The associations, which represent practitioners of serious journalism, also reminded their members of their responsibilities amid the current tense situation. Media professionals were told they must redouble their efforts to present accurate and timely news, as well as provide critical insight with the aim of upholding the public's interest and advocating a peaceful solution to the ongoing political crisis. The statement was timely and should serve as a reminder to all of the need to remain calm and vigilant during this difficult period in Thai history.

Regardless of their political affiliations or ideological leanings, people must not let themselves be manipulated by demagogues who pursue their political ambitions at the expense of the public's interest and the country's democratic development. The media associations expressed concern over the emerging trend of politicians using newspapers, newsletters, websites, blogs, and text-messaging on mobile phones to promote themselves and defame their opponents.

Ruthless politicians and their spin-doctors are using textbook propaganda transmission techniques to promote falsehoods under the guise of news reports, news talk shows, and public-service announcement spots. The public has witnessed the proliferation of such expensive "media-for-hire" outlets, which have popped up in recent days and weeks, virtually all of them supportive of caretaker Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. Using a classic method of manipulation, these propaganda messages are designed to bombard recipients who hold, for example, a pro-Thaksin inclination, with disinformation that will serve to reinforce what they were already prepared to believe.

The goal of campaigns such as these is to prevent recipients from being swayed by rational public discourse. To be fair, some anti-Thaksin groups are not beyond such underhanded tactics.

Currently, outlets such as blogs provide everyone with an opportunity to air their views, while information seekers have access to a deluge of news from a variety of sources on the Internet. With the right to freedom of information being a given in most democratic societies, there is no way anyone can control or regulate the myriad of media outlets catering to all tastes. With the polarisation of Thai politics, the pro-Thaksin crowd will tend to gravitate towards news and information that paints him in a positive light, while the premier's detractors will savour every juicy bit of bad publicity that anyone can come up with. The simmering political crisis has almost reached the boiling point with the disclosure of the alleged plot to assassinate Thaksin with a powerful car bomb that was supposedly foiled by police late last month.

Even as investigators widened the probe into the alleged attempt on the caretaker prime minister's life, both pro- and anti-Thaksin camps continue to churn out their conspiracy theories. This divisiveness and widespread mistrust makes it nearly impossible to conduct rational public discourse - let alone make any attempt at repairing the widening rift between opposing political forces. What makes the situation more worrisome, is that it makes it a lot easier for instigators of violence to carry out their dirty work.

Thailand must learn from the painful lesson of October 1976, in which scores of unarmed students at Thammasat University were hunted down and slaughtered by rightwing lynch mobs backed by armed militiamen and police. The incident was preceded by intensive hate-filled propaganda in newspapers and on radio stations run by the Army and police that branded students protesting the return of former dictators as communist conspirators bent on taking over the government. We must not allow such a dark period in our history to repeat itself and responsible journalists and media outlets have an important role to play in ensuring that any solution to the current political crisis is arrived at through peaceful means.