An alternative way to curtail press freedom
Singapore has been coloured black on the World Press Freedom Index map since 2020, meaning the situation there is now is classified as “very bad”. Despite the “Switzerland of the East” label often used in government propaganda, the city-state does not fall far short of China when it comes to suppressing media freedom. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s government is always quick to sue critical journalists, apply pressure to make them unemployable, or even force them to leave the country.
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 sedition charge that is punishable by up to seven years in prison. The political control is coupled with an economic straitjacket. Two business groups control all of Singapore’s print and broadcast media. One, MediaCorp, is owned by a state investment company. The other, Singapore Press Holdings, is supposedly privately-owned but the government appoints those who run it. As a result, self-censorship is widespread, including within the alternative independent media, which are intimidated by the judicial and economic pressure.
The red lines imposed by the authorities, known by Singapore’s journalists as “OB markers” (for out-of-bounds markers), apply to an ever-wider range of issues and public figures. After 2015, the authorities have also started sending bloggers emails threatening them with up to 20 years in prison if they don’t remove annoying articles and fall into line. Finally, the Orwellian provisions of the “anti-fake news” law adopted in 2019 forces all media outlets and digital platforms to post “corrections” to any content that the government may arbitrarily deem to be “incorrect”. This censorship bureau 2.0 has enabled the government to impose its own version on a range of subjects including the death penalty, the salary paid to the prime minister’s wife, and its handling of the Covid-19 crisis.
Singapore falls to 160 in 2021 World Press Freedom index; situation classified as “very bad”
Singapore continues its descent at the World Press Freedom ranking in 2021, dropping from 158 to 160
The index by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is a barometer that gives an annual ranking of countries based on the organisation’s assessment of the press freedom records of those countries, which is based on several categories including media independence, legislative framework, abuses against the media/reporters, infrastructure, and more.
Singapore has consistently ranked poorly on this index for the past few years. The city-state dropped to 158 in the last ranking from 151 in 2019 – a position that is below countries such as Russia, Thailand, and Indonesia.
In its ranking last year, RSF noted that Singapore had its colour on the Index changed to black, which signifies that the situation in the country is classified as “very bad”.
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World Press Freedom Index finds journalism blocked in over 100 countries
Reporters Without Borders said the global level of media freedom had remained largely stable overall for the past year. PHOTO: AFP
The annual report by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said on Tuesday (April 20) that journalism was at least partly blocked in nearly three-quarters of the 180 countries surveyed. Its World Press Freedom Index found that journalism was "totally blocked or seriously impeded" in 73 countries, while it was "constrained" in 59 others. Many governments had used the pandemic to worsen repression. "Journalism is the best vaccine against disinformation," RSF secretary-general Christophe Deloire said in a statement.
Top 10 countries in World Press Freedom Index 2021
- 1. Norway
- 2. Finland
- 3. Sweden
- 4. Denmark
- 5. Costa Rica
- 6. Netherlands
- 7. Jamaica
- 8. New Zealand
- 9. Portugal
- 10. Switzerland
Worst 10 countries in World Press Freedom Index 2021
- 1. Eritrea
- 2. North Korea
- 3. Turkmenistan
- 4. China
- 5. Djibouti
- 6. Vietnam
- 7. Iran
- 8. Syria
- 9. Laos
- 10. Cuba
Freedom in the world 2021
Overview - 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 opposition parties and limits freedoms of expression, assembly, and association.
Key Developments in 2020:
- The COVID-19 pandemic was most acute from March to August, with a lockdown imposed from early April to the beginning of June. Migrant workers were disproportionately affected by both the virus and the related movement restrictions. As of late December, there had been a total of nearly 59,000 cases and 29 deaths.
- In the July parliamentary elections, the ruling PAP won 83 of 93 seats, the same number as in 2015 despite the addition of four new seats to the legislature. The party garnered 61 percent of the popular vote, down from nearly 70 percent in 2015.
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