Media Alert, a fund for the development of safe and creative media, in collaboration with academics from the Thai Media Lab group, has released proposals on "Quality Political News Reporting that Meets Media Professional Standards and Benefits Society." Based on a 10-year analysis of 1,576 news reports from 13 digital TV channels and 13 online news outlets, the study found that while news outlets strategically presented information, provided forums for dissenting opinions and raised questions, and attempted to explain certain points, the majority of the reporting relied solely on reliance on new information from sources. The primary sources used in reporting were the government. While the inclusion of foreshadowing opinions and questioning was effective, in-depth explanation, investigation, and verification were lacking. Overall, the news presented was most effective in providing up-to-date information, followed by scrutinizing political processes, and then enabling viewers to receive information rationally and understand events.
The 10-year-old rice scandal resurfaced when the Pheu Thai government held a press conference, inviting reporters to inspect rice warehouses to verify that the rice under the rice pledging scheme was of sufficient quality for consumption. They also announced their readiness to auction off approximately 15,000 tons of this rice to private companies.
This news has therefore become a topic of public interest, encompassing aspects of rice quality, public confidence in Thailand's image as a major rice exporter, and various interconnected political dimensions.
Therefore, the news surrounding rice over the past 10 years is an issue that the media should thoroughly question and investigate. The information presented should enable society to collectively scrutinize and understand the context of the current rice situation over the past 10 years, connecting various related contexts. This is crucial for content analysis to identify approaches to setting news agendas and shaping political news reporting, based on the concrete examples of media coverage of rice over the past 10 years as a learning unit.
Study period
Record educational units between May 6, 2567, and June 20, 2567, covering the following key events:
On May 6th, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Commerce, Phumtham Wechayachai, inspected government rice stocks under the rice pledging scheme.
On June 17th, bids will be submitted, and details of the bidders and the winning bidder will be announced.
June 20, 2567, in the event of ongoing events and further development of news coverage stemming from key related events.
Educational Unit
News related to the 10-year rice scandal was collected using the term "10-year rice scandal" for online searches. All related news articles, categorized by specific dates within the study period, were retrieved from various media platforms and news outlets, including news websites and social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok, as these were the three primary channels through which information was received. A total of 1576 news articles were analyzed from these sources.
- Thirteen television channels (selected from digital TV channels that broadcast this news) were chosen from the public television service providers, including the Royal Thai Army Television Station (TV5HD) and Thai PBS, and from the commercial television service providers, including Channel 3 HD, MCOT HD, TNN Channel 16, Nation TV 22, Workpoint TV Channel 8, Mono 29, Thairath TV, PPTVHD36, AMARIN TV HD, and Channel 7HD.
- Online news agencies were selected using a purposive sampling method based on differences in content characteristics, target audiences, and presentation styles to analyze similarities and differences in news reporting. The study included 26 news agencies: Channel 5 HD (TV5HD), Thai PBS, Channel 3 HD, MCOT HD, TNN16, Nation TV 22, Workpoint TV, Channel 8, Mono 29, Thairath TV, PPTVHD36, AMARIN TV HD, Channel 7HD TODAY, Thairath Online, Kom Chad Luek, Daily News, Khaosod, Thansettakij, Naewna, Bangkok Business News, The Standard, The Reporter, Isra News Agency, Spring News, and TopNews.
The framework of issues used in the study and analysis.
1) Study news agenda setting and news reporting formats, including news agenda setting and news reporting development.
2) Analysis to assess quality according to political news reporting standards: Key principles of political news.
3) Analyzing the benefits provided to the recipient.
The core of quality political news consists of:
1) It helps to understand politics in various dimensions.
2) Monitor the performance of politicians and the government.
3) Society has political participation.
4) Set the news agenda to highlight issues that people need to know, and...
5) Promote social harmony without creating conflict.
Due to its involvement in various political aspects and its role in scrutinizing and monitoring government policy, the 10-year analysis of rice news can serve as a model for analyzing and monitoring the effectiveness of news reporting related to government policy in other cases in the future.
