WHILE NEWSPAPER CIRCULATION and traditional print advertising revenue appears to be increasing in Singapore, journalism here has remained stagnant.In the Money Section of the 15 April 2008 issue of The Straits Times, it was reported in an article that SPH’s “newspaper and magazine operations saw sales rise 8.4 per cent to $236.4 million, as print advertisement revenues surged 11.3 per cent to $179.8 million.”
However, whether newspaper sales by itself has increased, stagnated, or dropped was not made clear. The surge in sales and print advertising revenues could in fact be due to its magazines sales.
The situation in the US appears much more drastic. Despite America being a symbol of Democracy with a liberal press system, the nation has seen newspaper circulation decline for 20 years running. This is due to a credibility crisis in American journalism, where corporate takeovers of major newspapers and declining print advertisement revenues are leaving journalists shorthanded.
The figures below, extracted from the American Journalism Review, speak for themselves:
• Thirty years ago, 71 percent of adults read a daily newspaper. Ten years ago, it was 59 percent. Last year's figure: 48 percent.
• Last December, 63 million unique visitors came to newspaper Web sites. Google's figure: 133 million.
• Ad revenue for newspaper Web sites rose 21 percent to $773 million in the third quarter of last year over the previous year. Print ad losses during the same period: $1 billion, wiping out the gain from the Web.
• In the third quarter of last year, print advertising dropped 9 percent, including a decline of 17 percent among classifieds. A Goldman Sachs prediction for overall newspaper advertising this year: a drop of 8 percent.
Singapore print journalism, on the other hand, seems relatively untouched by the assault of Internet advertising. While circulation of The Straits Times could be argued to be on a decline, the figures are nowhere as drastic as those above.
However, to determine the vitality of journalism in a country, it is not just enough to look at its financial status.
In the US, it is a widely held viewed that the standard of journalism there is deteriorating. Corporate takeovers meant that commercial interests may overtake newspapers. Foreign news coverage is decreasing despite the need for more such coverage. Newspapers are shrinking in size and manpower has been cut so as to save costs.
While major newspapers in the US are dropping in readership year-by-year, readers there still have exciting online alternatives to turn to for their regular news fix.
American journalists there are rebounding. Philanthropists are putting funds to start up news websites, most notably Propublica.org, which has former WSJ Managing Editor Paul E. Steiger as editor-in-chief. The website is funded by California philanthropists Herbert M. and Marion O. Sandler, who will be pumping in US$10 million annually for the next three years.
Foreign news coverage will also be getting a boost from an online source. Global News Enterprise, slated to become the first US news website dedicated solely to foreign news, will be set up in early 2009. It will be run by CEO Philip Balboni and assisted by initial investments of US$8 million.
In contrast, the journalism scene in Singapore is much less exciting. With no Malaysiakini in Singapore, disgruntled readers have nowhere to turn to other than ST or Today. The Online Citizen, one of the most widely read alternative news and opinion websites in Singapore, is too severely shorthanded to be an alternative news source.
Not that many people are complaining. While online forumers and bloggers have been quick to criticise Singapore’s PAP-friendly mainstream papers, they remain an extremely vocal and internet-savvy minority. The rest of the population is probably rather content with what is already available.
It sure doesn’t help that Singapore is only a small island-state with a small population. As PM Lee has mentioned, talents are few and the top talents are leaving the island, perhaps for good. But the main reason for Singapore’s static journalism is really our political state.
The PAP government is attempting to listen to its people through online feedback units and by engaging bloggers, but these gestures are meant to cement PAP’s position in parliament, not loosen control. The PM’s disdain for the opposition has been reflected in a recent article by Today.
All three Opposition MPs were graded by PM Lee, with Mr Chiam See Tong observed as speaking less nowadays, Mr Low Thia Khiang chided for being “more passionate about nitpicking,” and Ms Sylvia Lim surprisingly getting an ‘A’ (was it sarcastic?) for being “rather cautious and reserved” in her speeches. On the other hand, the NMPs were praised for raising contrary views in parliament.
At the moment, Mr Chiam declined to retort, while the other two MPs “could not be reached for comment at press time.” It remains to be seen whether a follow-up article will follow, although I rightly feel that there should be one. In the interest of free and fair journalism, it is only right.
Whether PM Lee’s comments does reflect actual performance is debatable. Nevertheless, it does reflect the fact that the PAP wants an opposition that is friendly to the party, by the sheer fact that NMPs heavily outnumber the opposition MPs in parliament. Likewise, the PAP ideology of a “nation-serving” press is not set to change anytime soon.
The government is content with mainstream media being the way it is. In fact, it can be said to be too liberal by even the government’s standards. Unless PAP amends its media policies and unless the liberal minority becomes the majority, Singapore journalism looks set to remain in stasis for a long while more.
