Meet Ubonrat Thaonoi, the TV anchor recruited to save government’s image
Former TV anchor Ubonrat Thaonoi is leading a new media push for the Thai government, using her familiar face and Facebook presence to promote policies and defend the Cabinet from political attack.
Once the face of conservative media outlet Top News, Ubonrat has been appointed assistant government spokesperson, tasked with combating misinformation, countering political rumours, and ensuring the government’s message connects with the public.
Her appointment comes as the government overhauls its media team after Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul blamed “poor communication” for its declining popularity ratings.
In early September, Ekkapob Pianpises took over as chief government spokesperson from Rachada Dhnadirek after Anutin criticised the comms teams for failing to connect with the public.
Ubonrat joined the team on October 22 as assistant spokesperson for the Prime Minister’s Office.
Recruited for her expertise
The 34-year-old boasts a decade in the media industry, mainly as a news anchor. She spent five years as a news presenter at Top News, a conservative royalist outlet founded in 2020 by former Nation TV journalists.
One of Ubonrat’s first tasks in her new role was to interview the prime minister for the government’s new weekly TV programme, “Talk with Anutin’s Cabinet”.
She also has over 450,000 followers on Facebook, now her main channel to promote government policy and counter allegations targeting ministers. Wasting no time, she used her first Facebook post in the job to announce that PM Anutin had dismissed rumours he was about to replace his commerce minister.
A day later, she shared thoughts on her new post with followers. “In any role, my ultimate goal is to utilise all my abilities to serve the people, without getting caught up in political drama. Our country must move forward,” her October 23 post reads.
She went on to dismiss a Facebook accusation that Anutin had accepted a bribe of 7 million baht. After KBank confirmed the money-transfer receipt posted with the accusation was falsified, Ubonrat warned the PM would take legal action against anyone who spread the fake news, even if it's an opposition MP.
She was recruited for her ability to report news “like a friend talking to a friend”, she said after her appointment, adding that her prominence on social media likely helped.
Living her childhood dream
A native of Phetchaburi province, Ubonrat graduated from Rangsit University’s College of Communication Arts with a childhood dream of following in the footsteps of certain “cool and charming” female presenters. She joined digital TV station Spring News as a reporter but was promoted to presenter after just three months.
She then hopped aboard Nation TV, crediting the media juggernaut as the place where she discovered that “political news is my calling”.
In late 2020, she was among a group of Nation TV colleagues who left to co-found Top News, where she took the role of news anchor and host of a political talk show.
She regards politics as a national spectacle that has real-life consequences for millions of people.
“Politics is entertainment – a grand theatrical performance. But at the same time, politics affects our everyday lives. That’s why understanding politics is of crucial importance,” she said in a 2024 interview.
At Top News, Ubonrat vigorously challenged frequent allegations that the outlet acted as a government mouthpiece.
“We are not biased,” she insisted on one occasion. “We simply report the truth – though some viewers might not like it. We broadcast reports that criticise the government, and we get sued for it. On many issues, we have exposed government failings more effectively than the opposition.”
She added that Top News’s commitment to truth is matched by its loyalty to the Palace. “Our main concern is that the monarchy endures. We don’t care who forms the government; we care only that the monarchy remains.”
By Thai PBS World’s Political Desk