From an analysis of rice-related news over the past 10 years, two main lessons can be learned from reporting on political issues related to government policy. namely
- The first presentation is based on information provided by the source. Regardless of the source, presenting only opinions and information without explanation, connection, or elaboration will only result in coverage of the situation, lacking the level of understanding, reasoning, and participatory scrutiny of government policy—the core of quality political news. A word of caution regarding this approach is the selection of data and sources; it risks highlighting conflicts and creating political drama. While this approach might allow for diverse opinions and collaborative scrutiny, if the issue is developed solely based on a particular source, the agenda will be dictated by that source.
- Characteristic 2 The "Agenda-Setting" News Agency." This leads to a more comprehensive understanding of political dimensions in society and enables efficient news reporting that emphasizes speed and information delivery. To provide quality information, a diverse range of issues is necessary to ensure viewers have a well-rounded perspective. Furthermore, developing contextual/in-depth news reporting is crucial to achieving quality outcomes, fostering different viewpoints, understanding complex narratives, providing logical explanations of events, and scrutinizing political aspects. This allows for more informed news coverage, agenda setting for societal understanding, rational political commentary, and the ability to foster social harmony or create conflict, ultimately impacting news presentation.
Timeline Rice news. 10 Year as an academic unit.
This analysis of political news reporting, a case study of the rice scandal over the past 10 years, collected 1576 news articles from 26 news outlets through online searches using the keyword "10-year rice news." Data was extracted from four platforms: websites, Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok, analyzing the data collected between May 6 and June 19, 2024. The timeline of events is divided into three periods:
Phase 1, May 6-17, 2567: The main event was tasting rice and discussing whether it was edible.
Phase 2, May 18-26, 2567: The key event was the confirmation that the rice was edible.
ช่วงที่ 3 วันที่ 27 พฤษภาคม – 19 มิถุนายน 2567 เหตุการณ์สำคัญคือเปิดประมูลข้าว 10 ปี
The analysis revealed that: For the past 10 years, news agencies have defined their news reporting as "opening up space for opinions to raise issues and raise questions, attempting to explain, but the main proportion still consists of reporting based on the situation as new information is provided by sources."
All platforms primarily use news sources from the "government," demonstrating that the presentation of this news is dictated by state sources. The government has been involved in activities and providing information related to rice for 10 years, and the media primarily presents updates on the situation based on state sources. It was found that...
During the first segment, "Taste the Rice – Is it Edible to Criticize Rice?", the most diverse range of news sources were given space, as this segment focused heavily on expressing opinions on government issues, while the critical group was led by academic sources.
Phase 2, "Test results confirm the rice is safe to eat," used government and official sources, reducing criticism and skepticism from the opposing side.
Phase 3, "TOR for Rice to the Auction," utilizes sources from the government and government agencies.And the information is from documents (verified).
Citing sources
Sources of information are divided into two groups. The first group, the government (56%) and state agencies (15.8%), provided positive information on government policies, countered opponents who disagreed with or criticized the government's approach, and expressed positive opinions on various issues concerning the government. The second group consisted of academics (14.4%), the opposition (11.4%), documents (7.5%), civil society (6.2%), and the business sector (4.7%). Issues raised included questioning, commentary, emotional and sarcastic political remarks, and observations linking the information to past politics.
News stories are characterized by updates on the situation/information, primarily using a single source. News using 2-3 sources summarizes key points, explains the background and context of the story, and features counterarguments between opposing viewpoints.
Three news outlets have a relatively nearly equal proportion of supporting and critical information: Nation TV, Kom Chad Luek, and Naew Na. ThaiPBS, however, uses information from all sources.
The framework for reporting on rice over the past 10 years… “Opening up space for differing opinions to raise questions” is good, but there is still a lack of explanation, in-depth analysis, and verification.
Rice news over the past 10 years has been a political news story with four dimensions that should be interconnected in a comprehensive reporting manner:
- The dimension relating to politics includes: a framework of activities related to rice over the past 10 years; a framework for explaining rice data over the past 10 years; a framework of confidence (in rice over the past 10 years and government management, encompassing both attempts to build confidence and observations and doubts); a framework of proposals (suggestions for rice management over the past 10 years); a framework of political conflicts (political conflicts, politicians involved); and a framework of the political context (the origin of rice over the past 10 years, the rice pledging scheme, the work of previous governments).
