23 June 2008.  At Thammasat University’s Learning Resort (Pattaya), Prachatai News Agency, together with Thammasat University’s Graduate Volunteer Centre and Prachatham News Agency, is holding the first workshop camp for citizen reporters (on energy) on 23-26 June 2008.  More than 20 participants come from networks in various provinces with the objective of developing skills in news gathering and dissemination through various media to people in areas facing problems from energy development plans, especially through the internet, which opens many opportunities to create their own space.

On the first day, Sukran Rojanapaiwong of the Campaign for Alternative Industry Network presented ‘Thai Energy Jigsaw’, an overview of the energy problems.  Energy policy is set by major players from the government and private sectors and lacks meaningful involvement from the people.  Most people participate just as recipients, especially consumers, which constitute the biggest group, but lack real participation and aim only at ‘use’. 

Sukran also said that the policy for energy projects, especially in electricity, is based only on supporting development.  But many energy projects plat a greater role in stimulating development.  Communities have struggled not so much with power plants as with ‘development’, especially in places where large-scale development plans are the driving force.  Development projects also have their own goals, related to the interests that are behind them, so it should be no surprise that that power plants appear even through they are not in the plans.  At the same time, various plans are amended into something new all the time.  Most recently was the third phase expansion plan for petrochemicals at Mab Tha Phut and nearby areas and into the Upper South.  The energy hub plan pf the Thaksin Administration has now been combined into a Western Seaboard Development project, based on the steel industry and related energy industry.

Sukran related this to the objectives of the citizen reporters on energy.  The fight of people in the field is on the basis of how different places will not be done over, while consumer feel nothing.  One obstacle in dealing with energy is that in the past it was made into a complicated technical issue.  In fact, it is not necessary to know much about the technical issues.  At the same time, it is not enough to say ‘Not In My Back Yard’, because investors are ready to go anywhere with the right conditions. 

‘Villagers can’t fight by themselves.  There has to be communication with consumers so that they see more and see to the level of feeling’, Sukran said. 

Saengjan Sidam, senior specialist reporter from The Manager newspaper, explained the Role of the Media in Development.  She began with the structure of newspapers, saying that you must not be misled that newspapers are the media of the masses which uphold the interest of the people.  Newspapers are mass media activities by businesspeople.  So it is normal that they have ways to present news.  The choice of news items is thought of like a commodity.  Will it sell or not?  It depends on the media outlet and the sponsors.  News about villagers and energy and the fight with energy investment groups will face problems.  The energy companies are important sponsors of mainstream media and have started campaigns with big media outlets on global warming, for example. 

Saengjan Sidam explained further that it is not surprise that all media agencies have orders from their editors telling them to present or not present certain stories.  When you analyze it, there is almost no hope of any space for people’s news in the normal process of mainstream media, which is split into different sections and works in a superficial way.  Most reporters don’t do enough homework, to say nothing of the culture of news plagiarism.  There will be lots of space for news if there is violence.  Otherwise it depends on whether the news agency emphasizes a policy of specialised desks to follow up stories by investigating as far as the underlying structural problem. 

Saengjan Sidam however thought that having citizen reporters from the people in different places would be very progressive in information gathering, campaigning and providing information for reporters in getting the important stories.  But you must be careful about giving information to reporters who are mixed up with maligning third parties, since the reporters might write stories that risk law suits. 

Kannikar Kijtiwatchakul from FTA Watch related the experience of working with media in pushing FTA and compulsory licensing stories.  This became part of the social agenda.  From a thesis analyzing the media in different contexts, it was clear that the mass media had a way of working with and thinking about people’s sector news.  For example, most reporters have a middle-classy of thinking and don’t know the poor at all.  They are far removed from poor communities’ problems.  They hardly ever report the content of these problems.  They are likely to present a picture of conflict and be biased in favour of news sources that are knowledgeable and qualified, rather than villagers.  They have a tendency to side with the government and stat power because they are close to the centres of power.  Most reporters tend to fee that they have the power of the press and have never feared the police or state authorities. 

FTA stories were very new and rather complex.  The NGOs and academics had to study hard to explain the real facts and make them easily digestible when they had to communicate with the public.  They had to set up working groups to create an understanding especially for reporters to follow up the issues.  FTA Watch also responded quickly to situations and was able to respond immediately top moves by the government side.  They had solid information, they had reliable basic research and they could play appropriately with the mainstream media.  This was maybe because the people working for them were academics, researchers, strategists and media people. 

Kannikar also pointed out the techniques of their work.  This began with a compilation of names and contact numbers of reporters and columnists and reports they wrote themselves to send to reporters.  They had to study the communication methods of the mainstream media and the style of each agency so they would know what issues to emphasize.  These reports were written in many forms.  Kannikar gave examples of environmental presentations through film reviews or the activism of an old people’s group in Port Kembla in Australia against a copper smelter.  They wrote protest letters, and practised using computers, videos, writing news, writing articles and giving interviews to reporters.  In the end, people all over Australia got interested in the story of their problem.  Some went as far as studying law to use in court. 

‘If you look back, the problem issue was presented from different perspectives, with direct criticism, complaints, noise, sarcasm, ridicule, or a comparison of different information from around the world, to pull in people who may not directly agree, so that they would understand our story better,’ said Kannikar.

Watcharee Phaoluangthong of the Alternative Energy Project for Sustainability and advisor to the Assembly of he Poor works with people in various problems areas.  Many have the experience that to work with reporters, you must give the information over and over again.  For example, when you present a letter to Government House, give a proper interview.  But here are radio reporters who want you to start over again.  In some newspapers, reporters on different desks, such as environment, politics, quality of life, need the same information sent to each desk, because reporters don’t share information with each other. 

Watcharee said that campaign work had to be ongoing from small movements to big.  People in wider circles need to know in order to counter project approval and change from being defensive to resisting.  The media will be a bridge helping the local story be accepted, supported or approved outside the community.  Working with the media is not just a matter of answering questions or giving information.  You also have to create space, for example, by following up yourself and sending reports to TV stations, radio stations and newspapers.

But if you are lobbying in a situation where there is no political action such as rallies, it is hard to interest reporters.  So projects start progressing again.  So the work has to be continuous by finding issues for the media and inviting them to interview villagers on the ground. 

Local reporters in the past have almost never reported community news since they mostly had to follow up news from government agencies or developers.  Community news only gets one or two lines, other than the places where there is a lot of mass activity and local reporters give it more importance. 

The representatives that have come for training include volunteers from Living River Siam (Salween Watch), the Eastern Region People’s Network, Thai Ban Local Wisdom Centre, Pak Moon Agricultural Cooperative from Ubon, Sea Protection Society NGO, Kaeng Suea Ten Network of Phrae, Network of Mae Moh Power Plant Victims from Lampang, Upper Taeng River Section of the Upper Ping Basin Resource Network, Campaign for Alternative Industry Network, Environmental Awareness Building from Trang, Farming Methods Conservation Network from Saraburi, Northeast Land Reform Network, The Council of the Network of Occupational and Environmental Health Victims of Thailand, the Community Love Nakhon Nayok Basin Network, and the Ethnographic Local Wisdom Network.