The Media Development Authority has the power to censor all forms of journalistic content. Defamation suits are common and may sometimes be accompanied by a charge of sedition, which is punishable by up to 21 years in prison. As a result of judicial and financial pressure from the authorities, self-censorship is widespread, including within the alternative independent media. The red lines imposed by the authorities, known by journalists as “OB markers” (for out- of-bounds markers), apply to an ever-wider range of issues and public figures. The Singaporean authorities have also started sending journalists emails threatening them with up to 20 years in prison if they don’t remove offensive articles and get into line.
Finally, 2019 saw a significant deterioration with the adoption of an “anti-fake news” law with Orwellian provisions that allows the government to act as a combination of Ministry of Truth and censorship office for the social media era, ordering both media outlets and digital platforms to post “corrections” to any content deemed “incorrect.”
read more
Singapore uses “anti-fake news” law to eliminate public debate
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is appalled by the totalitarian aspects of Singapore’s new, highly controversial “anti-fake news” law, under which the authorities issued two directives ordering “corrections” to Facebook posts within the space of a week.
The “corrections” are posted on a government web page called “Factually” that was up and running as soon as the law, the Protection from Online Falsehood and Manipulation Act (POFMA), took effect in October. This page claims to present the “correct facts” as opposed to what the law calls “online falsehoods and manipulation” and displays each “corrected” item with the word “FALSE” stamped on it in large red letters.
The first directive was sent by the finance minister on 21 November to an opposition politician who had posted a note on Facebook questioning the investments made by two Singaporean sovereign wealth funds. It forced him to post a “Correction notice” at the top of his post with a link to the government web page with the “correct facts.”
read more
Freedom House: Freedom in the World 2020
Singapore’s parliamentary political system has been dominated by the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) and the family of current prime minister Lee Hsien Loong since 1959. The electoral and legal framework that the PAP has constructed allows for some political pluralism, but it constrains the growth of credible opposition parties and limits freedoms of expression, assembly, and association.
Key Developments in 2019:
- The Protection against Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA) was adopted in May, giving government ministers the power to determine whether content is false and to order removals or corrections. The law, which was enacted despite objections from academics and civil society, had been invoked several times by year’s end, including against the political opposition.
- The Electoral Boundaries Review Committee was appointed by the prime minister in August in preparation for the 2020 elections. The committee was tasked with reviewing and redrawing the boundaries of parliamentary constituencies—a process that has traditionally favored the ruling PAP.
- Electoral Process
- Political Pluralism and Participation
- Functioning of Government
- Freedom of Expression and Belief
- Associational and Organizational Rights
- Rule of Law
- Personal Autonomy and Individual Rights
read more
Freedom House: Countries and Territories
Freedom House rates 210 countries and territories in Freedom in the World, and 65 countries in Freedom on the Net.
read more
Singapore falls 7 spots in press freedom ranking due to Pofma
Singapore now ranks below every country in SEA with the exception of communist Laos and Vietnam
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) released its Press Freedom Index for 2020. In the report, 180 countries and regions are ranked based on how much freedom journalists are given.
This year, Singapore ranks 158th, going down seven spots from last year. Its global score of 55.23 is 3.82 points higher than it was in 2019.
At the top of the list is Norway, with 7.84 points, and ranked 180th is North Korea, with 85.82 points.
read more
RSF unveils 20/2020 list of press freedom’s digital predators
To mark this year’s World Day Against Cyber-Censorship, celebrated on 12 March, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is unveiling its list of press freedom’s 20 worst digital predators in 2020 – companies and government agencies that use digital technology to spy on and harass journalists and thereby jeopardize our ability to get news and information.
This list is not exhaustive but, in 2020, these 20 Digital Predators of Press Freedom represent a clear danger for freedom of opinion and expression, which is guaranteed by article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
On World Day Against Cyber-Censorship, created at RSF’s initiative, RSF is for the first time publishing a list of digital entities whose activities are tantamount to preying on journalism.
The 2020 list of 20 leading digital predators is divided into four categories according to the nature of their activities: harassment, state censorship, disinformation or spying and surveillance. Whether state offshoots, private-sector companies or informal entities, they reflect a reality of power at the end of the 21st century’s second decade, in which investigative reporters and other journalists who cause displeasure risk being the targets of predatory activity by often hidden actors.
related:
World Press Freedom Index 2019World Press Freedom Index 2018
World Press Freedom Index 2017
World Press Freedom Index 2016
