From Bangkok

Bangkok, Thailand, Day 2: Today I met with journalism students and faculty at Rangsit University, just outside the capital. Here as in the U.S., the students seem to be focused on their current situation, as students only, and not on their future and the working world of journalism. However, when asked if they would like to see improvements in the news media, they agreed that they would prefer more factual information and less opinion; also fewer factual errors. They feel that each newspaper supplies conflicting facts, especially in political stories, and even after weeks have passed since the event, the story remains unclear and contradictory.

The curriculum at Rangsit appears to be very strong. Faculty are wondering what courses they should add to increase Internet skills among their students. I recommended that they add Internet skills instruction to three existing courses and consider offering two new professional electives, one focused on Web site structure and page design, and the other focused on motion and sound technologies. They have majors in radio/TV, journalism (print), motion picture and video, advertising, and public relations.