Stewardship of the Singapore Media: Staying the Course by Mr Patrick Daniel
Singapore’s media landscape has undergone a long series of changes from 1824 when the early colonial-era newspapers were launched. The Straits Times, founded in 1845, has survived to this day as the flagship of SPH Media Trust. In the last two decades, however, with the rapid rise of technology giants and myriad Internet media, legacy news media have suffered severe disruption. What does the future hold for the media and journalism? The 11th S R Nathan Fellow, Mr Patrick Daniel, will examine the pressing issues facing Singapore’s legacy media. Will the new SPH Media Trust, which will receive government funding support if approved by Parliament, be independent and offer the diversity of views desired by its audiences? Will Singapore's regulatory regime be eased or tightened? Will global tech platforms and online media be regulated by their governments to prevent the spread of fake news? And what future trends and challenges will Singapore and the media have to contend with next?
The Singapore Media's Long and Winding Road: 1824 to 2022
Singapore’s legacy media titles have each had their own long histories since the colonial era. This first lecture explores the PAP government's post-Independence approach to press freedom, versus regulation through laws like the Newspaper and Printing Presses Act and the Broadcasting Act. It also traces the government's active involvement and stewardship role in ensuring, for example, that vernacular papers survived. The latest turn in this long road has come after two decades of disruption by the Internet giants, with the transfer of legacy media titles to the new SPH Media Trust. Is government funding support to this not-for-profit entity justified? Will SPH Media Trust succeed in its mission of being a trusted source of news? Can it serve a more diverse audience and help ensure an informed citizenry in this day and age?
Professor Chan Heng Chee will moderate the Q&A session for this lecture. Professor Chan is Ambassador-at-Large at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and IPS’ 7th S R Nathan Fellow for the Study of Singapore.
To find out more about Mr Patrick Daniel, the 11th S R Nathan Fellow, click here.
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