MEDIA IN THAILAND IS "NOT FREE"

The media in Thailand is "not free" according to a ranking report published last week by the Freedom House organisation. This is a decline from the "partly free" description of recent years.

And while local media, such as the Bangkok Post, reported the 14 place year-on-year drop, the long term decline is far worse. The kingdom has dropped some 60 places during the last eight years. I've detailed Thailand's rankings in this report since 2004 below.

The trend of decline of media freedom in Thailand indicated by this particular study is very similar to the Press Freedom Index which is published in October every year by Reporters Without Borders. I detailed the trends in that report here.

Year - Ranking

2011 - 138th

2010 - 124th

2009 - 122nd

2008 - 119th

2007 - 126th

2006 - 107th

2005 - 95th

2004 - 88th

An editorial on the subject from The Nation said: "[Thailand] was once a beacon of free speech in the region", and suggested the media is now viewed as being an enemy of the state by some sectors.