Critical news analysis from the Singapore Media Watch:
http://www.mediawatchsg.blogspot.com
"We publish what the Straits Times don't publish"
"Youthlink", "STOMP", "Citizen journalism" and now "Singapore
Seen". The traditional no-nonsense print media in Singapore was
galvanized lately by a string of ground-breaking new features that
surprised even its detractors.
It appears that the bigwits in SPH (Singapore Press Holdings) are
eager and all too yearning to embrace the new media in order to
reach out to the young, a generation that is increasingly falling
out of the gambit of the mainstream media in favor of a new media
dominated by online news, blogs and forums.
In today's IT age where a blog can be created within a minute with
no cost at anywhere in the world, anybody can publish anything on
the web for public viewing by an international audience.
Journalism, which used to be a profession belonging to a
priviledged few and controlled by a major political or commercial
entity, suddenly found its monopoly on information being fast
eroded by these up and coming new players in the market.
In Singapore where the sole print media, SPH, has intricate links
with the ruling party (the current Chairman of SPH is Mr Tony Tan,
a former deputy Prime minister and member of the PAP), this
"strategic" move to reach out to the new media harbors vested
political interests to streamline and manage the vast flow and
exchange of information available on the internet.
It is not surprising that the love affair with the new media began
only this year and gathered pace especially after the General
Election in May 2006 which had sent strong signals to the
authorities of the potential and danger posed by the new
media.
Citizen journalism in GE 2006
1. The recent Singapore General Elections in 2006 had been a
watershed in the emergence and advent of true citizen journalism in
Singapore. Blogs covering the election such as the Singapore
Election Watch, SG rallies, Littlespeck, Mr Brown and Yawning bread
were popular and widely read by Singapore's netizens who are hungry
for alternative views other than those reported in the local
media.
2. The pro-government stance of the mainstream media and the lack
of coverage of the opposition parties' rallies has led to many
ordinary citizens turning to the new media for more balanced and
objective news. Photos of the ruling party's rallies were splashed
all over on the front page of the Straits Times while not a single
page was allocated for photos of the Workers' Party's rallies which
attracted a far bigger turnout. The huge discrepancy between what
was reported and the actual reality itself led to many disgruntled
citizens making their own efforts to take and post pictures of WP's
rallies on the internet which further damages the credibility of
local media.
3. In past elections, political discussion and debates are largely
limited to public rallies and the media with little participation
from citizens. This election has generated a tremendous interest
never seen before in the populace with blogs and forums brimming
with high traffic flow. With no restriction on speech, any issue
can be discussed about openly under the sun by everybody. The print
media has lost its unique role as the indisputable source and
moderator of information in the public domain.
Read the rest of article at: http://www.mediawatchsg.blogspot.com