The latest press freedom ranking for Singapore’s mainstream media,
Singapore Press Holding and Mediacorp, is 153th according to
Reporters Without Borders 2015. Worse than Philippines and
Malaysia, Singapore’s press freedom ranking has declined 3 places
since 2014 due to the influences of the ruling party PAP in this
election year.
Screenshot from RSF
Just last week, the Singapore Press Holding quoted an anonymous
poison pen letter accusing Workers’ Party candidate Professor
Daniel Goh for having an affair with his student. In another case a
few months ago, Singapore reporters witnessed a slapping incident
and did not offer help except to continue taking photos and
videos.
Singapore’s media are also largely biased with sensationalized
headlines promoting the ruling party government’s agendas. This has
resulted in falling readership and Singaporeans are turning to
online sites operated by independent writers for news.
Screenshot of The Straits Times
However, independent writers online are faced with censorship laws
recently legislated by the government to control the internet. A
S$50,000 bond has to be put up for all websites and that it will be
confiscated if the sites do not censor their articles within 24
hours upon demand of the Media Development Authority.
Several current affairs news sites have since been shut down
including prosecutions and defamation law suits.
Once the most popular news site among Singaporeans, The Real
Singapore’s editors Ai Takagi and Yang Kai Heng now faces jail term
up to 3 years for sedition charges. Another popular writer, Roy
Ngerng, who writes on the national retirement system CPF, was sued
by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong for defamation. Even for States
Times Review, the site name was changed due to legal threats from
the government-controlled mainstream media The Straits Times.
The owner of Singapore Press Holdings and Mediacorp is Temasek
Holdings, whose CEO is the wife of Prime Minister Lee Hsien
Loong.
You may view Reporters
Without Borders Index here.