[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/destinations\/singapore\/is-there-space-for-alternative-media-in-singapore\/#NewsArticle","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/destinations\/singapore\/is-there-space-for-alternative-media-in-singapore\/","headline":"Is there Space for Alternative Media in Singapore?","name":"Is there Space for Alternative Media in Singapore?","description":"Where do you get your news from? If you\u2019re a well-informed adult: most likely, you turn to a trusted news source, like a national newspaper or from national media outlets. Basically, we\u2019re clear that we should be getting our information from official sources, and not chain messages forwarded from your mother\u2019s friend\u2019s sister\u2019s neighbour\u2019s twice-divorced […]","datePublished":"2020-10-11","dateModified":"2020-10-30","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/author\/Raewyn%20Koh\/#Person","name":"Raewyn Koh","url":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/author\/Raewyn%20Koh\/","identifier":126,"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/dcf8794e3fbb77bfb67fd0c6de80816a47a345d4c3df2beccb095b7d856dae7e?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/dcf8794e3fbb77bfb67fd0c6de80816a47a345d4c3df2beccb095b7d856dae7e?s=96&d=mm&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"TheHomeGround Asia","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/wp-content\/uploads\/photo_2021-07-22-222533.jpeg","url":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/wp-content\/uploads\/photo_2021-07-22-222533.jpeg","width":640,"height":640}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/wp-content\/uploads\/1602403133652_alt-media-singapore.jpg","url":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/wp-content\/uploads\/1602403133652_alt-media-singapore.jpg","height":838,"width":1600},"url":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/destinations\/singapore\/is-there-space-for-alternative-media-in-singapore\/","about":["Community","Featured","Local","Singapore"],"wordCount":1334,"articleBody":"Where do you get your news from?If you\u2019re a well-informed adult: most likely, you turn to a trusted news source, like a national newspaper or from national media outlets. Basically, we\u2019re clear that we should be getting our information from official sources, and not chain messages forwarded from your mother\u2019s friend\u2019s sister\u2019s neighbour\u2019s twice-divorced son-in-law.But are these news outlets really trustworthy, or are we supposed to take their word for it? Is there information that is being hidden or suppressed, and isn\u2019t being reported?Ranking low on the Press Freedom IndexThe RSF (Reporters Without Borders) seems to think so. In 2020, Singapore ranked 158 on a list of 180 on the Press Freedom Index \u2013 seven spaces down from the previous year. RSF classified Singapore\u2019s press situation as \u201cvery bad\u201d, for reasons such as being \u201cquick to sue critical journalists, or apply pressure to make them unemployable, or even force them to leave the country\u201d.Singapore also has \u201cOB markers\u201d or \u201cout-of-bounds markers\u201d, a term coined by the former Minister for Information and the Arts, George Yeo, that describes topics that are deemed off limits to be reported on \u2013 i.e., censorship imposed by the government to not disrupt the social fabric of the nation \u2013 and it is the responsibility of media practitioners and journalists to be sensitive to such markers. Failure to do so would result in a backfiring of the organisation, regardless of intention.Alternative media therefore presents alternative voiceThis is where alternative online news outlets come into play. These outlets provide a different point of view, and usually with first-person commentary\/opinion. Some also do well in shedding light on social issues and promoting change for the better of Singaporeans.However, they are often seen as anti-government, and pro-opposition in Singapore\u2019s long-term single political party reign of its 55 years of independence. And, this has made them targets of lawsuits \u2013 defamation, publishing against public interest\u00a0and national harmony, and libel.An argument can be made that this is just the government\u2019s way of protecting Singaporeans from falsehoods. Which is why the establishment of the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA) was necessary.Fake News Law to fight fake newsPOFMA, also known as the Fake News Law, is a statute of the Parliament of Singapore that enables authorities to tackle the spread of fake news or fake information.POFMA comes at a time when news spreads quickly. With the advent of WhatsApp and the \u2018share\u2019 button on Facebook, information can reach thousands easily with just a click of a button. The psychology behind believing and sharing fake new also matters.Dr Christopher Dwyer, in an article for Psychology Today, said that fake news is often believable because we seek a confirmation bias that confirms our existing beliefs. Information is further confirmed when it comes from a trusted source or someone you personally know, so hearing from your mother\u2019s friend\u2019s sister\u2019s neighbour\u2019s twice-divorced son-in-law who knows someone working in the Prime Minister\u2019s Office, that stockpiling will be necessary during a lockdown comes across as believable.POFMA in a time of a global pandemicBut the COVID-19 pandemic has proven why POFMA is necessary. In May this year, ChannelNewsAsia reported that six out of 10 people had received fake news about the coronavirus through social media platforms, and most prevalently, from messaging platforms like WhatsApp, Telegram, and Facebook Messenger.Earlier that month, the Ministry of Communications and Information had already debunked 40 instances of fake news on COVID-19. One notable case was when POFMA was invoked against the Singapore States Times Facebook page, which wrongfully confirmed the number of cases in Singapore that day. The act was also invoked against the States Times Review that reported that the government and the Ministry of Health were covering up information about confirmed case numbers.Used to dispel confusion and calm anxietiesMinister for Communications and Information, S. Iswaran, said in Parliament that POFMA in COVID-19 served to \u201cswiftly put out the facts to dispel confusion and calm anxieties fomented by such falsehoods.