IT'S A 'PRESS' CONFERENCE, DUH
Achara Deboome, the business editor of The Nation, wrote in her column last Thursday about a press conference where getting any information proved to be somewhat difficult.
It seems as though Pacific Shore hired PR company 124 Communications to organise the event to promote a new theme park and residential development project, but when it came to questions or specific details the developer was very reluctant to talk in any detail.
Press conferences in Thailand are unique. Come to that the whole media and publishing industry is unlike anything anywhere in the world, but on this occasion you have to ask why Pacific Shore wanted to have a press conference when they didn't have anything to say?
2 comments:
"Phap" vs. "Phon", or the image vs. the result. Thais are obsessed with the image, or Phap, to the extent that they overlook the results, or Phon. I used to translate the reports sent in by our field officers, and was constantly haranguing them for being too wordy. During one of these diatribes the field officer bearing the brunt of the explanation iterated that if it wasn't properly wordy then it wasn't a report. It was the image; a wordy, impressive document, far more than the result; an understandable, concise report of progess, that was important.
The same is true of the alleged "press conference". To have a "proper" project, one must have a press conference at a particular point in the process. That there is nothing to present (phon)is beside the point, as long as the picture (phap) looks right.
David, thanks for your comments.
I totally understand both points. I often have to rewrite English translations from Thai stories and the phrase 'why use five words when you can use 15' comes to mind.
As for image being more important that substance, again yes that's very true. I've been involved in a couple myself but I've thankfully always had something important and substantial to talk about.
I'm going to a press conference this afternoon - I wonder what this one will be like ?
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