World's Press Freedom Day - Singapore's Silence
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World's Press Freedom Day was observed by many First World Countries, yet the local Singapore Press did not even write any contributing article to mark this day.
The loud silence from the Singapore Press is significant, in the light of the Press being headed by ex-Goverment leaders from the main singular Political Party in Singapore.
The following is an excertp extracted from the ThinkCentre:-
Quote:
World Press Freedom Day on 3 May
(UNESCO)
In times of war and violent conflict, the dangers facing journalists are greater than usual but these are precisely the circumstances when independent, accurate and professional reporting is at a premium. Given the pervasiveness and immediacy of modern media, we all carry in our minds fresh and vivid images of warfare, destruction and violence. We are aware, therefore, of the conditions under which journalists sometimes work and the risks to life and limb that they face. At least 274 journalists were killed in war zones between 1990 and 2002. And most recently, of course, death or injury was visited upon a number of journalists covering the war in Iraq.
On this World Press Freedom Day, we salute all those journalists whose pursuit of truth and information in circumstances of warfare takes them into harmÂ’s way. We applaud their bravery in the face of dangers that may well be life-threatening. We admire their tenacity in pursuing the facts. And we pay tribute to their professionalism in seeking to penetrate the fog of war.
The risks facing journalists are not confined to wartime, however. Translating the principle of press freedom into practice is no easy matter. Sometimes, press freedom is constrained by laws and the enforcement powers exercised by the police and the courts. Sometimes it is constrained by unlawful violence, threats and intimidation. Typically in such cases, it is journalists and other media professionals who find themselves, sometimes literally, in the line of fire. And the price they pay can be very high indeed. The statistics available from professional organizations tend to vary but the categories they use tell their own story: the number of journalists murdered, physically attacked or threatened; the number of journalists arrested and imprisoned; and the number of media outlets censored. During the past year, the global situation of press freedom appears to have deteriorated.
Behind the statistics are individual stories of courage and pain, of lives broken, of personal loss and sacrifice. Beyond the statistics are the effects on all of us when journalists, in the course of exercising their profession, are subjected to harassment, imprisonment, attack, and even murder. Such abuses cause great individual suffering but they are also a grave curtailment of freedom of expression, with all that this implies as a limitation on the enjoyment of freedoms and rights in society at large. For whenever one journalist is exposed to violence, intimidation or arbitrary detention because of his or her commitment to conveying the truth, all citizens are deprived of the right to express themselves and act according to their conscience.
The debt we collectively incur when journalists suffer on our behalf must be repaid in practical ways. At the very least, we must declare war on impunity. I therefore appeal to all governments, at all levels, to fulfil their responsibility to ensure that crimes against journalists do not go unpunished. It is essential that all violations are investigated thoroughly, that all perpetrators are prosecuted, and that all judicial systems and processes are capable of punishing those found guilty. These requirements are vital for correcting human rights abuses. Putting an end to impunity fulfils our need for justice; in addition, it will do much to prevent abuses occurring in the first place.
The right of all citizens to reliable information depends on the courage and integrity of journalists, on the fearless exercise of editorial freedom, and on the unswerving commitment of pluralistic media to the principles of journalistic freedom and independence. I appeal, therefore, to the international community and to decision-makers and citizens everywhere to do whatever you can to ensure that journalists can pursue their work unhindered and undeterred, so that people throughout the world can benefit from the free flow of ideas. For its part, UNESCO will act, whenever and wherever it is necessary, to promote the freedom, pluralism and independence of the media. We unreservedly condemn all forms of violence aimed at silencing the truth. On World Press Freedom Day 2003, our arms are locked in solidarity with all those equally committed to media freedom and freedom of expression.
UNESCO World Press Freedon Day 2003
Pall of gloom hangs over World Press Freedom day
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Article 19 of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights (UDHR), binding on all States as a matter of customary international law, guarantees the right to freedom of expression in the following terms:
Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes the right to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.
http://www.thinkcentre.org/article.cfm?ArticleID=2052 -
Originally posted by Atobe:
Hmmm. I never knew there was a World's Press Freedom Day. Thanks for posting the excerpt
World's Press Freedom Day was observed by many First World Countries, yet the local Singapore Press did not even write any contributing article to mark this day.
The loud silence from the Singapore Press is significant, in the light of the Press being headed by ex-Goverment leaders from the main singular Political Party in Singapore.
