TR EMERITUS

1. I offer the following suggestion on how the state funded media, i.e. Channel NewAsia and SPH Media Trust, can carry out its role.

2. The aim should be to educate Singaporeans on issues that affect our future, and to present a perspective that presents Singapore in a favorable light to other countries.

3. Due to our limited resources, we have to rely on international and foreign news agencies to provide the source. Our journalist and editors have to identify what is factual, impartial and fair. They have to be wary about propaganda, bias and distortion and remove them from the news source. In presenting the story, they should give it a balance by getting the views from other sources.

4. The state media should write on the policies of the Singapore government, as presented by government statements, and explain these policies to the citizens and foreign parties which might be impacted by these policies. The information should be presented factually and honestly.

5. Where the state media has to gather the reaction of the general public, they should use a properly designed survey to get a true and honest view. Using online platforms, the survey can be conducted quickly and at low cost. The journalists should not be biased by having a political agenda and selecting only a few individuals to express their views as being representative of the general public.

6. As the state media is funded by tax payers, it should be made available to all without having to pay any subscription.

7. Do we need two state funded media agencies? I think that this is acceptable, as they can provide two independent views on this matter. Alternatively, they can divide the news domains so that each media will focus on a specific domain.

8. I have been following the articles in Global Times and CGTN (China Global Television Network) in presenting news about China. I find that they are quite factual and fair in presenting their views. We can follow their example.

9. In contrast, many articles in the western media have a tendency to be smearing and slandering towards other countries. We should avoid this style. They probably adopt this approach to support the political agenda of the media owners or to win readership to get the revenue.

Tan Kin Lian

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