Knowledge and Understanding of Communication Laws and Ethics of Local Administrators in Sakon Nakhon Province

Abstract

The objectives of this research were to study 1) local administrators’ knowledge and understanding of communication laws and ethics; 2) their demand for such knowledge; and 3) approaches for increasing their knowledge. This was a survey research. The sample population was 373 local administrators from 100 villages in 15 sub-districts. Data were analyzed with frequency, percentage, mean and standard deviation. Focus group discussions were held with 17 samples from Dong Chon, Huai Yang, and Non Hom Sub-districts in Mueang District, Sakon Nakhon Province and descriptive analysis was used for qualitiative data analysis

The results showed that 1) 50.94% of samples had a good understanding of communication laws and ethics while 35.46% lacked knowledge and understanding and 13.60% were unsure. 2) The samples had demand for greater knowledge about every subtopic on the survey. 3) Suggested approaches for increasing knowledge were (1) training; (2) creating manual and online media; (3) conducting seminars frequently; (4) providing awards incentive; (5) network building; and (6) setting up knowledge sources.