i find the following article quite interesting


I think the role of the press in Singapore during the last few weeks have been written about ad nauseam. We all know that Singapore did not rank 140 out of 167 in the "Press Freedom Index" for nothing. Of course you have some minister who shamelessly defended the way we do things here and basically poo-bahed the report. Which is rather hypocritical considering how they often quote ad nauseam any international report or rating that gives us good grades; like PERC for example. Anyway, who the hell is PERC anyway and how did they become "the standard"?

But I digress.

The performance of our local news media for the past few weeks have been dreadful. Instead of informing impartially, what they have succeeded in doing is pissed a lot of people off. And whatever credibility they have left is now in absolute tatters.

I will however refrain from commenting about the other language papers under SPH since I can't and don't read them. But from what I heard, some have managed to maintain some semblance of editorial independence while others are practically party mouthpieces.

Of course the temptation now is to crucify those responsible for this sorry state of affairs. And unfortunately, journalists and reporters are the first on the line.

Some have called them traitors, while others have basically demanded that those who still hold some shred of journalistic integrity take a moral stand and quit.

However, I would like to caution that while it is easy to point fingers and scream blue murder, one has to be a bit more understanding and sympathetic.

I believe most (if not all) reporters and journalists are intelligent people with integrity. Of course there are those who fail to pass muster and are basically government apologists and propagandists.

Based on anecdotal evidences, even though a lot of them have strongly wanted to write the truth and report what they see, they have been somewhat arm-twisted to write the way we read and watch it for the last few weeks. On top of that, you also have the editorial staff who decides what sees the light of day and what doesn't.

Now to ask them to take a moral stand and quit is not being realistic at all. I mean seriously. Would you ask someone to quit if his or her rice bow depended on his or her job? On top of that, a lot of them may have families that depend on their livelihood and to just quit like that is very unrealistic.

Of course one can always say that they can look for another job to survive. But I am sure most of us who have been working for a long time now know how hard it is to look for another job at the same or higher pay. And when you come to a somewhat niche occupation like journalism in Singapore, where else can you get another job? Practically all the papers and news channels are either owned or controlled by the government. Piss them off with your "journalistic integrity" and you can kiss your occupation in Singapore good-bye.

That's what the MM meant when he branded young Singaporeans as idealistic and who would be co-opted into the system once they grew up. What it basically means is once you're hooked into the system, your balls are in their hands. In everyday terms, once you're an adult who has to work to live, you're in their hands.

Every damn thing in your life requires money. You need money for transport. And you need money just to eat and live. Without it, you're fucked. There is no plot of land in Singapore where you can grow your own food. You can't just step out of the system and expect to survive. So in a way, all of us, including the reporters and journalists are held hostage to the system. Why do you think the government has stopped imprisoning political enemies and instead sue them to bankruptcy? No money, no honey.

Of course if the journalist is still young, he or she can just leave Singapore and continue his or her profession in a freer country, or try something totally different. But that is not a possibility for a lot of Singaporeans who may have family or older parents who depend on them.

So then who's to blame? At first, I was inclined to think that the fault lies with the editors and the management team. But then again, most of them probably face the same sort of dilemma as the reporters themselves, and whose stakes are probably even higher. Save for a few ass-kissing "consorts" lah.

Of course some of you may say, "But reporters in other countries risk their lives to tell the truths, what more our own reporters?" That, I can't answer. Different countries with different scenarios present different possibilities and risks. And one's appetite for risk is not the same as someone else in another country. Over there, they celebrate these heroes. Over here, we disdain what we consider futile martyrdom.

I think it all comes down to one thing. The way our government, or should I say, the PAP controls the press. This is the cause of our sad state of affairs that began from the days of LKY. Unless this is changed, nothing will change. There's no point blaming the reporters for absconding from their duty to us, the people of Singapore.

But of course this in no way absolves them of their "guilt" lah. By virtue of their jobs, they are tarnished already. I don't know how much they can do or what ingenious ways they can use to circumvent these restrictions. But they really need to try to salvage what's left of their integrity. As it is, their reputation among their peers in this region and the world at large is really quite terok already. And when it comes to reputation and integrity, it really is a bottomless pit; there is no "so low that the only way to go is up".


i think this video is quite cute