A mainstream media photojournalist was wrongly accused of an ethical violation serious enough to kill one's career. How his accusers respond will speak volumes about their own values. Full Story
Eventually, Singapore needs to review its over-broad legislation governing race and religion. In the meantime, though, the authorities should act with more discretion and let Leslie Chew go. While the law gives the authorities the green light to take forceful action, that does not mean they have to go all the way. Full Story
The "Porn Masala" case had been wrapped up and stored away in that overflowing vault in the Singaporean mind reserved for our deepest fears about ethnic conflict. It will be taken out every now and then to illustrate that, beneath our modern, cosmopolitan veneer, there lie deep "fault lines" between ethnic groups, which responsible Singaporeans respectfully recognise. Fortunately, that won't be the last word on this unfortunate case of censorship. Panelists at a forum on Thursday aired doubts about Singapore's approach to regulating offensive speech in films. Full Story
By KIRSTEN HAN – Bloggers can and should be considered journalists, especially in a country where the lack of independent mainstream media leaves a gap in society. When we widen our scope to include different forms of journalism, we begin to find more similarities between bloggers and journalists. We could, for instance, compare blogging to advocacy journalism, and identify shared beliefs and goals. Like advocacy journalists, bloggers do not pretend their posts are objective – readers are aware that blog posts reflect the views of the blogger. Bloggers also do not shy away from championing causes, arguing their points and seeking to persuade their readers through their posts. Full Story
By GABRIEL WONG HONG ZHE – It is often assumed that a free and aggressive press perpetually airing government follies is incompatible with political longevity. Is it however possible that a free press, in addition to serving as a check-and-balance on government, can actually serve as a feedback mechanism to keep the government attuned and adaptable to changing political winds? Could a truly free and independent press, rather than a fawning one, have alerted the government to major policy missteps or miscommunications, such as the recent White Paper on Population, before it is too late to contain swelling public anger? Full Story
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