Are the Cartoons really biased?

In a press conference held recently, rayong democrat MP Satit Pitutacha attacked Thai Rath cartoonist “Sia” Sakda Iew, saying he was bent on destroying Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and the Democrat Party. He added that Sia did not offer a professional, honest criticism or offer his opinions in a creative manner and also did not follow media ethics and professionalism in his work, and did not use his intellect either at a time when the country is facing problems.

Satit asked Sia to be fair, unbiased, professional, ethical and work within media standards, and if he does not do so, he would put forward a compilation of pieces done by Sia when he filed complaint with the National Press Council of Thailand. But none of these threatening stopped Sia from expressing his opinion. He showed PM sitting in his chair with the messages “it is time a standard label was attached to the chair” and “muzzling the media means muzzling the people” in the background. And as usual, there is a cobra wound around Abhisit’s neck. However some Thai Rath fans say the newspaper’s cartoons are neutral and balanced by the work of another cartoonist Somchai Katanyutanan or “Chai Ratchawat”. Once he was criticized by some as supporting the Democrat Party, something he denied for. So he challenged to find a cartoon done by him that cheered the Democrats where he could easily find one which criticizes them.

According to Arun Watcharasawat, another cartoonist, MPs should not try to read too much into caricatures or they will always find them biased. Readers need to use a certain level of intellect and thought to interpret a cartoon, like when a viewer considers a koan – a Buddhist riddle that never has a clear answer.