Tag: World Press Freedom Day

FreeMyInternet Expresses Displeasure With The Media Development Authority

The FreeMyInternet group expresses our complete and utter disappointment at the Media Development Authority’s (MDA) action in censoring The Real Singapore (TRS), call for this arbitrary and unsubstantiated action to be revoked immediately, and for MDA to come clean on its processes and standards as a regulatory body.

While not all of us might necessarily agree with TRS’s editorial direction or content, what TRS is alleged to have done is no reason for MDA to force a shutdown on the site. MDA’s actions exhibited two key problems: Disproportionate power vested in a statutory board, and unclear guidelines on actions to be taken against objectionable content.

The unfettered power given to MDA is disproportionate in that it gives a statutory board the the sole discretion to close down a website without due process, judiciary or otherwise. This is inconsistent with Singapore’s position as a state that is ruled by law, transparency and accountability.

Furthermore, MDA claimed TRS has “published prohibited material as defined by the Code to be objectionable on the grounds of public interest, public order and national harmony” and “responsible for several articles that sought to incite anti-foreigner sentiments in Singapore”. In relation to the current court case against TRS, this runs the risk of sub-judice. As a statutory board, MDA should have known better than to take actions that can potentially pre-judge the court case.

MDA has also clearly exhibited inconsistency in how it approaches “objectionable content”, be it online or in traditional media. MDA has claimed that “TRS has deliberately fabricated articles and falsely attributed them to innocent parties. TRS has also inserted falsehoods in articles that were either plagiarised from local news sources or sent in by contributors so as to make the articles more inflammatory.”

Objectionable, fabricated and plagiarised content is a regular practice in both mainstream and online media, and most certainly undesirable. But what gives MDA the right to stop the operation of a website on this basis? Websites managed by traditional news outlets have also been known to have fabricated content. Does MDA intend to take action against any website that plagiarises or fabricates content? What is MDA’s basis and standards for taking action, and what are the specific examples cited for TRS? Would it not be sufficient to request for the removal of specific articles rather than the termination of an entire website?

Ai Takagi and Yang Kaiheng with lawyer Choo Zheng Xi (image – CNA)

Without such clarity and accountability, we are left with no choice but to once again call doubt on MDA’s ability to be a fair and effective media regulator. The unsubstantiated and extraordinary actions taken by MDA against TRS cannot be seen as rules-based, transparent, and fair; only arbitrary and selective. As it is, we can only view MDA’s action against TRS as nothing short of a poorly-conceived and brutal attempt at censorship.

We also wish to highlight that MDA has chosen to take such action on 3 May,World Press Freedom Day. This is an affront to an international movement championed by the United Nations.

The FreeMyInternet group reaffirms our position that the right way to deal with any content deemed objectionable and offensive is with open discussion and reasoned debate. Such has also been the position championed by the Media Literacy Council. Shutting anyone down for disagreeable content, by anyone’s standard much less that of a regulator that has been inconsistent in its standards, is a trigger happy approach that reeks of blatant censorship and does not speak well of Singapore as a democratic country.

The above statement was made in exclusion of Mr Choo Zheng Xi, who is currently representing the editors of TRS in their court case.

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About FreeMyInternet

The FreeMyInternet movement was founded by a collective of bloggers who are against the licensing requirements imposed by the Singapore government on 1 June 2013, which requires online news sites to put up a performance bond of S$50,000 and comply within 24 hours to remove content that is found to be in breach of content standards. The group believes this to be an attempt at censorship and an infringement on the rights of Singaporeans to access information online and calls for a withdrawal of this licensing regime.

Source: www.theonlinecitizen.com

May 5, 2015
What Is The World Press Freedom Day?
World Press Freedom Day was proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in December 1993, following the recommendation of UNESCO’s General Conference. Since then, 3 May, the anniversary of the Declaration of Windhoek is celebrated worldwide as World Press Freedom Day. It is an opportunity to:
- celebrate the fundamental principles of press freedom;
- assess the state of press freedom throughout the world;
- defend the media from attacks on their independence;
- pay tribute to journalists who have lost their lives in the line of duty.
This year UNESCO, the United Nations agency mandated to promote and protect press freedom worldwide, has named renowned journalist and CNN Chief International Correspondent Christiane Amanpour its Goodwill Ambassador for Freedom of Expression and Journalist Safety.

UNESCO is focusing on three themes for World Press Freedom Day this year:
- The need for “quality journalism” – reporting that is accurate and independent, remains a constant concern in a media landscape that is changing due to technological and commercial developments.
- Gender imbalance continues in the media 20 years after the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Change. All too few women journalists are able to reach decision-making positions in the media.
- The third theme is digital safety, a topic of growing concern because digital communications makes it difficult for journalists to protect themselves and their sources.
The annual UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize ceremony will take place on 3 May 2015 at the National Library of Latvia in Riga. The winner is Syrian journalist and human rights activist, Mazen Darwish, who is currently imprisoned.

Source: http://www.un.org/en/events/pressfreedomday/
May 4, 2015
The Real Singapore Shuts Down On World Press Freedom Day

As of Sunday (May 3 2015), The Real Singapore (TRS) has been taken down.

The Media Development Authority (MDA) has suspended the editors’ license to operate the site, with instructions not to post new articles on the site and to take down the site by 8pm. The website was subsequently taken down at 7pm, leaving the message: “The Real Singapore has been ordered to disable access to all our online services by the Media Development Authority (MDA) of Singapore.”

The editors behind TRS, 26-year-old Singaporean Yang Kaiheng, and his 22-year-old Australian girlfriend, Ai Takagi, were charged in April with seven counts of sedition and one of failing to produce documents to a police officer.

“The foreign editors were responsible for several articles that sought to incite anti-foreigner sentiments in Singapore,” MDA said. “TRS, including its two foreign editors, were seeking to make profit at the expense of Singapore’s public interest and national harmony.”

The TRS Facebook page, which had garnered more that 400,000 likes, has also been shut down.

Local’s reactions to the site’s takedown are varied. Some people are happy that the MDA has suspended the activities of a website known for triggering material and plaigarism. According to a report by the Straits Times, MDA explained that TRS had published material that is objectionable on the grounds of public interest, public order and national harmony. It is the first time that MDA has suspended the license of a site’s editors.

Other locals opposed the move, citing a restriction for freedom of speech. The timing also made the move ironic, since May 3 is also World Press Freedom Day, a day set aside by the United Nations to promote and protect press freedom worldwide.

However, it is important to note that this year’s World Press Freedom Day is alsodedicated to the need for “quality journalism”, or reporting that is accurate and independent, which makes the timing for this move especially apt, considering with accusations against TRS for plagiarism and fabricated content in what seems to be an attempt to increase the site’s traffic.

But whether or not you agree with the MDA’s move, it still means that there are 400,000 followers still hungry for Singapore gossip. There’s still STOMP, I guess.

Source: https://vulcanpost.com

May 4, 2015