- The economic dimension, concerning trade, confidence, and the market image of Thai rice, includes the economic and trade framework, the international relations framework, and the Thai rice image framework.
- The health dimension, within the health safety framework, involves examining the suspicion that 10-year-old rice is edible and whether it is safe for health.
- The dimensions of social interest include the framework of rice consumption (methods, forms of rice consumption, opinions on consuming old rice) and the framework of criticism and commentary (focusing on criticism and comments that are personal opinions).
An analysis of rice news reports over the past 10 years reveals that "the dimension of social interest, as defined by the framework for presenting opinions," accounts for the largest proportion. The news surrounding the 10-year rice crisis is framed by "presentations of opinions, criticisms, and the raising of issues regarding the government's unreliability in handling the rice market." The political dimension, within the framework of public trust in the 10-year rice crisis, includes both the government's attempts to provide information to build confidence and the questioning and distrust of the government's safety and management by the opposition, politicians, and academics.
Health dimension, health impacts, explanation of various substances, information on rice characteristics, rice quality inspection.
Economic dimensions: How will rice be sold? Impact on the image of Thai rice? The rice pledging scheme; and opinions from international markets.
4 Frameworks for Presentation
When each news agency was categorized, it was found that:
Focus on providing explanatory data on rice over the past 10 years. It includes the physical characteristics of the rice, 10 years of storage, storage conditions, and the current state of the rice, along with opinions on that physical condition from sources such as Thairath TV, MCOT HD, Thai PBS, and Channel 3HD.
Focus on the framework of confidence (both positive/negative). These include AMARIN TV HD, Channel 7HD, Kom Chad Luek, and Daily News, focusing on providing information to build confidence in the government's rice policy over the past 10 years, as well as addressing counterarguments.
Emphasis is placed on health and safety measures. These include TNN Channel 16, PPTV HD36, Bangkok Business News, The Standard, The Reporter, Isra News Agency, and Spring News.
Focus on the framework of criticism and expressing opinions. These include Nation TV22, Workpoint TV, Channel 8, Mono 29, TODAY, Thairath, Khaosod, Naewna, and Top News.
The presentation framework follows a timeline of events.
Phase 1: "Taste the Rice - Is it Edible to Criticize Rice?" Setting the news agenda on rice over the past 10 years, the media presented news according to the situation, with the presentation framework aligning with the circumstances and the information provided by various news sources. The government set an agenda to build confidence in rice. The media presented news through various approaches: closely following events, establishing a framework for confidence (both positive and negative), considering health aspects, and "opening issues for scrutiny and questioning."
Phase 2, "Test results confirm the rice is safe to eat," sees the framework of opinions tied to the belief in open dialogue still present, but the input from this group of sources has decreased. The media has not explained or elaborated on the issue in other dimensions.
Phase 3, "TOR for Rice to the Auction," outlines the economic framework following the announcement of the TOR, accompanied by criticisms regarding the impact on rice's image. News reports provide information, explanations, and document reviews of the TOR from June. The economic framework includes data on rice over the past 10 years, opinions, and a framework for building confidence in the news and the government's actions (the government attempts to build confidence, but conflicting information also exists).
Guidelines for news presentation.
The approach to news reporting is a format for presenting information to achieve four outcomes: informing about issues and events (Inform), creating a deep and comprehensive understanding of the context through explanation (Explain), gathering solutions and methods to reflect on the issues to society (Solution), and verifying, questioning, investigating, and delving deep to find the facts (Investigative).
Each news outlet's presentation style shows that the largest proportion is dedicated to providing information, which involves updating the situation as events develop and presenting news primarily based on opinions or information provided by various sources at each period.
Section 1, "Taste the Rice – Is Rice Edible?", involves more explanation than other sections because it delves into the topic of rice, its characteristics, events, and impacts.
The second part, "Test results confirm the rice is safe to eat," includes some contextual explanation, but less than the first part.