\u201dHe also said that it was Singaporeans\u2019 duty to ensure information is truthful before it is spread. \u201cIt is of utmost importance, especially at a time of crisis like this, that each and every one of us does the right thing by checking that the messages we receive come from reliable sources, and make the effort to verify a claim or piece of information before sharing.\u201dBut POFMA anywhere else still drives criticismWhile it has proven its usefulness in crises, POFMA still receives criticism, as a form of government censorship on media. RSF criticised POFMA, calling it an \u201cOrwellian Ministry of Truth\u201d, as the government \u201c[prefers] to impose its own vision of the \u2018facts\u2019\u201d.In 2019, Facebook and an industry group representing Internet and technology giants expressed concerns over the enactment of POFMA. Facebook said in a statement that it was concerned with aspects of the law that grant \u201cbroad powers to the Singapore executive branch to compel us to remove content they deem to be false and proactively push a government notification to users\u201d.The issue was raised after the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) requested for a Facebook post (before POFMA was enacted), which made allegations against Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and the government\u2019s relations with the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) scandal, to be taken down.Foreign groups chime inFacebook said that it did not have a policy that prohibits alleged fake news, \u201capart from in situations where this content has the potential to contribute to imminent violence or physical harm\u201d.The Asia Internet Coalition also said in a statement that \u201c[they] are also concerned that [POFMA] gives the Singapore government full discretion over what is considered true or false\u201d.\u201cAs the most far-reaching legislation of its kind to date, this level of overreach poses significant risks to freedom of expression and speech, and could have severe ramifications both in Singapore and around the world.\u201dPOFMA and alternative media can co-existEven with things like POFMA, there is still a place for alternative media in Singapore. \u201c[Alternative news media] have to resonate with the target audience\u2019s needs, as well as evolve with people\u2019s rapidly changing information habits,\u201d said Dr Carol Soon, a senior research fellow at the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS).She also said that as media incumbents begin to produce and publish more commentaries that provide deeper insights into issues that matter to the public, alternative news sites must find and carve their own niche.It is up to journalists to provide factsThe Select Committee on Deliberate Online Falsehoods says this is only possible if alternative news sites are held to the same professional journalistic standards as mainstream media to ensure \u201cfairness, accuracy, and integrity in reporting\u201d.The integrity of journalists was the central theme behind Warren Fernandez\u2019s remarks at the Real News Matters journalism forum for World News Day this year. Fernandez commented that with misinformation on the rise, journalists play a crucial role in providing facts to support reasoned debate. He also went on to say that fact-checking and ensuring a balanced, objective, and unvarnished account of events is important work for professional newsrooms.\u201cThe irony is this: While the world is more connected today and more people have much more information available at their fingertips, societies are not necessarily better informed or equipped to make the difficult choices we need to if we are going to address the many challenges we face,\u201d said the editor-in-chief for The Straits Times.Up to us to pick the right media to consumeUltimately, healthy discussions on issues and policies cannot happen in the absence of credible and reliable information, Fernandez emphasised. Without it, discussions become dominated by \u201cthose with the loudest, most nasty or persistent, or often, the best financed voice\u201d. Join the conversations on THG’s\u00a0Facebook\u00a0and\u00a0Instagram, and get the latest updates via\u00a0Telegram.\u00a0"},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Destinations","item":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/destinations\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Singapore","item":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/destinations\/\/singapore\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Is there Space for Alternative Media in Singapore?","item":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/destinations\/singapore\/is-there-space-for-alternative-media-in-singapore\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]