The following is an excertp extracted from the ThinkCentre:-
Quote:
[b]World Press Freedom Day on 3 May
(UNESCO)
In times of war and violent conflict, the dangers facing journalists are greater than usual but these are precisely the circumstances when independent, accurate and professional reporting is at a premium. Given the pervasiveness and immediacy of modern media, we all carry in our minds fresh and vivid images of warfare, destruction and violence. We are aware, therefore, of the conditions under which journalists sometimes work and the risks to life and limb that they face. At least 274 journalists were killed in war zones between 1990 and 2002. And most recently, of course, death or injury was visited upon a number of journalists covering the war in Iraq.
On this World Press Freedom Day, we salute all those journalists whose pursuit of truth and information in circumstances of warfare takes them into harmÂ’s way. We applaud their bravery in the face of dangers that may well be life-threatening. We admire their tenacity in pursuing the facts. And we pay tribute to their professionalism in seeking to penetrate the fog of war.
The risks facing journalists are not confined to wartime, however. Translating the principle of press freedom into practice is no easy matter. Sometimes, press freedom is constrained by laws and the enforcement powers exercised by the police and the courts. Sometimes it is constrained by unlawful violence, threats and intimidation. Typically in such cases, it is journalists and other media professionals who find themselves, sometimes literally, in the line of fire. And the price they pay can be very high indeed. The statistics available from professional organizations tend to vary but the categories they use tell their own story: the number of journalists murdered, physically attacked or threatened; the number of journalists arrested and imprisoned; and the number of media outlets censored. During the past year, the global situation of press freedom appears to have deteriorated.
Behind the statistics are individual stories of courage and pain, of lives broken, of personal loss and sacrifice. Beyond the statistics are the effects on all of us when journalists, in the course of exercising their profession, are subjected to harassment, imprisonment, attack, and even murder. Such abuses cause great individual suffering but they are also a grave curtailment of freedom of expression, with all that this implies as a limitation on the enjoyment of freedoms and rights in society at large. For whenever one journalist is exposed to violence, intimidation or arbitrary detention because of his or her commitment to conveying the truth, all citizens are deprived of the right to express themselves and act according to their conscience.
The debt we collectively incur when journalists suffer on our behalf must be repaid in practical ways. At the very least, we must declare war on impunity. I therefore appeal to all governments, at all levels, to fulfil their responsibility to ensure that crimes against journalists do not go unpunished. It is essential that all violations are investigated thoroughly, that all perpetrators are prosecuted, and that all judicial systems and processes are capable of punishing those found guilty. These requirements are vital for correcting human rights abuses. Putting an end to impunity fulfils our need for justice; in addition, it will do much to prevent abuses occurring in the first place.
The right of all citizens to reliable information depends on the courage and integrity of journalists, on the fearless exercise of editorial freedom, and on the unswerving commitment of pluralistic media to the principles of journalistic freedom and independence. I appeal, therefore, to the international community and to decision-makers and citizens everywhere to do whatever you can to ensure that journalists can pursue their work unhindered and undeterred, so that people throughout the world can benefit from the free flow of ideas. For its part, UNESCO will act, whenever and wherever it is necessary, to promote the freedom, pluralism and independence of the media. We unreservedly condemn all forms of violence aimed at silencing the truth. On World Press Freedom Day 2003, our arms are locked in solidarity with all those equally committed to media freedom and freedom of expression.
UNESCO World Press Freedon Day 2003
Pall of gloom hangs over World Press Freedom day
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Article 19 of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights (UDHR), binding on all States as a matter of customary international law, guarantees the right to freedom of expression in the following terms:
Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes the right to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.
http://www.thinkcentre.org/article.cfm?ArticleID=2052[/b]
The hard work journalists put in and the risks they subject themselves to in order to present to the public true details of events is definitely applaudable... I wanna be like May Ying Welsh next time.
But why... the silence from the Singapore Press?
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The Singapore Government view the words "Human Rights" very sensitively to the point of being negative, with such words being meaninglessly idealistic.
When linked to "Press Freedom" it will sound the alarm bells in all Government Departments, right up to the Prime Minister's Office, and probably that of the Senior Minister too.
This probably explains for the reason that ex-PAP and Government Ministers, or trusted ex-Government Heads of Departments, are left "embedded" (the current word in use since the Iraq War) as CEO or President or Chairman of the Singapore Press Holding.
The press and broadcasting stations, (and now the Cable TV) are all instruments of Government, and can never be allowed to be in the possession of any Private Owners - as had been the case with newpaper ownership during British Colonial Government in Singapore.
