Good morning, Distinguished Guests
Ladies and Gentlemen
Let me add my warm welcome to all participants at this 5 th PR Academy Conference. To all overseas speakers and delegates, I hope that apart from the Conference, you will also get to savour and experience the many delights that Singapore can offer.
2 The PR Academy has chosen to focus on the new media in this Conference. I think this is a great choice and most timely. New media has caught on around the world in a massive wave. While it was once seen as a young people's pursuit, on-line discussions and sharing of information is becoming so accessible that all barriers are rapidly coming down including the age barrier. Like any other powerful and trendy activity, today's on-line musings and postings certainly elicit a range of responses and reactions.
New Media Environment
3 Let me outline the environment which supports the emergence of these new media. The phenomenal growth of the internet is certainly a key factor powering the rapid emergence of the new media. Today the internet has become a very powerful communication tool. Technology gurus have predicted that the internet will become a much more powerful invention than television in the 20 th century. It certainly has a much greater power of change than TV. What is even more significant is that this power of change is still evolving. Energised by rapid technological advances, the reach and influence of the internet can be expected to be increased by leaps and bounds in the next five to ten years. Just to give you an idea of the kind of changes we can expect. Next month, we will launch our Intelligent Nation 2015 Infocomm Masterplan to transform Singapore into a wireless and wired broadband enabled innovation and creativity driven country. When implemented, Singaporeans will be able to plug into an ultra high speed fibre-to-the-home giga-bits enabled broadband network at home, work and all learning places. While on the move about Singapore , they can tap into a seamless wireless broadband network to ensure that connection is always on, anytime, any where. Such a connected environment will undoubtedly spark off myriads of rich and pervasive applications. Today, e veryone is familiar with SMSes, MMSes, RSS, blogs, podcasts and vodcasts , VOIP and IPTV. In the future high speed network environment, these and many more applications will become ordinary mode of expression and communication. It will certainly entice and empower many to participate in new media activities and give rise to the growing ranks of citizen journalists.
Government's view of the new media
4 These changes also mean that we must accept the new media and all that comes with it. The Government encourages the rapid development and adoption of new communication technologies. That is why we have embarked on our Intelligent Nation 2015 Infocomm Masterplan to transform Singapore into a wireless and wired broadband nation. The new media is poised to become even more pervasive with the implementation of the National Broadband Network.
5 But we are also acutely aware that the new media, with its hi-tech wizardry, can be a double-edged sword. It has the potential to enlighten, educate and empower people. But r umours and distortions can also be easily posted to cause confusion and misunderstanding. The challenge that faces Singapore and indeed many other societies is how to derive the fullest benefit from it without allowing ourselves to fall victim to its pitfalls.
6 I h ave no doubt that Singaporeans, like people all over the world, also find the internet to be an exciting platform for political and social commentary. There are at least three dozen discussion fora and blogs that deal with various aspects of Singapore . Some are actively engaged in lively socio-political discussion on topical issues of the day. Others offer serious comments and thoughtful arguments and observations exploring both sides of any issues. Such fora and blogs are bound to increase as many more people discover and experiment with the various forms of the new media. They represent the potential of the internet to engage people in arguments and debates. They have the potential to contribut e to informed discussions and enhance social awareness so essential in developing a participatory democracy.
Observations of new media during GE
7 Earlier this month we had our General Elections. Before the start of the GE, we had to decide on how we will accommodate the new media in our information landscape. We encourage the free flow of information and exchange of views on all media platforms. We also recognize that, in a maturing society, people will want unfettered access to information and to alternative points of view. They will also want to have their say on the political process. However, certain restrictions must remain to keep the electoral process on an even keel. Election advertising for example during the election period was restricted to political parties and candidates.
8 Were we wrong to have adopted a cautious approach? Here, I do not expect a consensus. But my assessment is that we were not wrong to have taken a more cautious approach. While podcasts and videocasts for political advertisements were disallowed during the election period, p olitical parties were able to make their presence felt in cyberspace making good use of their websites to publicize their programmes. This was on top of the ample coverage given by the mainstream media.
9 However, interest was also high in other areas such as in individual blogs, podcasts and videocasts . Many blogs ran commentaries, satires, polls, and photos of election rallies. According to CNA Online of 12 th May, the number of blog articles on GE grew nearly 10-fold during the nine-day election campaign, compared to before Nomination Day. The emergence of new media platforms and the fact that many of our young people are tech-savvy supported such intense interest. Many also see the new media as increasing the political space to speak up on the issues brought up during the election campaign.
10 A few of these blogs postings and podcasts became instant classics. An example is the Bak Cho Mee podcast by Mr Brown. I must congratulate Mr Brown who is present today for his clever and funny work. A friend sent it to me in the middle of my contest. I enjoyed it too and had a good laugh. However, my assessment is that this is symptomatic of the nature of the Internet. The root issue which was parodied in the podcast was actually a serious issue of intention and integrity . So, while podcasts can be very entertaining, it would be dangerous if important decisions such as electing representatives to Parliament were based on which side can make the most funny video or podcast. It is good to have a sense of humour but we must take care not to allow humour or satire to mask the key issues . The bottomline is that a sense of humour is necessary but more importantly, we must remember that elections and choice of leaders for the country are serious matters. Elections are certainly not laughing matters.
