After a day of making merit and doing charity work in the community, members of the Pattaya Press Association led by President Samart Thongrod and Founding President Amporn Saengkeaw celebrated National Press Day on March 5 with a party at the Leela Resort & Spa.
The annual affair was attended by Pattaya and Banglamung District officials, top police and business leaders.
The journalists enjoyed dinner and drinks before taking their chances in a lucky draw for appliances and jewelry, including a gold necklace, flat screen TVs and refrigerators. All the items were donated by generous businesses and members of the community.
Samart said the media is more important than ever in this fast-paced world, but ethics are equally important. Journalists are a mirror to reflect the events of society and everything published must be correct, clear and ethical, he said.
Founding president Amporn said, “The incorporation as the former Pattaya Press Club had become larger and larger over recent years. Thai laws draw a tax and legal distinction between clubs and associations, and it was time for the club to become the latter.”
So in 2012 media organizations incorporated the Pattaya Press Association, which brought together smaller media groups that have been operating on the Eastern Seaboard for the past 20 years.
At the group’s very first meeting on August 8, 2012 at the Diana Garden Resort, the association handed out scholarships to children in the community. These acts of kindness and benevolence have become a regular trait amongst journalists in the area.
The association has come a long way since its humble beginnings as a club and now boasts a membership of more than 50 members publishing both online and in print.
Amporn added, “The association has worked constantly throughout the years to increase the academic, practical and ethical training for Thai journalists.”
National Press Day commemorates the founding of the Reporters Association of Thailand on March 5. On March 4, 1999, the association merged with the Thailand Newspaper Association to become the Thai Journalists Association.
