Who needs government censors when media owners can do it themselves

PPT has reported on numerous allegations of media bias since the Songkhran uprising. These complaints have been about the closing of alleged red shirt media and of mainstream media  bias against the red shirt protesters.

Now Matichon’s owner is reported to have sacked two senior journalists he considered to be “pro-Thaksin” and “pro-red shirt.” Prachatai (30 April 2009: “Senior columnists at Matichon sacked for their ‘red’ stance”) Matichon founder and CEO Kanchai Boonpan sacked Matichon Weekly’s editor Sathien Junthimathorn and Matichon Daily’s editor Chulalak Phukert “for having been mouthpieces for the Thaksin regime, and blindly attacking the Abhisit government.”

Shades of the “dirty digger” Rupert Murdoch, seeking to ensure ideological purity amongst his editors and senior journalists. Fox is probably his greatest achievement as an owner, at least in his own terms.

The mainstream media in Thailand now appears firmly single track and single minded.Let’s see if the Journalists’ Association says anything or wheher it will be left to foreign groups to criticize this retrograde action.

The reported claims that these sacked journalists are unrepentant communists or socialists indicates how the Cold War conflicts have been resurrected.

Update: There is now some question as to whether the journalists were “sacked” or whether just their columns have been removed. If readers know, let PPT know.