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March 4, 2008

Tell it simple, tell it straight
Ngiam Tong Dow, a member of SPH's board of directors, spoke to the group's journalists yesterday. Here is an
edited excerpt of his reflections on the role of the media.

STRAIGHT reporting allows the facts to stand on their own. Straight reporting allows the story to tell its
tale. There is no attempt by the sub-editor to juxtapose words and pictures to create misleading
impressions. The straight reporter does not crusade. He has no personal agenda.

The ogre in our nightmares is said to be the imperial censor. Yet are we being honest with ourselves?
You may hang and quarter me for saying this, but if we look deep into our hearts, we may find that our
enemy is within us. Our ego may be our greatest stumbling block.

As human beings, we all have our own convictions - religious, political or moral. If we allow our own
beliefs to creep into our journalism, we should not be surprised if our neighbours - and, indeed, the
state - respond and challenge us frontally. I am not suggesting that as citizens and journalists, we
should be simply unquestioning, uncritical and sycophantic admirers of the state.

Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew once told me that to govern, one must have one's hands on three levers
of power - the treasury, the army and the voice.

If one manages the economy well, the treasury would be full and abundant. If one trains the army well,
one need not fear one's foes. And if one wants to win the hearts and minds of the people, one needs to
have a free press.

Unlike Western-educated liberals, to me, a free press is not a tower of Babel. In extremis, censorship is
necessary.

For example, while newspapers can report the number of people killed in racial riots, it would be totally
irresponsible for the media to break down fatalities by race in that highly charged emotional
environment. Fatality figures by race can be released later when the police and armed forces have
regained control.

But the power to censor has to be used wisely and sparingly. History records that the death of Qin Shi
Huang on one of his trips to Eastern China was kept secret from his troops until the imperial war
carriage arrived back in Xianyang, the capital, now known as Xian. A premature leak of his death would
have demoralised his troops and aided his enemies.

On the other hand, the complete news blackout imposed after the Tangshan earthquake in 1976, which
killed a million people, just before the death of Chairman Mao, did untold damage to the credibility of
the Chinese government. It was a bad, if not futile, exercise of censorship. In fact, with the advent of
the Internet and cellphone cameras, such censorship is now almost impossible.

As reporters, our craft is writing. We are wordsmiths. To keep in top form, the writer has to exercise his
vocabulary and command of language in the same way as a single handicapper in golf hits 200 balls on
the practice range everyday.

Former deputy prime minister Goh Keng Swee taught me how to exercise my vocabulary. He told me to
pick a word, any word, and write out its five synonyms. Turn it over, and write out its five antonyms.
Start with hot and cold.

Skill in writing does not make you a good writer per se. You need knowledge and content. You have to
research the facts and the background of topics before you set out to write a political, scientific,
economic or even simply a human-interest story.

For instance, the straight reporting and the reflective articles on the passing of former Indonesian
president Suharto in the Wall Street Journal and the International Herald Tribune made for more
compelling reading than our own. To improve, I suggest we benchmark ourselves against what we
consider to be good writing in the pages of our competitors.
The role, value add, of the journalist is to make a complex subject or a profound topic simple to grasp. If
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the average reader with an 'O' level cannot fully understand what you want to say, it is your failure, not
his ignorance.

I asked many of my more erudite friends in finance and economics to explain what exactly are carbon
credits.

I am afraid I have yet to receive a crystal clear exposition of carbon credits in the literature on climate
control. In my more sceptical moments, I even wonder whether highly paid risk managers in banking
ever really understood what are derivatives, collatorised debt instruments and sub-prime loans.

Let me end by quoting one of my mentors, who said that if you do not think straight, you cannot write
straight. If you yourself cannot understand a topic well, how can you have the temerity to write an
opinion piece on it?

If I sound overly critical, it is because I believe passionately in the sacred mission of the press, which is
to uphold truth and protect the integrity of our nation in clear, simple, inspiring writing.

Our role is to read the verdict of the people correctly so that the Government can continue to retain the
mandate of heaven to rule.



















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Notes on Article: Tell It Simple, Tell It Straight (The Straits Times, 4 March 2008)
Main opinions/perspectives from article




Straight reporting allows the facts to stand on their own. Straight
reporting allows the story to tell its tale There is no personal
agenda and no attempts to mislead the readers.

The ogre in our nightmares is said to be the imperial censor...If
we allow our own beliefs to creep into our journalism, we should
not be surprised if our neighbours - and, indeed, the state -
respond and challenge us frontally.

