iieiiei1eWrkers - Leicester Research Archive - University of Leicester

are sometimes present in the same programme although they may be placed
apart in the morning and evening slots. In Kao Si Mum Baan for example.
the morning programme tends to follow the rigid hierarchy of official news.
As a result, comments are selective and kept to the minimum. The newscaster
described it as a professional ethic although it is also stipulated that government
employees are not to comment on 'the state'.
In the evening slot of Kao Si Mum Baan however, dissenting comments and
news items from the perspective of the political opposition and social movements
are given more space. The newscasters do not restrict their comments to law
enforcer but lodge criticisms against several state agencies including the Sangha.
The military however remains exempt. These social commentaries express the
critical viewpoint of the audience on a range of social issues. The education
system for example, is often presented as reinforcing inequality.
"This is the season for i/ic pawn shop. ..tliey prepare 60 mi//iou ba/u
for the people... the rich do not have to pawn for their kids'
education.. the trouble is, then, what next? If they graduate will they
have a job because they doui 't have the connection.. .its a pure waste
of money since it all seems so hopeless... some people say it's no! true
about having connection but the fact is you have to pay to get i/ito
just about everyl/liuig. . . if you don '1 you are out.
(Kao Si Mum Baan, 30 April, 1986)
Whereas Kao Si Mum Baan is relatively cautious in selecting the issues and
institutions it comments on, Kao Duan Juan Saaiig challenges the whole
classification system that impinges upon broadcast journalism. It abandons the
structure of the power hierarchy in favour of commercial definitions of news
values (as shown on Table 7). At the same time, it makes serious attempts to
elevate its authorship over the external constraints that impinge on the
programme. In the process it deviates in both the form of presentation and
the imagery it creates.
Take for example the way it presents a new image of 'political crime' during
the period prior to the general election. The newscaster contradicts the
conventional definition of 'deviant' criminals in two respects. Firstly, ci'imes are
explained as the outcome of political conflicts. Secondly, they are seen as
including political murders, and in campaigning and polling.
The programme also highlights news reports of illegal political tactics such as
bribery, vote buying and falsification of the ballots. These activities the
newscaster warns, "are not based on righteousness and the voters must be'
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