Bangkok Post

The Bangkok Post is a broadsheet, English-language daily newspaper published in Bangkok, Thailand. The first issue was sold on August 1, 1946. It had four pages and cost 1 baht, a considerable amount at the time.

The newspaper was founded by Alexander MacDonald, a former OSS officer, and his Thai associate Prasit Lulitanond. Thailand at the time was the only Southeast Asian country to have a Soviet Embassy, and the American embassy felt it needed an independent but pro-American paper to present its views. Some sources claim the financing came directly from the State Department or possibly even the OSS itself.

Nevertheless, under MacDonald's stewardship, the Bangkok Post was reasonably independent and employed many young newsmen, including Peter Arnett and T. D. Allman, who later became known internationally.

In a country where media censorship is common, the Bangkok Post portrays itself as being comparatively free. There are notable instances where this was clearly untrue and the newspaper has often been accused of self-censorship to avoid controversy or conflict with powerful individuals. A ubiquitous example of this is an unwillingness to criticize the Thai monarchy, which would constitute an illegal act and would, doubtlessly, be hugely unpopular as an act of lèse-majesté. Another example of self-censorship, until recent years, was an unwillingness to point out influential and corrupt individuals. Yet another example of censorship was the newspaper's failure, during the......
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