Entity Type: Domestic Media Company

Khaosod , is a daily newspaper founded on April 9, 1991, as part of Matichon Publishing Group, which also operates Matichon and Prachachat. The newspaper currently holds the rank of third best-selling newspaper in Thailand. Khaosod gained prominence in 1994 for its extensive coverage of the cover-up murders of a Thai gem dealer’s wife and son, initially reported by many newspapers as a roadside accident but which Khaosod insisted involved senior Royal Thai Police officers ordering the abduction and murder. The newspaper was awarded Best News Feature from Isra Amanantakul Foundation that year for its coverage. The online section experienced a 98% rise in visits in 2010, and Khaosod English was launched in 2013.

Matichon is a major Thai-language daily newspaper founded by progressive writers in 1978, when Thailand was emerging from authoritarian rule following the October 6, 1976 Massacre. The newspaper positions itself as a quality, upmarket publication with a strong focus on politics, distinguishing itself from sensationalist mass-circulation papers. With a circulation of approximately 120,000 in 1997, Matichon became one of Thailand’s most politically influential newspapers alongside Thai Rath. Since the late 2000s, the publication has faced criticism for alleged pro-Red Shirt bias and controversies regarding editor dismissals and a bribery investigation by the National Press Council of Thailand, for which the paper resigned from the council in protest. The newspaper is owned by Matichon Public Company Limited and operates within the larger Matichon Group, which includes sister publications Khaosod and Prachachat Business. The company maintains both print and online operations, with Matichon Online having a separate editorial board from the print edition.

The Bangkok Post, founded on August 1, 1946, is Thailand’s oldest English-language newspaper still in publication. Published in broadsheet and digital formats, it maintains a daily circulation of 110,000 copies with 80 percent distributed in Bangkok. The newspaper was established by former OSS officer Alexander MacDonald and Thai associate Prasit Lulitanond (ประสิทธิ์ ลุลิตานนท์), initially selling for one baht per four-page issue. Now owned by Bangkok Post Public Company Limited (SET: POST), whose major shareholders include the Chirathivat family, South China Morning Post, and GMM Grammy, the publication employs journalists, including foreign nationals. The Bangkok Post is widely considered Thailand’s newspaper of record and portrays itself as comparatively free in a country where media censorship is common, though critics have noted instances of self-censorship on sensitive topics. The South China Morning Post, founded in 1903 by Tse Tsan-tai (謝纘泰) and Alfred Cunningham, was acquired by Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group (阿里巴巴集團) in 2015 for $266 million.