SINGAPORE : Singapore needs a media model in which the players
practise press freedom in a responsible way, Senior Minister Goh
Chok Tong has said.
He made this point at the fifth anniversary of MediaCorp's TODAY
newspaper.
He added should a national crisis occur, the local media should not
go for sensational reporting but exercise judgment and cover events
sensitively.
Editors must always be mindful of the power wielded by their pens,
or nowadays keyboards, says Mr Goh.
That is because they have a greater responsibility to society than
merely publishing a sensational story or turning in a bigger profit
for shareholders.
Said Mr Goh, "Reputable international news organisations also face
this consideration every day. Although their conditions may be
different, foreign editors have also exercised restraint and
censorship when necessary."
Mr Goh cited the incident of the beheading of an American
contractor in Iraq a year ago.
Several US news agencies were confronted with the dilemma of
whether to capture viewership by broadcasting the unedited video of
the man's ordeal or censor it and risk being outdone by a
competitor.
Mr Goh noted most networks decided to report the news without
broadcasting the gruesome video.
Similarly, BBC had covered the July 7 London blasts in a
responsible manner.
Back home, when the JI members were arrested in Singapore in 2002,
editors here realised they must not inadvertently portray the
arrests as being targetted against a particular community.
Another example of strong government-media partnership was the
media coverage of the SARS epidemic.
Said Mr Goh, "Do not get me wrong. I do not favour a subservient
press. An unthinking press is not good for Singapore. But press
freedom must be practised with a larger sense of responsibility and
the ability to understand what is in or not in our national
interests."
"Editors need to understand what their larger responsibilities
entail and to demand them of their journalists. Editors and
journalists must have high personal integrity and sound judgment --
people who understand Singapore's uniqueness as a country, our
multi-racial and multi-religious make-up, vulnerabilities and
national goals.
"By this, I mean that our editors and journalists must be men and
women who know what works for Singapore and how to advance our
society's collective interests."
He added, "Capturing readership is an important goal but to do so
through sensational coverage is not the right way. The media is
free to put across a range of worthy different viewpoints to
encourage constructive social and political discourse. It should
not parrot the government's position. It would lose its credibility
if it tries to be the government's propagandist. A discredited
media would not serve our national interests."
Turning to TODAY's performance, Mr Goh said he was heartened that
as a business, it had overcome the severe challenge of
infancy.
It now boasts a readership of more than half a million and more
importantly, it turned in a profit for the first time last year
after four years of losses.
In his speech, MediaCorp Chairman Ho Kwon Ping touched on MediaCorp
Group's role as a multi-faceted mirror reflecting many of the
issues top most on Singaporeans' minds.
Said Mr Ho, "Our mission is not to push the boundaries of
aesthetic, cultural, or political expression, nor is it to promote
our own points or view or agendas. That is for other change agents
to do in an increasingly mature civil society. But to the extent
that our mission is to provide a mirror for our own people to see
themselves and their future, we will occasionally reflect views
which may not even be our own, but may still upset some
people."
On TODAY, Mr Ho noted that it is now clearly a viable
business.
And with TODAY sharing the spotlight with MediaCorp's television,
radio and magazine businesses, MediaCorp is now the only company in
Singapore with the complete range of media platforms. - CNA /ct
