iieiiei1eWrkers - Leicester Research Archive - University of Leicester

In other instances the comment is attached to a moral exhortation such as,
"people of this age (a 61-year old who killed his lover and himself
because of jealousy) should concern themselves with unworldly matters..
(Soon Ruarn Kao, 25 July, 1986)
Everyday scattered and private events are strung together case by case and then
publicly staged within a symbolically identifiable structure. The resulting cycle of
repetition and renewal ritualises crimes in pursuit of audience integration as well
as attempting to legitiniise the basic assumption of law and order (Elliot, 1980).
But despite the general convergence with official views on the enforcement of
law and order, the programmes' populist stance cuts both ways. The police
are also criticised for their unequal treatment of offenders or for their
corruption. Take for example the occasion when the Head of the Police
Department evaluated and praised the metropolitan police force. The initial
report is straightforward but the newscaster's commentary marks a sharp
departure from the image presented in the news.
"It is unnecessary to display such modesty. We only ask for just and
equal ireatnieni...as it happens 'you' can do no wrong but 'we' are
always in the wrong.. . In fact, we would live more peacefully if you
enforce the law according to the letter. . . you arrest taxi drivers when
you feel like ii.. .it'd be all rig/it if it is because i/icy drive recklessly
but your charge is that they dress improperly...! wamit to say this.. .how
can the police drive against the traffic on a one-way street. . . if we do
it we would be arrested but it is all right for the police to do it. .. I
am not criticising but if the police violate the law, do you think it's
wrong?"
(Kao Si Mum Baan, 9 April, 1986)
On the notorious issue of the narcotics trade, the National Security Council
charged the hill-tribes with creating a serious security problem as well as
aggravating deforestation. But the commentary on Kao Duan Juan Saang is
clearly opposed to the official view.
"We all know very well who these opium businessmen are.., if it is
really the hill-tribes people it could be solved quite easily but there
are low-land people involved,. . deep personal interests which inhibit any
real solution to the problem... . ii is the tycoons or those who are in
uniforms.
(Kao Dunn Juan Saang, 17 July,1986)
On both programmes, the newscasters' general presentation of crime and policing
consent to the state's conception of 'law and order'. But on the other hand,
they constantly question the institutions of law enforcement. These incoherences'
126