An article of 750 words by Steve Finn - Published in the Phuket Gazette January 2006

The British media is a strange beast. Provide them with a story, like the worst natural disaster in living memory, and they will arrive on your doorstep to sympathise just as soon as they can get a flight. Have the temerity to get back on your feet and make yourself attractive once more though, and they will turn on you like a pack of rabid dogs.

Recently, there was one of many articles carried by the UK press which some local people felt was irresponsible; they should not have been surprised. When the tsunami struck in December 2004 the British media brought the story into our homes in a generally sensitive and informative way.

Once the actual news story was out there though, many of the reporters seemed to revert to type and we began to see sensational, voyeuristic articles complete with 'facts' twisted to fit and 'quotes' from people who flatly denied saying any such thing.

Patong Beach is, it must be said, a tabloid journalist's dream. Men drinking too much beer, watching football and generally enjoying themselves. Women dancing on bars, sometimes trying to entice customers in, and the nightly show at the end of Soi Crocodile providing more column inch opportunities than you can shake a stick at.

The reality is though, that our newspapers and their fearless reporters want more than 'girls dance on bars; shock horror!' So what we get is 'scantily clad teenage girls dancing on bars in sex clubs; shock horror!' Which, of course, sells more newspapers. Not that they check their facts, the age of the girls they are writing about for instance. Neither do they seek the permission of those they write about, or explain what a 'sex club' is.

British people are fascinated by Thailand. The country's profile has grown remarkably in recent years and is now on the list of desirable long-haul holiday destinations. British newspapers know this, and so of course Thailand is now firmly in their sights as well.

When a reporter takes up station in a Soi Bangla bar looking for a story, he will be paid for doing so. Should he write an article about 'exploitation', be it of the girls working in the bar or the children hawking flowers and gum, does he pay the subject for the story? No, he will take some notes, maybe a quote or two, stitch them together and make a saleable piece of work from them.

The subject, bargirl or flower girl, will never agree to being written about and will never see a penny from the sale of the article written about them. Who is exploiting whom here?

Regular people still trust newspapers, we have a ridiculous notion that they will play fair, which should really compel them to report raw facts and allow us to make our own minds up. Yet even our so called 'intelligent' journals routinely trash places and people without any consideration for the local businesses or people who have as many problems they can handle already.

Why can they not understand that with their power, a million people per day will read our 'better' newspapers, comes responsibility? People want to know about Thailand, it is exotic and yet accessible. They devour everything written about the place and when some journalist reports that it is a haven for Paedophiles they will believe it.

The nightlife of Patong may not be to everyone's taste, but that does not make it a bad place. Pious reporters might well be offended at the sight of a 'young' Thai girl with an 'old' western man, but that does not give him the right to paint every man in town as a paedophile waiting to pounce.

The British journalist is no longer on a crusade to bring truth and justice into our living rooms from far away places. He is on the gravy train and unfortunately it stops in Patong these days.

I got very excited about the first few of these cheap shot articles and took to e-mailing editors: 'Dear Sir, I challenge you to…' but after a few stock responses and a lot of ignoring I changed tactics.

I still e-mail them, but these days steal a line from someone far more original than me: 'Dear Sir, I am currently sat in the smallest room in the house with your publication. I have your deeply offensive article in front of me, it will very shortly be behind me and thence back down the sewer to join your good selves once more'

Ends

Word Count: 760

E-mail: steve@s-p-f.net