Extract from Columbia Journalism Review:
What Singapore’s overseers don’t seem to grasp is that without a press free to monitor power and challenge wrongdoing, even otherwise “developed” countries suffer greatly. One need look no farther east than Dubai for an example of a locale which, in the absence of an unencumbered press able to expose profligacy and corruption, is now bearing a debt crisis for which its rulers and citizens were pitifully unprepared.
But the relationship between an unshackled press and societal development goes beyond the benefits of financial preparedness. There is some evidence that improvements in press freedom lead to improvements in overall human development. In a recent study I conducted, the release of which is forthcoming, I examined UN Human Development scores and Reporters Without Borders press ratings for 130 countries from the years 2002 and 2007, and found evidence that changes in press freedom predate changes in overall development, even in many so-called developed nations. Changes in press freedom from 2002-2007 were more predictive of human development scores in 2007 than 2002-2007 changes in human development scores were predictive of 2007 press freedom ratings.
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In the absence of strong opposition representation in parliament, the need for a free press becomes crucial not only to monitor power and challenge wrongdoing but to put forth the citizens’ concerns as well as to question key policy decision which have been made without public consultation or feedback. I do not deny the argument that the press must play a role in nation building, but when that role is subverted to entrench the power of the ruling party, the press cannot be a “trusted source” as claimed by our mainstream media. Basically it is functioning not as a free to protect the citizens but as a party organ serving the elite few.
Having said that out papers have gone beyond the role of nation building and have morphed into bootlicking agency without any journalistic integrity. Anyway, it’s not without merit that they are all called “reporters” instead of “journalist” because they report blindly whatever the government says. Even a dummy would be able to ask more relevant question than what these reporters do at press conferences.
Take for example today’s report “Job seekers’ market as economy improves” in the ST. It stated the main reason the job rejection was “wanting higher salary”. The reporter did not deem necessary to investigate or question the source as to whether the employers were offering salary which was realistic given our first world status, GDP and living standards. I believe most were offering the so called “market rate”, which has been lowered due to the availability of cheap foreign labour. From the personal experience of my son and his graduating cohorts, they were offered ridiculously low starting salary because the employer blatantly indicated that he could get a employee with higher qualification from overseas much cheaper and with no reservist, maternity obligations, and AWS and on two year contract.
i hope the miw reads the outcome of the study,
even the “shout(propaganda)times” editors should buy the book if one is release to “STUDY” the contents and take a test.
Oooh… I can’t wait for the defamation suit by Lee & Co. over this one. Or at least some weak counter-argument from them which will run something along the lines of : “This Martin guy doesn’t understand our unique culture, our people’s mentality etc. True press freedom is detrimental to Singapore, because our people are too daft to handle the truth. A small city state like ours cannot afford to have unrest caused by a truly free press daring to report the truth…”
i can’t wait to hear from “MS.SUE” haha
or “sue the bugger”, still living in the 19th century many dafts here with “sue the bugger mentality”
idi amin and hitler plus stalin must have being “reincarnated” many shitty times.
With no real representation in Parliament and a timid, cowardly Press, all controlled by the Govt., we really feel like living in North Korea.
But then, when there is an opportunity to rise against oppression, the result would be fierce and chaotic.
There are lots of historical examples to quote from, like a simmering volcano blowing off its top, leading to a social and political revolution.
don’t take Singaporeans quietness for granted.
singaporeans has no fear but just being accepting all this while out of respect and hopes but looks like no hopes and respect not being given to us singaporeans.
see them in the coming election.
take whatever you can now while you still have the times. your days are numbered.
MIW claimed that we are now a 1st world country – what nonsense is this when we can’t even voice our views and opinons without fear of being drowned by lawsuits and doing jail time.
In terms of democracy, we are, in many ways, far far behind countries like Japan, S Korea, Taiwan, Phillipines, Thailand, Malaysia and even HK – a SAR of China.
And what is the root cause of this? Simple answer – a single party government.
How much the most innovative countries – technologically speaking – are the ones with strongest fibre of human rights, freedom of speech and press? And the ones stunned with a BIG mess of muddled directional future are those most oppressed?
How come the most innovative countries – technologically speaking – are the ones with strongest fibre of human rights, freedom of speech and press? And the ones stunned with a BIG mess of muddled directional future are those most oppressed?
If the reporters that burst open the Watergate Scandal in the USA – were able to operate in Singapore, how many sensational discoveries will hit the headlines with the same intensity as the Watergate Affair ?
Surely, these reports will experience the full wrath of the Singapore Talents in Government, and the Internal Security Act will surely be thrown at them.
The arrogance of the leadership in the Pro Alien Party clearly indicate that they hold everyone in contempt, and more so towards reporters who will dare to investigate them, daring to question them doggedly, and hold them accountable for their decisions and actions.
It is pathetic to watch some of the press interviews that the Singapore Ministers give – especially at the end of some official overseas visits – when only a handful of local reporters are in attendance.
The sadder comedy is that the few microphones – seen in the hands of the reporters – will display the logo of ChannelnewsAsia and Channel 5 – [English recording] on one, while the other microphone will have a logo of Channel U and Channel 8 – [for Mandarin recording].
The questions asked by local reporters to the Ministers are pathetically tame, and even if probing will not go beyond the journalistic courtesy – forgoing the instinct of going deeper to get at the truth.
The truth in Singapore is protected by the Secrets Act, and the ISA is there to ensure no one pushes the limits to box in the self-acclaimed talents that lead the Pro Alien Party.
There must be a reason for this Singapore Government not to lift the secrecy acts on some of the documents and official correspondence that have passed the 30 year limit, and where some of the documents are already released from the Official Archives in the UK and the USA.
Has anyone heard of the Secret File codenamed “Albatross” – when its existence was revealed for the first time in Dr Goh Keng Swee’s memoir ?
That document has details on Singapore NOT being evicted from Malaysia, but had actually sought and negotiated for our own withdrawal from the merger with Malaysia.
Why should such a file be kept secret – when so much could have been learnt for the sake of future generation ?
Did it finally prove that the detractors towards merger with Malaysia was proven correct – even as LKY had schemed to have them all incarcerated on false charges as Communists, and had the ISA thrown at them ?
This is the First World Leadership with a Third World mentality, and it is pathetic that MM LKY would recently dare to comment that Singaporeans needed discipline to fit into a First World society.
Who will discipline a Third World Leader determined to stay in power ?
.
.
The secret Dr Goh carried to his grave,
http://singaporedesk.blogspot.com/2010/05/secret-goh-is-carrying-to-his-grave.html
Thanks for posting this.Would not have seen it otherwise.
whatever we singapore say the garmen will sure have something to say in returned.
they will never lose.
win win win maju la.
mari la kita bersatu and vote them out
I’m just really looking forward to the Exceptionalism retort.
It’s like a drinking game. Given sufficient study of press releases, you might even be able to predict the precise phrasing.
One wonders, though, if they might one day take exceptionalism to the extreme – exceptionalism within the physical sciences.
fox and cnn lagi worst, and they get higher ranking?
Conventional press freedom may be important in the past, but could be less so now in the advent of the Internet.
The existence of alternative media sites such as this one and blogs written by various people may be just enough to inject some balance in the way news about Singapore is being presented to her citizens and to the world.