11 I accept that some will argue that we should let the people be the judge and form their own opinion by accessing all sorts of information and arguments. I agree that this is not without merit. But it is only valid when information available on the internet is equally reliable and accurate. I think those of you who are familiar with the Internet would agree that there are many people who use their websites and blogs to put out malicious and false information in order to further their own agendas. It may not be easy to sort out the enlightening from the confusing which ought to be destined for the trash can.
12 One example appeared shortly after Mr Zaqy Mohamad was announced as an election candidate. Postings appeared claiming that he was a nephew of the Speaker of Parliament implying that he was a candidate because of his relations and not because of his capabilities, commitment and integrity. Another extreme website, which has since been removed, carried a bizarre story on the Singapore cabinet posted on the format of a fabricated BBC website. Because of the format, the story seemed believable at first sight . It is another example which shows that people can , if they wish , use the Internet for their own malicious agenda. Such stories might be completely untrue but how do we rebut it on the internet and get a correction carried on hundreds of blogs, bulletins and chatrooms which rapidly propagated such lie s ?
13 Hence we have adopted a cautious approach in engaging the new media during the election period. The nature and slant of Internet postings is to be expected, given the anonymity and pervasiveness of this virtual world. Anyone, anywhere can blog anything, anyhow. People especially the young take this as their right. We fully understand the mood of the youth and Singaporeans as a whole. We have adopted a light touch approach in dealing with the everyday use of the internet. We will continue to do so and accept that the internet and new media will remain largely a free-for-all. However during the election period when such free-for-all may result in undesirable situations, we cannot take a completely hands-off approach. We also accept that internet and new media are evolving. In five years time, with new technologies and services, even more people will be net-savvy. So our policies must also evolve. We will review our policies on the internet and new media during the election period bearing in mind the changes taking place. Moving forward, we will consider how to better embrace these changes so that by the next GE, we may be able to adopt a lighter touch approach during the election period.
14 I hasten to add that where individuals deliberately attempt to cause tension and misunderstanding among our multi-racial and multi-religious communities, the Government will not compromise its position. We will not risk the precious racial and religious harmony which underpin Singapore 's stability and progress. Hence last year, when we discovered three racist bloggers, they were dealt with firmly and decisively in the Courts under the Sedition Act.
15 This sad episode also suggests that citizens do have a part to play to help bring objectivity, responsibility and balance in public discourse in cyberspace. Where extremist views or distortions are being sowed by some netizens, Singaporeans who do not subscribe to the same views or who feel outraged, should counter those views. I am glad that when racist comments were made by these bloggers, there were others who took these bloggers to task on their own ground. We should encourage such spontaneous intervention by responsible citizens in the internet to reinforce government's light touch regulation.
Communicator's challenges and opportunities
16 Let me move on to the challenges and opportunities for communicators. There is no doubt that the new media has created many new platforms for communication. The new media formats mean a wider choice of information channels. They offer greater opportunities to exercise creativity in information delivery, for more in-depth coverage, to niche-cast information to meet the needs of specific stakeholders and to better engage and feel stakeholders' pulse through interactive communications. One of the most imaginative ideas that I have come across was the possibility of deploying viral marketing techniques. This is copying the way virus spread from infected computer to computer. Likewise ideas or messages can be spread from netizen to netizen by blogs and other on-line platforms.
17 I would also like to highlight in particular the impact made by the new media in the area of crisis management and communication. One just need to look back at New York 's 9/11, London 's 7/7, and nearer home, our brush with SARS in 2003 , to appreciate the role of the Internet during a crisis or emergency. If and when avian influenza becomes a pandemic and a threat to human health worldwide, we can be sure that the new media will be an important source of information and community support as we face this global threat together.
18 Today, at the first sign of a disaster, many people turn to the internet for information. The versatility and wide-spread use of the Internet, coupled with other new media gadgets such as camera phones and I-Pods, have given individuals the power to deliver breaking news. Here as in the political arena, the question of accuracy and reliability are equally important. Unlike reports published by bona fide mainstream media agencies, new media reports may be more emotional and coloured by personal interpretation . Again such personal biases and opinion are the downside of the new media and pose tremendous challenges to those managing a crisis. There is concern that in a crisis situation, such unmoderated publications i n the new media may in fact add to the confusion and fear of an already frightened public. On a more positive side, the immediate images captured at an incident scene had proved to be extremely helpful in apprehending perpetrators, or provide documentary evidence for investigators. The example of London 's 7/7 incident was a case in point.
19 As public relations experts and communicators, the new media will have a growing presence in your professional activities. The new media will increasingly become an alternative source of information which you cannot deny but must learn to tap as well as manage. It will help if you are also mindful that the information superhighway has many potholes such as reliability, responsibility and even copyright and privacy issues. These are the potholes which you have to learn to navigate around to arrive safely and expeditiously at your communication goal.
Conclusion
20 The Government will continue to assess and evolve our management and engagement with the new media in our effort to mobilize Singaporeans to create a future for ourselves. I understand from the PR Academy that today's conference has seen unprecedented interest since it began this annual conference series four years ago. It shows the interest and hunger that exists for information about the new media. I am quite sure today's deliberations will shed some light on many of the questions you have.
21 I wish you a fruitful and enjoyable learning journey through the exciting new media landscape.
22 Thank you. |