I am not suggesting that as citizens and journalists, we should be
simply unquestioning, uncritical and sycophantic admirers of the
state.


Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew once told me that to govern, one
must have one's hands on three levers of power - the treasury,
the army and the voice And if one wants to win the hearts
and minds of the people, one needs to have a free press.

Unlike Western-educated liberals, to me, a free press is not a
tower of Babel. In extremis, censorship is necessary.




For example, while newspapers can report the number of
people killed in racial riots, it would be totally irresponsible for
the media to break down fatalities by race in that highly
charged emotional environment. Fatality figures by race can be
released later when the police and armed forces have
regained control.

But the power to censor has to be used wisely and sparingly.
History records that the death of Qin Shi Huang on one of his
trips to Eastern China was kept secret from his troops until the
imperial war carriage arrived back in Xianyang, the capital,
now known as Xian. A premature leak of his death would have
demoralised his troops and aided his enemies.

On the other hand, the complete news blackout imposed after
the Tangshan earthquake in 1976, which killed a million people,
just before the death of Chairman Mao, did untold damage to
the credibility of the Chinese government. It was a bad, if not
futile, exercise of censorship.
Key Ideas/Questions
e.g. link to concepts, comment on
relevance/application to SG, question
the validity of the writers opinion


Ideal view journalism provide the
unembellished truth
Function of press inform, not
influence?

Censorship is top-down
countermeasure for something
undesirable if you want less
censorship, opt for moderate views. Is
this a valid view?

But fear of censorship will lead to self-
censorship isnt this worse?
Can this be avoided considering the
press is owned by the state?


Link to GOVERNANCE!
Has the Sporean government done
this? How does free press lead to
winning hearts and minds of people?


Assumption: Western-ed liberals are
in favour of total freedom of
expression.
Tower of Babel conflicting voices?
Doomed to failure?
extremis: in grave and extreme
circumstances

Press should release information with
discretion timing and context matter
- c.f. Little India riot & reports
on crime committed that
imply perpetrators were
foreigners/of certain race


Report incidents responsibly be
mindful of implications/repercussions

Discretion=deferred
truth=responsible? Assumption made
is that the public lacks
wisdom/maturity or ability to handle
info condescending view?

Why was this considered bad and
futile?
c.f. MH370 saga and S.Korean ferry
tragedy same or different?


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In fact, with the advent of the Internet and cellphone cameras,
such censorship is now almost impossible.


For instance, the straight reporting and the reflective articles on
the passing of former Indonesian president Suharto in the Wall
Street Journal and the International Herald Tribune made for
more compelling reading than our own.


The role, value add, of the journalist is to make a complex
subject or a profound topic simple to grasp. If the average
reader with an 'O' level cannot fully understand what you want
to say, it is your failure, not his ignorance.










I believe passionately in the sacred mission of the press, which is
to uphold truth and protect the integrity of our nation in clear,
simple, inspiring writingOur role is to read the verdict of the
people correctly so that the Government can continue to retain
the mandate of heaven to rule.

Greater connectedness and citizen
journalism (increasing
democratisation) can render
censorship futile.

Why and how are they more
compelling? What are the
weaknesses of local press hinted
here? Is it just a function of language
or the craft itself? Do local readers
shape the way news is reported?

Press must be accessible to the lowest
denominator democratic. If lower-
ed groups cannot access news
(knowledge and information), they
will not be empowered worsens
elitism? Newspapers reflect class lines
The Business Times, The Straits Times,
Today, My Paper and The New
Paper? What about newspapers for
different ethnic groups? Why are
there 2 Chinese papers but only one
Malay paper and Indian paper?
Chinese papers are more aggressive
in information-gathering and divulge
more information that ST Why?
Implications?


Author seems to imply that the press
serves the people, and is not an
instrument of the state. Is this always
true?
Summary

Role and expectations of the Press
The role of the press is to report the truth.
But the truth has to be tempered with knowledge and responsibility - consider the context,
timing and consequences.
A free press is not a free-for-all. Responsible, i.e. straight reporting will reduce necessity for
censorship.
The press must seek to inform, not to influence.
The press must make information accessible to all in the population (inclusive) and help the
public understand intricacies of issues reported, not obfuscate them further.
The media is accountable to the people and the nation as whole (serve as the 4
th
estate).
In doing so, it serves both eh people and the government.

Censorship
Censorship is a necessary evil that has to be used with discretion.
Advances in ICT pose a challenge to censorship.
Self-censorship is part of responsible reporting (?)