Deputy editor Nha-Kran Laohavilai has not pocketed money from food giant Charoen Pokphand Foods Plc (CPF).
The payments mentioned in a report went directly to publisher Post Publishing. They were intended for advertisements in the free newspaper M2F, the magazine smart finance and the television program Turaki Tid Dao on channel 5 in 2012.
Bangkok Post today on the front page contradicts allegations made by the Thailand Information Center for Civil Rights and Investigative Journalism (TCIJ) on Monday. In the report (author unknown), the center accuses media organizations and individuals of accepting bribes from CPF (which, incidentally, is not named) in exchange for the omission of negative coverage.
CPF has confirmed that the 'food giant' refers to CPF and says the report refers to the company's PR department. The report has been tampered with and information has been distorted, the company is defending itself.
The editors of Bangkok Post, Post Today (Thai language) and M2F (also Thai) have decided to temporarily stop reporting on CPF while the National Press Council of Thailand investigates the TCIJ's allegations. For the sake of transparency, they say, a word that is overused these days, especially by politicians.
(Source: Bangkok Post, July 16, 2014)
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