Debated in Parliament on 14 Nov 2012.
Asst Prof Tan Kheng Boon Eugene asked the Minister for Communications and Information whether the Government had exercised any control or influence over the media during the Hougang by-election campaign in May 2012.
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It is in the interest of the media to exercise professional integrity in its reporting, more so in this age of the Internet when the people have access to diverse sources of information. Be it the Hougang by-election or any other issues, it is of critical importance for the media to ensure that its coverage is fair, objective and credible. Otherwise, the people will just turn away from them and go to other sources.
The mainstream media in Singapore have done well. Findings of the 2012 Edelman Trust Barometer, which measures trust in four key institutions, including the media, show that 65% of the "informed public" in Singapore trusted the media, an increase from 59% in 2011. Our media have performed better than the media in other developed countries such as the US, UK and Australia, where the trust levels were between 37% and 45% in 20122.
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The strength of our media in Singapore lies in being credible, fair and objective in their reporting, and they must maintain this important attribute to stay relevant in this increasingly competitive media environment.
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PAPERCUTS