5 June 2013

PRESS RELEASE MASS COMMUNICATION / JOURNALISM STUDENTS AND YOUNG MEDIA PRACTITIONERS CALL FOR DIALOGUE WITH MINISTER FOR COMMUNICATIONS & INFORMATION, DR YAACOB IBRAHIM The Media Development Authority had, on 28 May 2013, made a rather unexpected announcement of a new licensing regime for online news sites which requires websites that regularly report on local news, and have significant reach to comply within 24 hours to MDAs directions to remove content that is found to be in breach of content standards. The regime, which came into effect on the 1st June 2013, also expects news sites, which meet its criteria, to post performance bonds of SGD50, 000. This news comes at a time where citizens are calling for reforms of already stifling legislations that inhibit press freedoms, and is seen as a regressive step that exhibits a willingness to curb the free-flow of information, in favour of Singapores archaic practices imposing controls on the estate of the media. The out of the blue nature of this regime also nullifies the idea of the national conversation initiative, introduced by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong last year. As young mass communications students and practitioners, this new framework concerns us as the wording of the amendment suggests that the State will have unmoderated power to muzzle not only journalists, but virtually everyone and anyone who uses the Internet. Even comments posted on websites are affected, since the MDA defines news as news, intelligence, report of occurrence, or any other matter of public interest about any social, economic, political, cultural, artistic, sporting, scientific, or any other aspect of Singapore in any language whether paid or free. This is particularly disconcerting, as the new amendments prognosticate a repressive media industry where future media practitioners will have to conform to the States agenda, as opposed to disseminating ethical, free, fair, and objective information. Besides this, the regulations seem to blatantly infringe on the freedom of the press, the freedom of speech, and the freedom of expression freedoms which define true journalistic ethics and standards. These new regulations may also inadvertently hurt the media industry, which will result in the erosion of online discourse and analysis, causing a decreasing number of professionals entering the media industry. We further feel that the amendments, as they stand, and the haste with which the amendments to the regulation were gazetted, display a discouraging lack of trust in citizens, and perpetuate the mentality of you can speak your mind, but only if you have a license to do so. This same lack of trust has also been extended to our audiences, as it is assumed that Singaporeans need the Government to discern between right and wrong; that Singaporeans lack the ability to think critically. This, we feel, has negative consequences on the youth of Singapore. We read the reports on the Minister for Communications & Informations press conference on 4 June 2013, but were not convinced by his assurances. Additionally, we find it contradictory that he has called us to trust the MDA, and yet hesitates to trust our ability to discern and analyse news content for ourselves.

We also watched Channel News Asias Talking Point on 4 June 2013, to see if Acting Minister Tan Chuan Jin would allay some of our concerns, but instead he reinforced the validity of our position by saying that if a blog aims to report news regularly, then it can be considered a news site. These concerns obligate us, in our capacities as concerned young Singaporeans, to request that the Minister for Communications & Information rescind the gazetting requiring online news sites to be regulated; and if he would not, to engage us in a dialogue to explain why he cannot. We hope that the Minister will respond positively to this invitation and address our concerns about the new licensing framework for online news sites, its impact/implications on current and future media practitioners, and reconsider the implementation of such a licensing regime. -Signatories: Jewel Loveenia Philemon, 20 Singapore Citizen Nithun Nandakumar, 22 Singapore Citizen Zachary Soh Zhao En, 18 Singapore Citizen Anirudh Krishnan, 21 Singapore Citizen Ng Yi Shu, 20 Singapore Citizen Ng Jia Ni, 15 Singapore Citizen Jeremy Jeyanth Philemon, 18 Singapore Citizen Seamus Low, 18 Singapore Citizen Harshini Natasha James, 18 Singapore Citizen Elisabelle Aruldoss, 20 Singapore Citizen Melissa Miles Tsang, 20 Singapore Citizen Bryan Cheang, 24 Singapore Citizen

Chia Eu Jinn, 18 Singapore Citizen Hadi Abdul, 21 Singapore Citizen Salima Nadira Mafoot Moss Simon, 23 Singapore Citizen Ellery Aruldoss, 22 Singapore Citizen Kevin Ng, 25 Singapore Citizen -Contact information:

sgitsabouttime@gmail.com 83330612 https://www.facebook.com/sgitsabouttime

Facebook: