Reporters Without Borders (RSF) have called on Members of Parliament to reject a bill proposing changes to Thai PBS’ funding model which have led to concern about threat to the public broadcaster’s independence.
Earlier this month, Bhumjaithai MP Supachai Jaisamut proposed to amend the 2008 Thai Public Broadcasting Service Act so that ThaiPBS would no longer be allocated 1.5% of taxes revenue from liquor and tobacco — the so-called “sin tax”. Instead, it would be given an allocation from the state budget. Suphachai said that the amendment should be made because the government needs to maintain strict financial discipline and so that the broadcaster’s spending would be subjected to scrutiny as Thai PBS has never clarified how it spends the money.
After the bill was put up for public hearing, concerns were raised changing Thai PBS’ funding model would open the door to state interference or that it would lead the broadcaster to self-consor out of fear of a budget cut. Media organizations have argued that a public service broadcaster should maintain financial autonomy so it can hold political leaders to account without fear of interference.
RSF said that, while government spokesperson Ekkapob Pienpises has said that the proposal aimed to strengthen financial transparency at Thai PNS and subject it to stricter oversight, the bill would in practice expose Thai PBS to greater financial uncertainty. Its funding could be renegotiated or cut every year, leaving it more vulnerable to political pressure and interference.
“We warn against any rushed amendment of Thai PBS’s funding mechanism. While the goal of greater budgetary transparency for public service media is legitimate, placing the public broadcaster’s budget under state control risks undermining its financial autonomy and, in turn, threatening its editorial independence. We therefore call on parliamentarians to ensure that any amendment of Thai PBS’s funding guarantees independent, stable and predictable resources over the long term” said Cédric Alviani, Director of RSF’s Asia-Pacific Bureau.
RSF noted that, while Thai media is no longer subject to the same level of censorship as it was under the military government, they will face pressure from political and economic interests. The Mass Communication Organisation of Thailand (MCOT), another Thai public broadcaster, is a state enterprise under the Office of the Prime Minister, and is often accused by press freedom organisations of avoiding criticism of the government.
RSF said that it is observing a crisis affecting public service media. In a report published in July 2025, it documented an offensive against public service media in Europe and made recommendations to safeguard their independence from political power and ensure their long-term viability. In the United States, Donald Trump has targeted public media by seeking to eliminate congressional funding for National Public Radio (NPR) and the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), as well as for foreign public broadcasters.
Thailand ranks 92nd out of 180 countries and territories in the 2026 World Press Freedom Index, said RSF, largely due to a legal and security environment that is hostile to journalism.