial role of participation involves citizens providing information, expressing opinions, participating in planning, and jointly implementing initiatives. This is the overall framework for understanding participation. The Safe and Creative Media Development Fund is a government fund under the Ministry of Culture, providing funding for the production, development, and dissemination of quality media to promote learning and positive behavior among children and youth, foster good family relationships, and encourage public participation in media development.
The law establishes the fund to operate independently, but it is governed by a committee composed of nine external experts, including both permanent government officials and qualified individuals from various fields. The Prime Minister chairs the committee, with Deputy Prime Minister Dr. Wissanu Krea-ngam also serving as chairman. The Minister of Culture, Mr. Itthipol Khunpluem, serves as vice-chairman, and the fund manager acts as secretary. Promoting public participation in media development is a key mission of the fund, as mandated by law. A subcommittee on promoting public participation proposes measures to strengthen cooperation and coordination between the government, private sector, civil society, and the public to develop safe and creative media, aiming for the benefit of the public.
The current strategy employed by the Fund to promote participation is to establish a network of partners to collaboratively drive work in the development of safe and creative media, media monitoring, and media literacy. The Fund aims to create a larger and more diverse network of producers of safe and creative media, generate innovations that benefit operations, and produce national policy recommendations related to safe and creative media, with the government, private sector, and civil society jointly owning these initiatives.
Furthermore, Ms. Ladda Tangsupachai stated that during her time, there was only Hi5, but today we have many more social media platforms, yet the problems remain the same. Many people ask when we will stop monitoring unsafe and unconstructive media. Her answer is: No one will ever be born, because we are constantly monitoring unsafe media that poses social problems, including violence, the use of abusive language, the presentation of sexual content, bullying, and other unconstructive media that significantly impacts society. The problems of people's behavior and media presentation are becoming more severe. Today, children are playing games at home more, coupled with increased violence and language that leads to suicide. If we lack mindfulness, adherence to the Five Precepts, and collaborative efforts within our network, we will not be able to successfully monitor unsafe and unconstructive media.
Mr. Somchai Charoenamnuaysuk stated that today, the Media Fund will act as a bridge, enabling individuals to collaborate and communicate effectively. The key is to create safe and constructive media. He emphasized that everyone can be a media outlet themselves, and the Fund will help them create content. Even with just 300 million baht, they can create media that benefits the public and consumers. Furthermore, he stressed the importance of considering the impact of spreading fake news. Positive media has a positive effect, while negative media can harm individuals and society. He urged everyone to think before sharing, not letting their fingers control their minds, but letting their minds control their fingers. He concluded that taking a little longer will ensure the dissemination of accurate information.
Asst. Prof. Dr. Warach Kruchit stated that media innovation might be an extension of existing things, then expanded into new forms. We may be familiar with inventions, but that's not necessarily the case for media innovation, as it's far more diverse. Instead of creating applications, we can create innovative activities for children to learn without being tied to screens. Innovation can be achieved in three ways: firstly, individuals who drive new innovations in society, or what we call innovators, based on the principles of safe and creative media, thinking within the context of improving society; secondly, improved products or works, which include new content formats that are engaging and creative; thirdly, channels, whether creating new platforms or building networks for greater participation, focusing on how to bring people together to do good; and fourthly, the process, which involves brainstorming ideas to create effective work, encompassing methods that are accepted, and the dissemination of the process's effectiveness and its benefit to society. All of this must be based on the principles of safe and creative media.
Dr. Suangmon Sitisaman stated that the Media Fund is divided into two pillars: repairing society and building society, which must be parallel dimensions. We cannot repair society alone; we need to instill safe and creative media values from a young age. We have talked about media literacy for a long time, but Thai society remains stuck in a rut of media literacy. Education in this era must extend beyond the classroom. Addressing educational needs and linking it to the Media Fund is the right approach, focusing on developing the learning of children and youth. Many projects in the past year have proven the effectiveness of media-based education. For example, increasing social spaces for youth allows for growth within local communities and creates media relevant to those communities. The Media Fund strives to promote these initiatives based on shared interests. You must have diverse content that can create the greatest possible value for society.
Mr. Thawatchai Thaikeaw stated, "As someone who has worked with children for a long time, I would like to speak as an adult who works with children and as a child working in media. Today, it's a little sad that adults don't understand children and youth. Children are not miniature adults; in fact, they are interested in everything because they have never experienced it before. Their education changes according to their age. If we don't understand these things, we won't have any children left to embrace. Therefore, adults who produce media for children must understand the developmental stages of each child: what kind of media is appropriate for each child? Otherwise, we won't be able to create appropriate media, including the timing of its broadcast. Currently, we have media in many dimensions, and there are media funds specifically for children to request. When children do something, they often overdo it to gain social acceptance. Therefore, when children produce media, they tend to create something beyond their capabilities. Children today are smarter than children of previous generations; they just lack the ability to discern. Therefore, we must be careful when assigning media work to children. There needs to be more discussion and debate to ultimately improve the quality of their work."
Finally, Dr. Thanakorn Srisukhsai, Manager of the Safe and Creative Media Development Fund, concluded by stating that the Fund promotes and focuses on producing creative media, encouraging processes for filtering safe media, and fostering participation in safe and creative media. The Fund has therefore established five regional forums with the objective of educating the public on media literacy and consuming safe and creative media. The Fund recognizes that promoting safe and creative media cannot be achieved alone. The project has already begun in four regions, culminating in this final forum. This forum will involve workshops in three sub-committees, which will contribute to further promoting safe and creative media. Today marks the beginning of efforts to create safe and creative media. The feedback and suggestions from participants in all five regional forums will be used to inform future plans for producing safe and creative media.