Phase 3, "TOR for Rice Bidding," involved scrutiny and questioning of the TOR documents and company details, but no further investigation or follow-up issues were raised.
PPTV HD36 had the highest number of news pieces presented in an explanatory style (25 pieces), followed by Thansettakij (23 pieces), Naewna (20 pieces), Thai PBS (20 pieces), and Khaosod (17 pieces). In terms of investigative reporting, Thansettakij and Thai PBS stood out.
The approach to news reporting offering solutions is generally limited because the news itself doesn't clearly present problems or solutions as case studies. News reports mostly consist of suggestions for managing the rice issue or resolving doubts about the credibility of rice over the past 10 years. Thai PBS had the most such reports (4 pieces), followed by Thai Rath (3 pieces) and PPTV HD36 (2 pieces).
Investigative journalism involves raising suspicions, examining relevant documents, and investigating issues related to the rice over 10 years, its storage, and potential toxins that may be harmful to health. It also includes scrutinizing TOR (Terms of Reference) documents and details of the companies bidding for the rice. News outlets that most frequently utilize investigative journalism are Thansettakij (13 articles) and ThaiPBS (10 articles).
Assessing the quality of political news.
A framework of indicators is used to evaluate the characteristics of quality political news. The evaluation criteria include indicators grouped into desirable roles that, if appearing in news, receive 1 point, while undesirable roles that negatively impact the quality of political news receive -1 point. The score for each area shows the proportion of scores achieving desirable quality and the proportion of scores indicating shortcomings requiring improvement. This reflects the quality of news reporting over the past 10 years and the areas for development and improvement. (See the link at the end for more details.)
5 quality standards that media outlets perform well.
- News coverage emphasizes information and reasoning. Prominent news outlets include Thansettakij, TNN (84%), Khaosod (72%), The Reporter, Amarin TV (67%), Thai PBS, and Channel 3 (66%).
- News coverage focusing on government policy and operations was prominent among news agencies: TNN (89%), Thansettakij (80%), Isra News Agency (76%), Thairath TV (75%), and Khaosod (71%).
- News coverage links diverse perspectives and issues from Thairath TV (39%), Thai PBS, Channel 5 (33%), MoNoNews (25%), and Bangkok Business News (24%).
- News reports that initiated the discussion, raised questions, and provided reasons were from Thai PBS (30%), Channel 5, and Kom Chad Luek (29%).
- News reports explaining the origin of the event: Isra News Agency found all news (100%), Daily News (86%), Thansettakij, TNN (84%), Khaosod (79%), Channel 7 (78%).
however Presentation formats that reduce the quality of news. คือ The news has a tone that creates conflict. By highlighting conflicts that are based on "feelings," using emotions in relation to events. Political news creates emotional drama. Through the use of evocative headlines that evoke anger, dissatisfaction, and sarcasm. Trending news, gathered from online sources and presented here. Only posts from individuals are presented here, without further development or explanation. The details are as follows:
– News reports often present a conflicting tone, found in: Naewna (60%), Channel 8 (58%), Amarin TV (55%), Thairath (54%), and Nation TV (51%).
– News highlighting conflicts between opposing factions was most frequently found in: Naewna (52%), The Standard (48%), Isra News Agency (47%), Bangkok Business News (46%), and Thai Rath (45%).
Other shortcomings were found sporadically in each news outlet, stemming from the selection of sources, the presentation of information and statements, and the choice of words in news reporting.
Quality in terms of the benefit received by the recipient of the information (News Impact)
Measuring the quality of political news in terms of the benefit received by the recipient, with various benefits as follows:
- The news has prompted an scrutiny of political maneuvering. It is useful for scrutinizing the implementation of government policies, considering that news reports raise questions about the functioning of the government, politicians, and oversight mechanisms. It provides information that explains to the audience the workings and roles of the government and politicians, and their impact on the public.
- News enables recipients to receive information rationally and understand events. Considering the information provided in the news, understanding the situation, events, and political news issues is facilitated by having reasoned references and supporting data. This enables individuals to think, understand, and explain the events in a comprehensive way.
