Ten months after television anchor Sorrayuth Suthassanachinda bowed down to peer pressure and quit his role as host of a popular morning show, the celebrity newsman made a comeback in front of the camera -- which happens to be his own.
Since early January, Sorrayuth has been travelling across the southern provinces hit by severe floods, meeting with affected communities and reporting on their plight through his Facebook page "Sorrayuth Suthassanachinda Kammakorn Khao", literally Sorrayuth the News Worker.
Drenched, standing knee-deep in floodwater or sporting a fluorescent lifejacket while filming on a boat at night, the former star anchor produces up to five Facebook Live videos per day, attracting tens of thousands viewers each time.
So far, Sorrayuth's reporting and online presence has been met with nothing but praise from his committed audience. Even his detractors, who urged him nearly a year ago to stay out of the public eye, refrained from commenting.
"It's Sorrayuth's right to use his personal Facebook page as a channel to cover the news," argues Mana Treelayapewat, dean of the School of Communication Arts at the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce. "Anyone who says otherwise would be infringing on his individual rights and freedoms."
In February last year, the Criminal Court handed down a 20-year jail sentence to Sorrayuth for cheating state-owned public broadcaster MCOT out of more than 138 million baht in advertising revenue. Although his sentence was commuted to 13 years and the news anchor was released on bail, allowing him to resume hosting Channel 3's morning news, a tug of war ensued between a defiant Sorrayuth and various media organisations that called on him to resign.
At the time, Thai Broadcast Journalists Association president Thepchai Yong was one of the loudest voices that confronted Sorrayuth, insisting that he should quit to demonstrate responsibility following the court's ruling.
In interviews and during seminars, he repeatedly said that the anchor's continued appearance on air showed disrespect for his profession's ethical standards.
However, Thepchai was not available for comment on Sorrayuth's comeback, having picked up the phone and stated he was in a meeting. He could no longer be reached after that.
Sorrayuth at the Criminal Court last year. Photo: Pattanapong Hirunard
Traditional media's code of ethics does not apply to new media platforms such as Facebook, YouTube or Instagram, Mana further observes. In time, new media will develop its own set of rules.
Unlike newspapers or television channels, social media is based on two-way communication and exchange. "Users cross-examine each other's content, creating self-regulation."
Sorrayuth's fate will eventually be decided by the public's reception, he adds. If audiences can accept the acts committed by the celebrity anchor, they will keep watching his work. Otherwise, he will face social sanctions.
Since early in his career, the newsman has developed a close following, attracting viewers with his sensational storytelling and interest in issues close to ordinary people's lives. Today, his new Facebook page is Liked by nearly 400,000 users.
In a changing media landscape, audiences' eyes have increasingly shifted from television screens to their laptops and mobile phones, Mana added, which can at times infuriate operators who paid billions for digital channel rights.
These operators have raised concerns about the lack of regulations for online media with the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC), says Supinya Klangnarong, a commissioner.
"They believe this is unfair," she says. "While television channels may be warned by the NBTC about broadcasted content deemed inappropriate or illegal, online platforms are let off the hook."
At the moment, the NBTC does not oversee online channels, Supinya assures, nor will it do so for a very long time. Despite calls being made for a license application system to be established, in order to regulate online media, it's hard to imagine how everyone will ever agree on criteria and rules to follow.
Importantly, future guidelines shouldn't infringe on users' rights or pave the way for censorship to take place, argues the commissioner, who prefers self-regulation to regulation by the state.
