TESCO VERSUS THAI JOURNALISTS
I'm not going to debate the rights and wrongs on the issue of whether Tesco has been libeled in their current legal dispute with several Thai journalists. What puzzles me though is why they are taking action against the individual writers? Surely any action must be taken against the publisher - in one case Bangkok BizNews (Krungthep Turakij) which is part of Nation Multimedia?
Does this mean that every journalist here is legally responsible and legally accountable for what they write? Surely it's the publisher or, at the very least, the editor who is legally responsible as they have the final say on whether a story or column is published?
I know I have a few journalists here in Thailand as readers. Do you think you are legally accountable for things published in your name, and how will the possibility of legal action impact on what you write?
2 comments:
In the UK individual reporters are held just as responsible for defamation and contempt as the editor, publisher or newspaper seller.
Whilst it is right that ultimate responsibility should lie with the editor and publisher, reporters must also be made to stand by their own work to make them accountable.
I spent 16 years in the UK media (newspapers and magazines) and I have to disagree slightly with what you have said.
I agree that individual journalists are more accountable that here in Thailand, however I don't think they are, or ever have been, legally responsible. It's generally the newspaper publishers and editors who are the subject of Press Complaint Commission adjudications and legal actions for libel, etc.
I totally support your point that journalists should stand by everything they write. Perhaps the Thai style of taking action against the reporters is not wrong and should be adopted elsewhere?
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