Understanding the Role of Monks and Media Representation : หน้า 191/207

they should keep in mind that the Sangha Council has jurisdiction over a monk’s case. When a final judgment is made, people should not criticize or comment on it. If people do, in Buddhism it is considered to be an unwholesome act, whether or not they know it. 2) When negative news about monks is published, do not generalize that all Monks in Thailand are troublesome. No one can keep the press from publishing negative news about monks who go against the monastic discipline. Their profession is to report news to society. However, if a newspaper publishes only negative news about monks, and not news about other monks who have devoted their lives to performing good deeds, this is considered to be bias on their part. One fact that people tend not to think about is how Buddhism has survived to the present day. Without the many virtuous monks who have prolonged Buddhism, it would have disappeared from Thailand by now. Although monks diligently play a proper role in society today, the media continue to ignore this fact, rarely reporting their good acts. The negative acts by monks seem to be more favored in their articles. The frequent publication of negative news regarding monks overwhelms the little positive news that is published. Such news causes many people to misunderstand and conclude that most monks engage in misconduct. In particular, whenever the press severely attacks monks, in which some of the news they report is simply false, this negative portrayal of the monks to the public is swallowed by society. Moreover, the monks are disdained as being a burden on society with people ready to find any mistakes or shortcomings. Publications that lack articles about the many hundreds of thousands of monks who perform good deeds have an impact on people’s reduced faith in Buddhism. Certain senior monks who have led their lives for the benefit of Buddhism and society have been affected by the news. Here is what they said: “Nowadays, it is very difficult for monks to teach society. Our efforts to teach morality and human decency seem wrong to the media. Why is teaching wrong? It is because our approach is not good enough in the media’s perspective. When monks try to advise society, we are condemned that it is not our duty and we should not be involved. However, when we remain silent inside our temples while a social problem occurs, they criticize us again that we are unworthy of society. As a result, monks are condemned by the media no matter what.” After listening to these senior monks, we should thoroughly analyze the news we hear. It is very important to differentiate between the actions of one person versus the actions of the entire monastic community. This situation can