Today’s Blog Feature is from the blog Looking For Words, titled “The newspaper’s the problem, not the blogs”.

Here’s an excerpt:

I  just had a look at a Straits Times weekend article after reading about it now on The Online Citizen(Moderating the internet – let’s hold the horses). Of course, bloggers should exercise restraint for their own good. How many want trouble at work or school or with the authorities for that matter?

But the problem is not so much with the blogs I read as with the Straits Times itself. It’s the Singapore newspaper’s rah-rah cheerleading that induces netizens to say that’s not all there is to the story.

Visit Looking For Words for the full article.

 


HELP keep the voice of TOC alive!

If you like this article, please consider a small donation to help theonlinecitizen.com stay alive. Please note that we can only accept donations from Singaporeans. Thank you for your assistance.

Do you have a flair for writing? Volunteer with us. Email us your full name and contact details to theonlinecitizen@gmail.com

20 Responses to “Blog Feature: The newspaper’s the problem, not the blogs”

  1. errr, maybe the author should read the newspapper finish then only write.

    – And sure enough the Straits Times website now has a story headlined, Brace for worse times, which leads with:

    The next six months will be especially tough for Singapore as there is worse to come in the global economy, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong told employers and unionists yesterday -

    This story also in the newspaper wat?

    Reply
  2. woshiempire 23 February 2009

    sometimes newspaper need to be able to ‘jian ren”, so will add or minus something.

    there are others countries blocking websites from accesing into their own countries.eg,china, they block off website which are ”harmful” to them… yet i did not found sg govt doing that…..

    I playing this political/economy game
    http://www.erepublik.com

    it is quite good. it only need to spend 5 mins daily and after a few weeks u will found this game interesting.
    there are eSingapore in the game. it has issues like min wage and how to make use of basic political skills.
    * this did not come easy and u need to play for some time. Note that there are real citizen like me, so u must play and get more influences from other ppl 1st

    Reply
  3. credit but no debit buay balan 23 February 2009

    This is the system we chosen.
    i hold myself responsible.

    Reply
  4. ErniesUrn (Ernie) 23 February 2009

    MM Lee once said:

    “And if you already have a great orchestra, you can put a dummy there and you still got great music.”

    I would rather let ST self destruct. It’s still playing it’s old classical tunes, while our readers are moving on to hip hop, rock and pop. It’s about time they replaced dummy with.. stupid. :)

    Reply
  5. Craptalk 23 February 2009

    Traditional media like the ST lag behind BLOGs for sensational impact and they are playing catch up. They tried their best to mould their discussion/forum sites to appeal to bloggers.So far still not that appealing but one discussion site on TV News ..seems to have a lot of posts…maybe it is not moderated.

    Reply
  6. one of the legion of lesser mortals... 23 February 2009

    As Alex Aw puts it..
    http://www.yawningbread.org/arch_2009/yax-990.htm

    The internet is different from the other “media” in a crucial way. While the rest are few to many -– that is, there are a relatively small number of TV stations, newspaper titles or film studios providing content for large numbers of information consumers — the internet is many to many. There can be as many producers of content as there are consumers of it.

    Even book publishing, which is characterised by millions of titles, is not as “many to many” as the internet.

    “Few to many” media have choke points at which governments or public opinion can exercise influence. The few can be leaned on to abide by a code of conduct.

    Reply
  7. Some articles in ST makes us like as though we dont know anyting…blur..
    They think we belive what they write…there are some who do that…but guess ppl are now changing…Some times feel sorry fo these reporters as they just report ….like a parrot lah…Always supporting the gov in everything & whaterver they say,,,come on..ST do some unbiased reporting….have some conscience…

    Reply
  8. honestly, we can’t really blame ST for what it is doin. It started as a govt-funded press to help educate the population, etc. going agst the ruling party/ govt is like cannibalism for ST. The same can be said abt CNA, a prouduct of Mediacorp (aka former SBC).

    We Singaporeans are to be blamed for the current situation. we cont to buy and read ST. we shun other print media in favour of ST “comprehensive coverage” of news. I myself is to be blamed for buying ST to update myself on the happenings of the world… instead of heading to the internet and reading from BBC, CNN, etc.

    mebe one day, another independent publication can compete with ST in terms of news coverage and then, we will see more independent, impartial and critical reporting.