The nightmares of the Government having to be scrutinized by newspaper reporters, as had happened in the USA, UK, Germany, France and Italy, will never allow any Singapore Ministers peaceful nights for fear of any incident similar to the breaking news by reporters on the discovery of the "Watergate Affair" in the USA.
Singapore newspaper reporters are never allowed to chase headline breaking news of monumental Government mistakes without the sanction and careful management by the Government.
They are left to chase the mundane gossip issues of the citizens, and reducing themselves to being peeping toms - by spying on the private antics of citizens' preference to walk around nude within the privacy of the homes; or turning themselves into police informers by reporting on any current habits of the citizens that maybe breaking the law.
Such a significant day of the World Press Freedom that is supported by the UNESCO, can hardly be encouraged the Singapore Government.
It simply goes against the grain of their principles in dealing with the Press.
No use to hope to being May Ying Welsh, as you will never be allowed to visit any war zones, for fear that you are using the press badge as a cover to be involved in war fighting skills.
Also, no use to think that you can form your own Private News Network, similar to the young and enterprising Chinese Lady - (Yang Lan ? ) , who broke the monopoly of CCTV by starting her own TV Station; and limiting her scope to investigative and critique documentaries, autobiographies of the famous and powerful - she was featured in ChanelnewsAsia, BBC and CNN recently for her ground breaking efforts.
Try to emulate her efforts, and you will meet with a mountain of skeptical bureaucratic obstructions that come up from years of in-built insecurity in Official Thinking towards Independent Press.
So much for Government encouragement to Singaporeans to think out of the box, and to be entrepreneurial. -
So I guess in short, the reason why the Singapore Government doesn't support World's Press Freedom Day is because they don't support press freedom for fear of their dirty linen being shown to the public.
Seems like perhaps chances for a journalist to expand his/her horizons in Singapore are pretty limited... Ah. At the end of the day, the Singapore government is still over protective about several issues.
/me wonders if she'll get sued for saying all this
Frankly speaking, if I have the chance to break free, I'll probably leave this country, despite the security of life here. I want to send my kids to a school where they'll receive enough exposure and learn more about life and the way the society works.
Gee thanks for sharing all these. It's definitely of significance since I'm planning for a career in journalism. 
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What extent of press freedom would you prefer? The level that got Clinton impreached even though he's doing his job? The one that supported Bush in his War on Iraq? (I've seen some news reports and comments made by Americans, it was very one sided.)
Or the report that Filipino journalists are highly zealous and would publish things though it didn't have any evidence backing it up?
My opinion is that freedom has a price, and if it cannot contribute to society it isn't worth pursuing. Taiwan wants to pursue human rights and democracy, now look at them. Their people are disrupting the government's attempt to curb the SARS problem by protesting first by blocking trucks carrying needles used by the Peace hospital to the facility to dispose of them then protesting that they don't want Peace hospital to be a specialised hospital for SARS. Do they care that they're doing more damage by doing so? No.
And yes, i do agree that human rights is meaninglessly idealistic as demostrated by the Americans with their endless protesting. Where is the line that divides human rights and anarchy?
You pursue too much freedom, you get people who are more concerned with themselves than the society and these people can do a greater amount of damage to the society individually.
True human rights are excercised by those who know they are ignorant and constantly strive to fix it. But most of the time, it is excercised by the ignorant. Look at the anti war protesters in America, they attack cars with employees heading to a military base. Look at the Indonesian students, they want to protest that their government is doing nothing to help the economy but they are scaring away investors with their constant violence.
Of course, not to say i completely agree with how Singapore is going. Anyone saw the documentary on reclusive youths in Japan? They sit in their rooms for several years because they can't deal with the pressure of their society. I sure as hell don't want myself or my children to end up like them. And i have a fear Singapore is moving towards it. -
Today seems to be slightly betterOriginally posted by MooKu:So I guess in short, the reason why the Singapore Government doesn't support World's Press Freedom Day is because they don't support press freedom for fear of their dirty linen being shown to the public.
Seems like perhaps chances for a journalist to expand his/her horizons in Singapore are pretty limited... Ah. At the end of the day, the Singapore government is still over protective about several issues.
/me wonders if she'll get sued for saying all this
Frankly speaking, if I have the chance to break free, I'll probably leave this country, despite the security of life here. I want to send my kids to a school where they'll receive enough exposure and learn more about life and the way the society works.
Gee thanks for sharing all these. It's definitely of significance since I'm planning for a career in journalism. -
We can have just a little bit of freedom .. something to start us out. Web based journalist like
www.littlespeck.com
www.mggpillai.com
We have to do out bit to support them.