Media freedom in Singapore

Singapore's media is in the news again! This time, it has come under fire from its counterparts in Malaysia. It is ironic that Singapore is rated amongst the like of North Korea in terms of press freedom!

Online forums promise to be an alternate feed-back hole for the PAP administration. So far, evidence has pointed to close governmental scrutiny to posts in the major local forums, such as Hardwarezone's Current Affairs Lounge, SgForums Speakers Corner and Sammyboy's Alfresco Coffeeshop.

Heck, my posts have even ended up on the Sunday Times (the Sunday version of The Straits Times).

The Star, Malaysia

May 16, 2004

Insight: Down South

By SEAH CHIANG NEE

IT is direct and fast, with minimal self-censorship. This is Radio FM93.8, which is steadily becoming Singapore's favourite channel for airing views.

Started in 1998, the city's only all-news station has been running an 8am-9am Talk Back programme (Monday to Friday) during which listeners can call to discuss a chosen current topic.

In its early days, the callers were mostly housewives or retirees chatting on a mundane, narrow range of subjects.

Many of today's phone-ins are from better-informed professionals who are more articulate.

These younger callers are ready to speak out. On many days, the topics reflect the troubled times and some of them are controversial.

The station's pre-eminence is aided by two factors.

Firstly, it fills a need among Singaporeans who want a medium to air their views, uncensored by overzealously "play safe" editors.

Secondly, the newspapers have neither sufficient space nor inclination for frank public discussions on controversial subjects.

To avoid getting into trouble, editors often prefer to publish letters that are least controversial or critical of the government or its policies.

Newspapers cannot react as fast as radio. Talk Back can put on a debate almost immediately when interest is fresh.

Last week, it started a discussion on the new controversial wage reform aimed at pegging salaries partly to economic conditions and a worker's performance.

Called flex-wage, it makes 30% of pay variable for rank-and-file workers, 40% for middle management and half for top management.

The government wants to implement it by year-end but many workers are worried they will lose out.

One emotional caller said: "Our high-paying ministers should implement it on themselves to set an example to citizens. It is hypocritical if they exclude themselves."

Probably wishing to dilute it, the radio host asked: "So you think the scheme should apply to top business executives and ministers?"

The caller wanted none of this. "No, I said ministers. In the past they had set their action as an example for others to follow. Why can't they do it now?"

Such attacks on high Cabinet pay will unlikely find itself in The Straits Times' forum pages.

In the past, the programme had featured other controversial subjects, including the influx of foreign professionals, and rising cost of public services and public transport.

Compared to radio forums in Hong Kong, Taiwan or even China (on certain subjects), Talk Back may be mild but by Singapore standards, it is an achievement.

It lends some weight to government claims of an opening process.

People who want to take part are first screened by the host who asks broadly what he or she wants to say. It is not known if anyone has been denied access.

Once on air, it is rare for a speaker to be cut off because of what he says.

Every Friday, FM93.8 runs Opinion between 9am and 10am in which the public can also call in to join discussions with an invited panel of guests to discuss local and foreign affairs.

"We take the show on the road once a month and broadcast "live" from polytechnics, junior colleges and universities," said a spokesman.

These shows are proving popular among Singaporeans who want to let off steam or to voice their antagonism towards policies but have no public means to do so.

The primary objective of the major newspapers – the Straits Times and Lianhe Zaobao – is to disseminate and explain government policies to the people.

The other role, of distributing people-to-government views, is much less evident. This enables radio to override the print media in a crucial aspect of journalism.

One journalism lecturer puts it this way: "If you want to know what the government wants to tell the people, read the newspapers. If you want to hear what the people are telling the government, tune in to radio."

Another growing provider of public feedback is the Internet. Opposition and anti-establishment individuals, plus a dozen or so vocal forums, serve a diet of wide-ranging, largely un-moderated, discussions 24 hours a day.

Termed as the alternate media, the online challenge to the mainstream newspapers remains relatively feeble. It hasn't reached the impact of its peers in other advanced cities.

One reason? Many participants are anonymous, ill-informed and very young (many are teens) who use it to let off emotional steam against opposing views rather than participate in reasoned debates.

However, with some 2.247 million or 56% of the population (last count) having access to it, the Internet has the biggest potential for growth.

As surfers mature, the worldwide web will one day become a powerful, more credible, tool to mould public opinion. Its influence is growing almost daily.

A new phenomenon is appearing on the scene – weblogs. There are millions of individual sites operated by bloggers (as they are called) to comment on current issues.

Most writings are shorter, less formal and readable. Some are diary- like, motivated by a cause or a desire to communicate ideas to others. Their readers range from a few close friends to a wide audience of tens of thousands of visits a day.

Many Net-savvy Singaporeans have joined in the fun but, unlike elsewhere, not many care to talk politics.

The Straits Times (circulation about 390,000) will likely maintain its top position but as the others grow, its influence among the population will decline.

Despite its monopoly as the only broadsheet English national daily in Singapore, its penetration rate of 45% remains surprisingly poor. The major Chinese-language daily, Lianhe Zaobao, takes some 29%.

For more liberal-minded youths, the media scene does not reflect Singapore's image as a First World cosmopolitan city.

Its media policies cause a ranking equivalent to many developing Asian and African countries.

Recently, Information Minister Lee Boon Yang, warned journalists not to mix commentary with news reporting which, if followed, will be a further deviance from the global democratic practice.

DPM Lee Hsien Loong, who will soon become Prime Minister, frowned on "crusading journalism". He said: "Newspapers are to report the news, explain what is going on and take a national view and not a partisan view."

 

Seah Chiang Nee is a veteran journalist and editor of the information website littlespeck.com (e-mail: cnseah2000@littlespeck.com )