Citizen Journalism - Your comments/views

[scroobal]

Excellent post by CPP and deserves a thread of its own.

Yesterday 04:06 PM#12 ChaoPappyPoodle

Citizen Journalism

TOC, Temasek Review et al are still spewing forth largely cheap journalism! And this is the problem with Singaporeans. Alternative media in Malaysia and other democratic countries provide in-depth articles. All we get from our brand of alternative media is cheap journalism but with a different message but the people are not provided with true knowledge - how to think - to gleam more from what is said and to appreciate that mainstream media is nothing more than one-sided, cheap text masqueraded as journalism. At the end of the day, the masses (60% and more) will see through the veil and decide, based on kiasuim, on which media outlet to follow. And there are a large number of voters that have no other viable mass media inout other than from the various media prostitutes.

TOC and Temasek Review have to concentrate on quality instead of quantity. 10 articles of 10 different things with 4-8 paragraphs of rhetoric and little factual information is no different from the media prostitutes that already exist.

The alternative media have to be much better. It's a huge call but it will have do two important things -
1) show that alternative media is a serious endeavour and is keen to provide as much factual information as is possible
2) show that mainstream media is lacking in providing adequate information for the masses from which to make viable decisions

The kick in the mouth to the PAPies is to show that mainstream media is a propaganda machinery AND that there are alternatives, that are insightful as well as balanced, on matters that mean the most to the masses. Being insightful and balanced and yet have a mind that one is fighting, using propaganda against propaganda.

The PAPies will not relinquish the mainstream media but if the masses can be shown that there is an alternative and it is truthful and seemed to be balanced, then there is a chance that mainstream media can be replaced with even a flyer sent to a PO BOX once a week of even once every month!

This is politics!!! If you do not control the main mode of communication to voters, then you have very very little chance of gaining power. The onus is on quality through depth, ingenuity, belief and perseverance but without a false chalice - be truthful!



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[Thick Face Black Heart]

The Braddell brothel has access to info more easily, more quickly, more comprehensively than any alt. media outlet can hope for. Why they churn out filth that is not worth the paper printed on is very clear to any thinking Singaporean.

Unfortunately because of NPPA as well as the monopolistic structure of SG print media with top down control and anointed boards of directors, there is no outlet to challenge this obscenity. So the Braddell brothel continue to shove SG with nonsense year in and year out. The impressionable young also get swayed by STOMP. They started to believe STOMP is citizen journalism when it is just a crass form of cam whoring.

The problem with TOC and other alternative media is funding. I believe David Gan (correct me if I'm wrong) already said way back in the early 2000's that alt. media absolutely must get stable funding. Funding is needed if you want to organize dialogues, campaigns, do interviews, roadshows, carry out proper research, and a hundred other administrative things that are manpower and resource intensive.

TOC needs to have access to a team of dedicated writers and thinkers who can put together the necessary arguments, ask hard hitting questions, and not be afraid to address the sensitive issues like PA, race-based policies, GLC cronyism, etc, in a sensible and mature manner. They also need to be able to initiative offline dialogue like the pre-GE seminar. To remain online forever is a non-starter given the immense control SPH and the govt has.

The current output is not good enough, because the good writers are dispersed amongst blogs like Yawning Bread, Lucky Tan, public house, or otherwise lack the time or (perhaps more importantly) incentive to come forward. I'm sure that if just a few of our best forummers here were willing to put their real names up and start writing on a consistent basis, things would change very dramatically.

The gazetting of TOC has had the chilling effect that was the real underlying intention of the authorities. Foreign funding my arse. TOC would never get foreign funds even if it were legal.

Lastly, TOC has not explored more traditional media tools like newsletters, etc, because of both funding as well as our laws.

 

[scroobal]

Here is a more acute political take on any entity that wants to adequately handle content which touches local politics, local social and even the economy issues the country. One additional area of oversight is reporting of Malaysian sensitive issues such as politics, race and religion.

On the above, the only authorised entities outside of Ministries are the 2 media entities - SPH and Media Corp. Both directly surpervised by the GOvt. The first handled print while second handled broadcast media. In 2000, an interesting decision was made by the Govt. SPH was given broadcast licence and MediaCorp a print license. Now both had the license to operate across the entire media space. The official reason given was that it will encourage competition and it will lead to a rise in quality. Well that was not the case.

What has all the above got do with TOC/TRE or even citizen journalism.

Well, they has no intention to lift or reduce the control. It was not open competition that led to the decision, it was desperation. The readership and viewership from print and traditional format of TV and Radio broadcast journalism were expected to drop as the Internet began to evolve rapidly. People were slowly and surely moving towards the net.

