Self-regulation would be the best approach to keep the media in check while state authorities could play a role by operating a separate complaints centre, media professionals and government legal experts agreed yesterday.

The points were made during a meeting between representatives from eleven media organisations and Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam, during which they discussed the media regulation bill proposed by the junta-appointed National Reform Steering Assembly (NRSA) that is currently being drafted.

It was the first informal discussion Wissanu has held to hear opinions on the controversial draft. He said he also planned to invite NRSA members and academics to submit opinions before amending the draft and forwarding it to the National Legislative Assembly.

The draft has been heavily criticised by the media because it proposes a so-called “national professional media council”, including two governmental representatives, which could be authorised to oversee media affairs.

Journalists have expressed worries that the council would allow authorities to interfere in media affairs and diminish press freedom in reporting.

However, Thai Journalists Association (TJA) spokesperson Pratyachai Datthuyawat told The Nation that the discussion focused on holistic principles of media reforms, with an emphasis on self-regulation.

While neither side had seen the NRSA’s final draft, Pratyachai said they agreed that self-regulation, while not legally binding, could be established under the bill, which could be written to establish new implementation mechanisms and ensure that the press would be protected from outside interference.

Participants agreed that an umbrella body, such as the national council, should be established to oversee the media, but Pratyachai said it must not include governmental officials.

Wissanu also said the government could also establish its own complaints centre, separated from that of the media’s, to receive public complaints regarding the media, which would be forwarded to the media council for a final decision, Pratyachai said.

“The NRSA is technically a recommendation to the government, which means it could be scrapped,” he said. “This meeting is just the first. We’re looking forward to having other meetings after we see the bill.”

TJA president Paramet Lekpetch, who also attended the two-hour meeting, said media groups stood firm that any new law must support media self-regulation. Legal or ethical misbehaviour by media outlets should be considered by a neutral body, to which members of the public could file complaints.

National Press Council president Chavarong Limpattamapanee said media professionals showed Wissanu how media self-regulation approaches were managed in other countries to provide information to the government as it considered the controversial bill.

On Monday, the TJA will bring media representatives from Sweden and Australia, where self-regulation is effective, to discuss the issue with Wissanu.