''Khaosod'' ( th, ข่าวสด, , ; literally meaning 'fresh news' or 'live news') is a Thai daily newspaper with national circulation. Its online version is ''Khaosod Online''. ''Khaosod'' is the youngest paper of the
Matichon Publishing Group
''Matichon'' ( th, มติชน, also known as ''Matichon Daily'' to distinguish it from other related publications) is a major Thai-language national daily newspaper. It was founded by a group of progressive writers in 1978, when the country w ...
which also operates two other daily news publications, ''
Matichon'' and ''Prachachat''.
Description
''Khaosod'' is more mass-oriented and upcountry-focused in style than its sister newspapers in the Matichon Group. Its circulation records show 950,000 copies sold per day.
Nevertheless, despite heavy features on crimes, local affairs, and entertainment like other major national newspapers (such as ''
Thai Rath
''Thairath'' ( th, ไทยรัฐ, lit. ''Thai State'') is a daily newspaper in Thai published in Bangkok and distributed nationwide. The paper is a broadsheet published with two sections. The first section is devoted to news. Although the ...
'' and ''
Daily News''), the newspaper also remains keen on political and social issues similar to its sister newspapers ''Matichon'' and ''Prachachat''. ''Khaosod'' is managed by Kanchai Boonparn, who also oversees the Matichon Group as a whole.
''Khaosod'' is currently the third-bestselling newspaper in Thailand. Additionally, the online edition of the newspaper experienced a 98 percent rise in number of visits in 2010.
''Khaosod'' first came to prominence in 1994 for its extensive coverage of the cover up murders of a Thai gem dealer's wife and her son. Details later emerged, partially due to ''Khaosod''s reporting, that Lieutenant-General
Chalor Kerdthes
The Blue Diamond Affair is a series of unresolved crimes and embittered diplomatic relations triggered by the 1989 theft of gems belonging to the House of Saud by a Thai employee. The affair has soured relations between Saudi Arabia and Thailand fo ...
of the
Royal Thai Police
The Royal Thai Police (RTP) ( th, สำนักงานตำรวจแห่งชาติ; ) is the national police force of Thailand. The RTP employs between 210,700 and 230,000 officers, roughly 17 percent of all civil servants (excludi ...
ordered the pair abducted and subsequently murdered after failing to extract information concerning the fate of the
Saudi Blue Diamond from the pair. Initially reported by many newspapers as a roadside accident, ''Khaosod'' insisted otherwise from early on. Lieutenant-General Chalor and several other police officers were arrested, found guilty, and sentenced to death (the sentence was later reduced to 50 years of imprisonment). ''Khaosod'' was awarded Best News Feature from the
Isra Amanantakul Foundation in that year for its coverage of the incident.
''Khaosod English''
''Khaosod English'' is a
news website
An online newspaper (or electronic news or electronic news publication) is the online version of a newspaper, either as a stand-alone publication or as the online version of a printed periodical.
Going online created more opportunities for newspa ...
operating as ''Khaosod'' English-language arm. It was launched on 9 April 2013, and is known for its liberal standpoint and its criticism of the 2014 military government; the
Union of Catholic Asian News
The Union of Catholic Asian News (UCAN) is a news agency that covers issues and matters of interest for the Catholic Church on the Asian continent. It was launched in Hong Kong in 1979. Since its foundation, it has become one of the largest Cathol ...
has described it as "a beacon of independent journalism in Thailand". Its staff include senior staff writer
Pravit Rojanaphruk
Pravit Rojanaphruk ( th, ประวิตร โรจนพฤกษ์; ) (born 1967) is a Thai journalist who works as a senior staff writer for ' ('fresh news'). He formerly wrote a regular column for ''The Nation'', an English-language ne ...
and ''de facto'' editor Teeranai Charuvastra. ''Khaosod English'' has a more focused target group than its parent, and has a monthly readership of about 200,000.
The site republishes reports from the
Associated Press
The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. ne ...
and
Kyodo News.
In August 2019, the site was criticized in ''
Foreign Policy'' for a deal (made together with its parent) to republish content from the Chinese state-run news agency
Xinhua
Xinhua News Agency (English pronunciation: )J. C. Wells: Longman Pronunciation Dictionary, 3rd ed., for both British and American English, or New China News Agency, is the official state news agency of the People's Republic of China. Xinhua ...
.
References
External links
*
* {{official, http://www.khaosodenglish.com/, Khaosod English
Newspapers published in Thailand
Thai-language newspapers
Thai news websites
Publications established in 1991
1991 establishments in Thailand
Matichon Group