On 17 July 2000, an ambitious online initiative was launched and it was named Project Eyeball by SPH. On 12th August, the print version was launched. Within months of having given both SPH and MediaCorp the licence to cover the media spectrum earlier in the year.

More to follow.....................

 

[zhihau]

Excellent post by CPP and deserves a thread of its own.

bro,

every endeavor requires to overcome a threshold capacity, once breeched, it would like a dam bursting

look no further from this very forum

 

[mojito]

People have tasted alternative media which portrays real persons and personally-held opinions behind the articles. This is not going to go away. A freer press is the next step. But can a majority of the proletariat be matured enough to handle opinions differing from their own, or will they succumb to bigotry and reactionary elements who may hijack sound and reasoned arguments with ill-informed, provocative demagoguery and flawed logic?

What SG needs is a change in leadership at SPH to change the paper's mindset. LHL's administration has been a lot more liberal than his predecessors (whether by virtue of his temperament or by public pressure), and I have a hunch this will happen within the next one or two terms. The soul of the nation hangs in the balance.

 

[zhihau]

The soul of the nation hangs in the balance.

Davai! Davai! would we have our Great Singapore Soul?

 

[saratogas]

The online Tabloid has it own market and viewers, as long as they are free...

 

[kingrant]

Imho, without influential political office and power, it is practically impossible to run an alternative MSM. The Old man had a 50 year start and had already fixed the system so that the Press and broadcast media do not become the 4th Estate to threaten and challenge the executive power of an elected govt. What followed have been the systematic annihilation of newspapers like Nanyang Siang Pau, Singapore Herald, Eastern sun etc.

We are not here just talking about gathering news about joggers bitten by stray dogs or abandoned cats and giving info to the readers to form opinions, are we? We have flaunted juicy snippets on Foo Mee Har, Shanmugam, Yacob, VB, etc in SBF and enjoyed ourselves no end and piled on some of own scandalous extras but if they are to see the light of day in a printed or broadcast media, be prepared to take on the plaintiffs in a defamation suit unless the info is iron clad and tight. In an ironic paradox, what makes an online media effective and easily viral is its anonymous nature, and unless the post is clearly criminal and detrimental to security, most online rants, slights, innuendos, insults, caricatures etc will fly.

What else can CPP mean/do?

 

[maja06]

TOC is in a delicate position right now: it has gained many more readers for both its web portal and FB page from a variety of factors: publicity on "new media" outlets before and after the elections, the 'disappearance' of Temasek Review, and more recently the SMRT fiasco. What it means that it welds -- potentially-- more influence than ever.

However, its news sense, standard of reporting, hell, even editing has gone down the shitter since Andrew left. Credibility is slightly wobbly, IMO. Some of us would remember the lack of judgement displayed on PE night, when TOC decided to share a certain rumour about WP and Tan Jee Say. And then there was the Donaldson spat, which again arose from bad writing / no sense. And et cetera, et cetera.

Sometimes "new media's" enemies lie deep, deep inside the fortress.

 

[scroobal]

10 months after the official launch of Project Eyeball - the first integrated print and online news publication targeted for those aged 20 to 40 folded. It incurred losses of $13m, and exhausted the seed fund that was meant for 3 years. No one dared to go to the Board of Directors for further investment. SPH after all is a public listed company with shareholders and the directors have fiduciary responsibility and duty of care and are governed by the Companies Act.

The Project had an interesting brief - the Editor Bertha Henson who had old man's confidence, was given a free rein to allow the discussion of politically sensitive topics as the next generation was not prepad to be stepped on and an outlet was needed. Eyeball was that outlet and it was better to have the State control the outlet.

To keep with the times and attract the trend and needy, Singaporeans studying overseas and exposed to foreign influences were recruited. 70 young adults were brought in. The interesting part was that none of them had it in their DNA to move from the compliant route. Even the Editors were too cautious.

Eyeball was the first attempt to control the space while providing an outlet. TOC was actually the second attempt.A few months after Eyeball was folded, President of SPH and former Director ISD who led the initiative left SPH.

So what happened between Eyeball and TOC?

 

[Thick Face Black Heart]

So what happened between Eyeball and TOC?

There is one person who was deeply involved in both.

 

[mojito]

Davai! Davai! would we have our Great Singapore Soul?

Hail Mary! If only we have one of two NYT columnists in our stables, the rags might actually have some use besides functioning as kitty litter.