The Straits Times

The Straits Times is an English-language broadsheet newspaper based in Singapore and owned by the Singapore Press Holdings (SPH), first published on July 15, 1845. It is the oldest newspaper of any kind in Singapore and is the dominant English-language paper of the country, with a circulation of around 400,000 daily.

Criticism

Its circulation has been banned by the Malaysian government at one point during an international dispute over the sale of water (conversely, the rival Malaysian newspaper New Straits Times was banned in Singapore).

Related Topics:
Malaysia - New Straits Times - Singapore

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

One serious criticism of The Straits Times is that articles on politics are seen by critics as being biased towards the right-wing ideology of the ruling People's Action Party. This has been due in part to The Newspaper and Printing Presses Act of 1974, which requires all government papers to be publicly listed into both ordinary and management shares, thus ensuring the government gets to decide the composition of the management board. Hence, past chairpersons of Singapore Press Holdings have all been civil servants. Opposition figures are also given little or no press coverage, in terms of interviews or statements.

Related Topics:
Right-wing - People's Action Party

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Cherian George, a journalist and art editor of the paper, has given an insightful description of press workings in Singapore. He stated in a convention conference in 1998 at the University of California, Berkeley that "the PAP power is hegemonic power, in the Gramscian sense: it is a perfect blend of coercion and consent", concluding that "Singapore's newspapers are, at least in part, willing partners, of the state....the PAP did not suppress the press in order to cover up corruption or hide its mistakes. It did so out of a sincere belief that the press as an institution had a narrow and short-term view of the public interest, and that it could obstruct good government. Singapore's press model thus reverses the equation of your First Amendment. Here, the press, seen as the pure expression of democracy, is protected from the government, which, despite having been elected democratically, is assumed automatically by your political culture to have undemocratic tendencies. In the Singapore model, the elected government is the expression of democracy, and it is protected from the press, which is unelected and therefore undemocratic....

Related Topics:
1998 - University of California, Berkeley

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"the 'freedom from the press' model does mean that newspapers must operate within much narrower perimeters than their counterparts in most parts of the world. It must accept its subordinate role in society...The tone of stories must be respectful towards the country's leaders. They can be critical, but they cannot ridicule or lampoon." http://www.singapore-window.org/80402cg.htm

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Reporters Without Borders has ranked Singapore 147th out of 166 countries in its second annual World Press Freedom Ranking in 2004. The annual Country Human Rights Report for Singapore in 2004 report by the U.S. State Department has reported that the Singapore government "fostered an atmosphere inimical to free speech and a free press," though it said that there was "limited progress towards greater openness during the year." http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2004/41659.htm

Related Topics:
Reporters Without Borders - World Press Freedom Ranking - 2004 - U.S. State Department - Free speech - Free press

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~