That’s right. No. 1 in the world.
Soiciety was named the world’s Best Emerging News Provider 2026 by the World Association of News Publishers (WAN-IFRA) last week at the World News Media Congress in Marseille — after winning Asia’s best in April.
Why it matters: This happened because people like you believed a Bangkok newsletter was worth supporting. So before anything else, thank you.
Big picture: We’re the inaugural recipient of this newly introduced global category, created to recognize how independent news creators are shaping the global news ecosystem.
State of play: Across 12 categories, WAN-IFRA received 811 entries from around the world. We took the top spot in the category over Canada’s Indicator, India’s Spot On and Iraq’s AVA Media.
What they’re saying: “The strongest entries demonstrate how new technologies, when deployed responsibly, can deepen audience relationships, reinforce editorial integrity, and create richer experiences that audiences genuinely value,” said Stig Ørskov, WAN-IFRA’s CEO.
Again, while this award validates the work, it doesn’t fund the labor. Awards don’t keep local journalism alive — readers like you do.
🤝 This is where you come in
Soiciety exists to get you civically engaged in a place where you may otherwise feel civically invisible, so you can live here like you belong.
Here’s what that looks like beyond the press release. Sometimes, you know something is happening in this city before anyone else does. Here’s how:
When the Green Line’s fare went up, you knew it from Soiciety first — not because of an official announcement, but because I caught the governor mentioning it deep into a 5.5-hour city council meeting and didn’t wait.
When Bangkok won its Gender Equality Seal, Soiciety spotlighted a stalled city anti-sexual harassment ordinance with the full memos. To my knowledge, no other outlet has touched that bill.
When advocates began opposing the city’s animal control ordinance, we had the story before they’d even filed a formal petition — because I sat through hours of their internal live stream.
That’s the work: Paying attention to things that others overlook.
Chatwan Mongkol, right, interviews Chuu Wai for a Soiciety story. (Photo by Jade DiDonato)
Soiciety’s first in-person meetup in May.
But the thing that I’m proudest of is seeing some of you actually show up to civic forums and community events because you learned about those from Soiciety.
We’re seven subscribers away from the threshold I need to prove this reader-funded membership model works and ensure the publication remains sustainable.
🙌 If you value this work, will you step up and help me cross that milestone?
By joining the Soi Resident program at $15 a month, you directly fund the research time and on-the-ground reporting it takes to make the city legible. As a thank you, you also get: a paywalled monthly column and free access to our meetups and events.
Thank you for reading, sharing and proving that this kind of local journalism can win on the world stage. Have a great week!
Chatwan