CONSTRUCTION OF REALITY: A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF MATICHON AND VOICE NEWS ON THE PHEU THAI PARTY AND THE FORMATION OF THE GOVERNMENT IN YEAR 2023

Abstract

The research titled “The Construction of Political Reality: A Comparative Study between Matichon and Voice TV in Reporting Pheu Thai Party’s Role in the 2023 Government Formation” aims to (1) examine the political context influencing the construction of reality, (2) investigate how Matichon constructs political reality, and (3) explore how Voice TV constructs political reality. This study adopts a qualitative research methodology and employs in-depth interviews with four groups of key informants: journalists from Matichon, journalists from Voice TV, political communication scholars, and representatives from civil society. Purposive sampling was used to select participants who could provide in-depth perspectives and relevant experiences. Data were analyzed through descriptive analysis, based on the conceptual framework of reality construction and the framing theory of Gurevitch & Blumler.

The findings reveal that Thailand’s complex political context in 2023—shaped by the 2017 Constitution, political polarization, and the influence of extra-parliamentary power groups—directly affected media reporting and framing strategies. When the Move Forward Party failed to form a government, the Pheu Thai Party shifted its strategy and formed a cross-party coalition government under the leadership of Srettha Thavisin, marking a crucial political turning point. Voice TV focused on real-time event reporting and structural explanations that justified Pheu Thai’s political decisions, while Matichon emphasized strategic political analysis and critical perspectives, often drawing on academic commentary to question the party’s legitimacy.The comparison highlights that both media outlets carried distinct underlying agendas and played significant roles in shaping the public’s political perceptions through their framing choices.