Mundaneity:
My beef with Straits Times.
By SigiL
http://myrialogues.blogspot.com/2008/03/my-beef-with-st.htm
Singaporean
news (from the ST) reads differently from international news feeds.
That may be a good thing - Singaporean journalists have perhaps
developed a certain Singaporean rhythm to their writing.
Also,
the content is local, and reading descriptions about local events,
people, in local contexts renders the Singaporean in foreign lands
homesick and keeps him/her engaged.
I
find a distinctive feature of Singaporean news (through the ST)
though, is its preponderance with mundaneities. That is not to say
their news coverage is completely trivial.
Their
foreign news content is acceptable, though often careful not to
offend allies - hence, little unfavourable reporting of Chinese
politics (though they have a field day with Malaysian
politics).
Also,
the financial section is often technically detailed and quite
extensive, which may appeal to those so inclined.
The
Forum page is perhaps a microcosm of their focus on mundaneities.
The page is inundated with letters, often complaints, covering
bread-and-butter issues.
There
are (almost always) no political commentaries, reflections on
bigger issues, rather terse exhortations that the "Government
should act on zzz because zzz" or even personal rants like "why was
my club membership suspended"?
I
view the forum page as a reflection of the national consciousness,
of what's going on in the collective Singapore mind.
While
issues like "why was the nurse rude at the polyclinic" may be
personally important, I hardly consider them important for the
national consciousness.
Does
this mean that Singaporeans only care about trivialities? A quick
trawl through the web for "rejected ST letters" will yield hundreds
of results.
Many
of the letters are probably just as trivial as those accepted, but
many are well-written reflections or commentaries on important
issues.
Case-in-point:
this political commentary written by well-known local ecrivaine
Catherine Lim on Democratising the Lee Kuan Yew system of
Governance.
A
flamboyantly written but incisive reflection on the important issue
of our socio-political system, rejected by the ST in favour of
exhortations to "exploit technology to solve causeway
jams".
No
kidding.
Perhaps
the ST is giving the market what the market wants.
However,
if we are to raise the level of discourse in the country, as well
as the political maturity of the people, the national soapbox has
to stop inundating the national consciousness with
mundaneity.
Comment:
george said,
I am 99% sure that the journalists at the Straits Times are just as
frustrated. People like Cherian George had left for that very
reason.
The people to gun for is the Editorial Board and the
politicians/ex-politicians who have a mighty big say in how things
are run.
And as you know the ST had already previously declared their
undying support for the party in power - of course, this after it
had run out of excuses for its veritable jingoist position.
To the ST and Media Corp making advertising money overrides all
other consideration...
doesn't the writer know that that's the way our national media
stunts singaporeans' mind?