- News helps us understand the origins of a story, see its complexity, and be mindful of receiving information from multiple sources. Considering the diversity of issues and sources that provide perspectives explaining the origins of the story, and connecting related aspects, reveals the complex relationships between individuals and political issues from the past to the present. This helps avoid being misled by politicians' agenda-setting or political image building.
- News provides a different perspective than one's own. Considering the presentation of information from more than one perspective prevents recipients from making decisions on political issues based on emotions and feelings alone, reducing bias, seeing different viewpoints, and accepting interpretations of information that differ from their own political beliefs/stances.
- News reflects the views, opinions, and voices of the people. Or, provide information or formats for rational political participation, considering news reports that offer space for expressing opinions or perspectives relevant to the public, or for public participation in political issues.
- News helps keep you updated on the situation. Consider this based on providing information on the developments of the event, updating the situation, and keeping it timely.
The results of the news analysis, as part of a study, found that:Overall, the quality of the news presented was most effective in helping people stay informed about the situation (68.1%), followed by scrutinizing political activities (56.8%), and then enabling recipients to receive information rationally and understand events (32.1%).
It can be seen that news agencies prioritize providing information or reporting on the progress of events to ensure that recipients receive timely information, which is their primary concern. Secondly, news agencies scrutinize the political activities of both the government and various political groups, giving them a platform to provide information or express their opinions regarding this news.
When the proportions are categorized by news agency, it was found that:
- News helps people stay informed, and this is the most important factor in the ranking of news stories over the past 10 years of the study. The news outlets that dominated in this category were: Khaosod (92%), AMARIN TV (86%), Thairath (84%), Kom Chad Luek, and Khaosod (83%).
- News outlets with the highest proportion of news providing useful information for readers/viewers to scrutinize political work are: Thansettakij (80%), Daily News (85%), Kom Chad Luek (80%), Channel 7HD (81%), and AMARIN TV (78%).
- News enables recipients to receive information rationally and understand events. News agencies with the highest proportion of news providing this benefit are: Isra News Agency (76%), Bangkok Business News (70%), Workpoint News (69%), Spring News (64%), and The Reporter (54%).
- News helps us understand the origins of stories, see their complexities, and be mindful of multiple sources of information. Although Isra News Agency doesn't produce a large number of news stories, it has the highest proportion of news that provides this benefit.
- News sources that provide a different perspective from one's own include The Standard, The Reporter (38%), Channel 8 (35%), and Thai PBS (32%).
- News reflects public opinion and perspectives, with a significant proportion found in news from Thairath TV (54%) and Isra News Agency (41%).
A comparison of news coverage from online news outlets and digital television reveals that online news outlets demonstrate a clear advantage over digital television in providing useful information to viewers for scrutinizing political actions and offering reasoned commentary. This aligns with viewers' need for information that can be used for careful analysis and decision-making.
Digital television remains crucial in providing diverse perspectives and enabling viewers to better understand complex narratives. Furthermore, improving news reporting by focusing on scrutinizing political actions and delivering reasoned information will enhance the quality of political reporting.
Summary of the study on rice news over the past 10 years.
This study analyzes 10 years of rice-related news coverage within the context of government-initiated issues followed by social debate and suspicion. The findings indicate that some media outlets attempted to produce high-quality coverage, despite the pressure to keep pace. Most reports focused on providing information ("informative"), using data from sources to update the situation. However, some news outlets also produced explanatory reports ("explaining") alongside the main narratives, summarizing key points and providing relevant context to enhance understanding of the issues or ongoing debates. Content analysis revealed a consistent updating of opinions from various sources. In terms of audience benefit, the news coverage helped viewers stay informed, scrutinize government and political actions, raise questions, initiate debates, and provide a platform for dissenting opinions and criticism of government performance. While this aspect of reporting provided a forum for scrutiny, its scope remained limited, highlighting areas where news outlets could further improve their quality.
In short, reporting on policy and scrutinizing government policies/performance, if using a model where news outlets prioritize agenda-based reporting towards comprehensiveness and explanation, could greatly improve the quality of political news.