    Reply
  9. Mrthinktalk 24 February 2009

    TOC are u still having technical problems
    Seem to be days This No No if you want to be
    a credible alternative stable source of information
    Let us know when back to normal

    Reply
  10. whiteraven 24 February 2009

    That is what Noam Chomsky called Manufacturing Consent, Media Control. Two of his books.

    The ST is under the SPH which is controlled by the govt. Its past and present Chairman were all ex-PAP Ministers or ex-top civil servants who were carefully chosen to preside over the Board. Errant editors can then be reined in, and rah-rah stories hyping what little the govt does, or what little sounds they made are unashamedly splashed across the front pages, front centre and back. They are often told to black out news from the Opposition or unpleasant news. All this is part of Thought and Mind Control and the Manufacturing of Consent so the whole world thinks everything here done by the govt is hunky-dory.

    Notice that every time Singapore scores a first or a notch over others, this is given full play, until ad nauseam. Did you also notice that the same speech by the PM or MM is always repeated over and over again on all the Channels of Mediacorp and on all the newspapers. Esp when May Day and National Day comes.

    Reply
  11. Fribbles 24 February 2009

    Aye… you guys still read ST?
    Its time to move on :D

    Reply
  12. Fribbles 24 February 2009

    @9) Mrthinktalk on February 24th, 2009 4.31 am

    Hmm, are you on Singnet?

    Because my fellas aren’t experiencing this problem… got a feeling certain ISPs are messing with TOC to decrease their readership.

    Reply
  13. DID ANYONE NOTICE THE ACTICLE ABOUT NURSING HOME IN JB WAS REMOVED????

    HOW OPEN CAN THIS SITE BE???

    MY COMMENTS MIGHT BE REMOVE ALSO….HAI……

    Reply
  14. mrthinktalk 24 February 2009

    Appears TOC is unstable. Somel inks removed to give way for newer ones??
    Are you guys making money out of this thing? If not where did you get your funds from?

    Reply
  15. theonlinecitizen 24 February 2009

    Don’t panic. No conspiracies here. We’ve already explained it here: http://theonlinecitizen.com/2009/02/problems-accessing-toc/#comments

    Refer to comments #16 and #17.

    Reply
  16. tiredsingaporean 24 February 2009

    12) Fribbles on February 24th, 2009 11.29 am @9) Mrthinktalk on February 24th, 2009 4.31 am

    Hmm, are you on Singnet?

    Because my fellas aren’t experiencing this problem… got a feeling certain ISPs are messing with TOC to decrease their readership.

    I suspect TOC has been sabotaged, by who? your guess is as good as mine . . .

    Reply
  17. tiredsingaporean 24 February 2009

    This world is getting very dirty, indeed! when one gets control of all the resources and money, there are too many dirty things that can be done, easily . . . . . politics are just dirty business all over the world. See how many political scandals are there involving billions and billions of state funds were being discovered in US alone. Its all about the strong taking advantage of the weak kind of thing and it is happening everywhere now.

    Reply
  18. surednotmoderated 24 February 2009

    [i]17) tiredsingaporean on February 24th, 2009 5.11 pm

    12) Fribbles on February 24th, 2009 11.29 am @9) Mrthinktalk on February 24th, 2009 4.31 am

    Hmm, are you on Singnet?

    Because my fellas aren’t experiencing this problem… got a feeling certain ISPs are messing with TOC to decrease their readership.

    I suspect TOC has been sabotaged, by who? your guess is as good as mine . . .[/i]

    guess what?

    iamnotleehsiehloong
    xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
    Your comment is awaiting moderation.
    xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
    February 24th, 2009 5.03 pm [i]theonlinecitizen on February 24th, 2009 3.40 pm Don’t panic. No conspiracies here. We’ve already explained
    ———————————————————————————

    yeah right
    what happenned to the rest of other articles that were first published
    than suddenly erased?
    you want proof?

    http://www.mrbrown.com/blog/2009/02/president-why-i-said-ok.html#comments

    http://www.youngpap.org.sg/phpbb/viewtopic.php?p=248916&sid=eac1b0dbfbbef90e1527137d36540015#248916

    Reply
  19. theonlinecitizen 24 February 2009

    #19,

    I’m afraid I do not get what you mean. Which articles were “suddenly erased”? Your links to Mr Brown and the PAP forum does not say.

    Reply