Regarding the recent MDA policy to require notable online news website to have a licence

[Kiwi8]

Regarding the recent MDA policy to require notable online news website to have a licence.

Strange that no one is discussing this here.

What's your opinion?

 

[cancer81]

I sincerely believe that if a site wants to call itself a "news" site then they need to clean up their act.

Correspondents need to be named, contactable by the admins

the administrators also need to have names and be accountable

finally, they need filter their comments sections. The venom on TRE back when I was reading it was already atrocious.

Anyone can call that censorship but if we allow things for the sake of freedom and it becomes an excuse to misbehave or hide behind anonymity.

Even Facebook relented and would initiate removal of pages/posting that do not promote the right values. Violence and gore should not be on Facebook. Yet it is... the stuff does not even come with an warning.

 

[Kiwi8]

I sincerely believe that if a site wants to call itself a "news" site then they need to clean up their act.

Correspondents need to be named, contactable by the admins

the administrators also need to have names and be accountable

finally, they need filter their comments sections. The venom on TRE back when I was reading it was already atrocious.

Anyone can call that censorship but if we allow things for the sake of freedom and it becomes an excuse to misbehave or hide behind anonymity.

Even Facebook relented and would initiate removal of pages/posting that do not promote the right values. Violence and gore should not be on Facebook. Yet it is... the stuff does not even come with an warning.

If there is indeed such a benevolent organisation that do not have vested interests, and that the organisation will clean up only those stuff that are universally condemned, such as abetting to murder, rape, etc etc, then I will agree to the policy.

But since there is no such organisation, definitely not our gahmen, as u can see in their regulation of the traditional media to be biased towards them and biased against negative news of them, I definitely do not agree with the MDA policy.

 

[superman]

Why a $50k bond and not a $1k bond, probably a larger sum is more effective in forcing the web site to comply with the rules and regulations.

Can Yahoo deregister as a Singapore company and don't pay the bond but still report Singapore news?

Good news for ST and Mediacorp.

Waiting for Singapore Free Press eanking to drop to 250.

 

[cancer81]

There is another thing

as if the ranking and the force closure of sites like TRE will reduce the votes for the opposition parties...

when a site can infer that the government does not want the people to be too clever and promotes the notion of studying less... is to cover up the influx of immigrants.

I dunno, they dun need to take responsibility for being a cesspit? Bunch of ppl call it a cesspit but loads of ppl want to drink from that pit! and they call the ppl saying that it is a cesspit blind and ignorant.

funny... where is V? this is HIS kind of topic

 

[Inix]

Somehow, I just feel that this ruling is targeted at Yahoo! as they are generally more comprehensive at reporting both side of the spectrum unlike the rest of those who kana.

 

[Jarlaxle]

Somehow, I just feel that this ruling is targeted at Yahoo! as they are generally more comprehensive at reporting both side of the spectrum unlike the rest of those who kana.

Yup. definitely aimed at yahoo.
9 out of the 10 websites belong to SPH or mediacorp.
these 2 buggers r already compliant.

secondly, yahoo had a run-in last yr with SPH due to copying of articles without permission, etc.

tat was the point that yahoo started becoming aggressive(unfriendly news to govt) in its news articles.

imagine, they are not even targeting TRS or TOC.
1) drafting new laws
2) super quick implementation (within 2 weeks after announcement w/o public consultation)
3) 9 GLC websites paying 50k X 9 = 450k
4) annual renewal

all these troubles juz to fix one guy.

 

[Jarlaxle]

There is another thing

as if the ranking and the force closure of sites like TRE will reduce the votes for the opposition parties...

when a site can infer that the government does not want the people to be too clever and promotes the notion of studying less... is to cover up the influx of immigrants.

I dunno, they dun need to take responsibility for being a cesspit? Bunch of ppl call it a cesspit but loads of ppl want to drink from that pit! and they call the ppl saying that it is a cesspit blind and ignorant.

funny... where is V? this is HIS kind of topic

if i am PAP IB, i will activate my forces to create 50k unique entries into any sites that i dun like and immediately classifies them under the regulation!
then OWN THEM out right LOL

but i tink sites that are not pro govt definitely has a greater impact than if they do not exist.
so less ppl may really vote against them

 

[xdivider]

If im yahoo, ill juz move office out of SG and continue. Yakult is toothless here versus a non-physical presence. And its not like yahoo is partisan like SPH..........

 

[koxinga]

I have not read the contents as I am not in town at the moment, get I saw an interview of Min MCI Yaacob on BBC. When asked why MDA came up with the guidelines, he said that the government needed to ensure that the people who read these articles are get the right facts. The first question that came to me was... the 'facts' from who?

The government is in love with the word fact. Facts connote a sense of certainty and infallibility. Facts are difficult to dismiss and useful to wack people with.

 

[Jarlaxle]

If im yahoo, ill juz move office out of SG and continue. Yakult is toothless here versus a non-physical presence. And its not like yahoo is partisan like SPH..........

u can move the office but u cant move ur domain ley.

means they will lose |www.yahoo.com.sg liao.

plus if they moved out, it is likely to cost more than 50k.
anyway, they arent ANTIGOVT
by moving out, it actually means that they hv been posting new articles that objectionable to the govt!!!

 

[Jarlaxle]

I have not read the contents as I am not in town at the moment, get I saw an interview of Min MCI Yaacob on BBC. When asked why MDA came up with the guidelines, he said that the government needed to ensure that the people who read these articles are get the right facts. The first question that came to me was... the 'facts' from who?

The government is in love with the word fact. Facts connote a sense of certainty and infallibility. Facts are difficult to dismiss and useful to wack people with.

MDA told Dr Chee to take down his video because of JUSTICE. lol

 

[superman]

u can move the office but u cant move ur domain ley.

means they will lose |Yahoo! Singapore liao.

plus if they moved out, it is likely to cost more than 50k.
anyway, they arent ANTIGOVT
by moving out, it actually means that they hv been posting new articles that objectionable to the govt!!!

If you notice, when you key in Yahoo! Singapore, it will redirect to Yahoo! Singapore, people will just need to key in sg.yahoo.com next time.

Anyway, AP had been running articles regarding Shane Todd which the Govt claim is not accurate so is Govt going to charge them $50k and ask then to remove the article within 24hrs?

 

[Kiwi8]

u can move the office but u cant move ur domain ley.

means they will lose |Yahoo! Singapore liao.

plus if they moved out, it is likely to cost more than 50k.
anyway, they arent ANTIGOVT
by moving out, it actually means that they hv been posting new articles that objectionable to the govt!!!

There is no loss in not using yahoo.com.sg since sg.yahoo.com will work just as well.

The loss will actually be in the real-life domain as I understand that Yahoo actually employs real-life journalists that will go to press conferences and also gather news around the island.

 

[Jarlaxle]

If you notice, when you key in Yahoo! Singapore, it will redirect to Yahoo! Singapore, people will just need to key in sg.yahoo.com next time.

Anyway, AP had been running articles regarding Shane Todd which the Govt claim is not accurate so is Govt going to charge them $50k and ask then to remove the article within 24hrs?

yeah i do notice that.
but in the industry where "viewership" is very impt.
any form of deadlink is a bad thing to have.

the govt is likely to ask them to pay 50k!!!

 

[superman]

yeah i do notice that.
but in the industry where "viewership" is very impt.
any form of deadlink is a bad thing to have.

the govt is likely to ask them to pay 50k!!!

I agreed, but the viewership dip will probably be temporary and will recover once people know of the new URL. Its still better than to keep the original URL and then forced to publish what CNA and ST have already publish and lose your viewership forever.

 

[Providence]

The people that protest against the new MDA measures are just wasting time and effort on a fruitless quest. The government, or ruling party, will do anything to ensure that the people of Singapore will not receive 'bias' information from overseas news sources so easily in the future. The ruling party will try anything to ensure that there is an 'indirect' information blackout to prevent the masses from knowing the 'other' side of the regime easily. The protests and online remarks are just 'noises' to the government indirectly. Do you think those politicians will heed the protests? Come on. The ruling party still can enjoy 50 more good years and it is not afraid of losing more constituencies to the opposition parties. It has more new immigrants to support its cause. More immigrants equal to more votes for the ruling party. The politicians are stamping the inflow of low-skilled foreign workers and not the PMETs. That is the trend. Foreign PMETs will definitely support the government if they get citizenships here.

 

[sunzoner]

The people that protest against the new MDA measures are just wasting time and effort on a fruitless quest. ...

If the second hand car dealers had not protested and submitted petition, they would still be saddled with cars that no one can now afford.

 

[ceecookie]

My opinion? I hope for foreign pressure by the Department of State to make MDA/GOS back down on this regulations.

At the very least, acknowledge that the regulations will never apply to any websites based outside the jurisdiction of Singapore. They said it may apply to foreign websites in future.

 

[cancer81]

internet ppl over in USA cannot even hide behind the 1st Amendment to prevent certain infringement of their rights...

good luck with getting any mileage over here...

I also think that new citizens may have "gratitude" factor. For about 1-2 elections?

They vote for their families and themselves. Plus not their ENTIRE family tree is here in Singapore.

Who knows? If some party actually declare scrape NS. They might flock to that party cos they dun want their precious sons to be tied down by NS