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mass media, Singapore: media allows certain leeway in its criticism of…

- - - - businesses and corporations pay huge sums of money to advertise their products on media
  - - - media must be diversified, objective, unbiased
      - media provides the public with an opportunity to hear all sides of a story and not just what is included in ministerial media (one govt platform)
  - - - eg. 2004 Dove Campaign for Real Beauty launched to celebrate the natural physical variation embodied by all women + inspire them to have confidence
        
        various advertisements that included stereotypes of body shaming / photoshop
      - 2012 female protagonist of Brave = more realistic body shame + independent + goes against her prescribed gender role
      - -ve: media's embodiment and prevalent use of modern perception of beauty = create unrealistic pressures on females to conform to lofty expectations
    - - promote racial harmony + social peace
      - eg. SG local production "Police and Thief" = scenes of ppl of different races having good interaction + social cohesion
      - -ve: content from media might reinforce certain biases that reside in subconscious = develop unfavourable assessments of ppl
      - eg. 2016, Media Tenor Research claimed that 80% of press coverage representing Islam and Muslim is -ve
    - - eg. 2017 #MeToo movement: involved victims of sexual harassment open up + call out perpatrators
      - eg. 2020 #BlackLivesMatter: call for an end to police brutality
- - - - personal biases + information + reports they present can be distorted and/or falsified to serve their ends
      - eg. Mediacorp is SG's pioneer broadcaster + wholly owned by Temasek Holdings, govt owned investment arm
        
        have close ties with SPH and The Straits Times and PAP
        
        => opposition parties and readers have voiced unhappiness at consistently unfair coverage of the Election campaigns (opposition parties get very little coverage)
    - - eg. 2016 hoax on alleged collapse of Punggol Waterway Terraces roof
        => false news caused anxiety among residents
        => wastage of substantial resources (Grassroot leaders and SCDF personal rushing to the scene)
- - - - eg. in 2015, NLB withdrew 3 children's books from it's shelves and pulped them due to themes of homosexuality = conflict with govt's idea of conventional family values
- - - - world has become 'smaller' and more connected, internet functions as a platform for ppl to reach out and connect with others through a variety of media
        
        characteristics of internet: freedom of expression + little control of what is published + anoymity
      - bring together ppl from various countries, can reach out to others within seconds, regardless of where in the world they may be
      - primary avenues for people to connect with other individuals around the world with similar interests, views or ideas
        
        allow such ppl to engage in discussions about their respective interest and hobbies
      - people connect with others through many different platforms such as Facebook, Tumblr, TikTok
    - - increased freedom of expression online is liable to abuse and misuse by ppl who use it to spread hate speech / express discriminatory views
      - lack of monitoring can be misused by ppl who aim to spread hate / express discriminatory views (eg. extremist grps)
        
        eg. Amos Yee (SG) found guilty in 2015, charged for intention of wounding religious feelings of Christians + obscenity. threatening, abusive, insulting communication
  - - - check-and-balance on government if concerns surface + able to get proper feedback from citizens
      - (-ve) however, govt do not always respond to comments as there is a tendency for them to take up paternalistic position
        
        eg. to manage the spread of fake news and falsehood online, SG passed 'Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act' POFMA = online platforms have to correct false news (offenders pay $1k)
  - - - 'Great Firewall' uses keyword filtering, banned words such as 'dictatorship' and 'riot police'
      - compels companies under the threat of shutdown to enforce their own censorship = holds internet services and access providers responsible for their own behaviour
      - however, many Chinese nationals have discovered how to bypass restrictions => use VPN to circumvent censors
      - => even though govt may try to silence social media, the ability of ppl to circumvent censorship and use social media to keep leaderships in check ultimately makes social media a useful tool of empowerment
  - - - eg. liking a Facebook automatically shared a large amount of personal information to friends as well as agencies = rampant abuse of personal info
    - - eg. Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has argued that the loss of privacy in this era is a social norm, normal for everyone to know everything about another
      - most ppl aware that their info is being minded. as long as don't cost them financially or directly affect their lives = ppl generally unconcerned with mining of info
    - - able to track individual's movements and activities through the use of mobile phones
      - eg. SG govt made more than 200 requests to Facebook for information related criminal cases, info from Whatsapp Facebook and Instagram
      - HOWEVER, not necessarily all bad as info could be used to help citizens
        
        law enforcement agencies are able to solve and prevent crime much more efficiently (prevent terrorist attacks)
        
        eg. SG passed the Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA) in 2012 = mandates that data subjects be provided info about the purpose for the collection, use or disclosure of their personal data
      - eg. 2013: Edward Snowden exposed National Security Agency's global surveillance activities to the public = sparked public debate on privacy
- - - - eg. Friends sitcom, gives the impression that cohabitation is fun and normal
      - eg. 2012 USA, John Woods (child therapist) reported a 13 year old patient having watched porn for the past 3 years = addicted = even after treatment still has shame
    - - many other factors that affect one's declining morale standards
      - eg. children from dysfunctional families often lack adequate parental guidance = have a profound impact on their moral compass
  - - - eg. 2012 Aurora shooting at the Dark Knight Rises screening was reportedly inspired by the Batman franchise
    - - BUT: it can be argued that the prevalence of gore in media is acts as a vent for Man's violent tendencies
        
        watch violence on screen rather than act it out himself = less severe repercussions on society
  - - - eg. growing number of advertising campaigns that seek to challenge society's perception of beauty (Dove's campaign for real beauty)
        
        eg. Tyra Banks constantly features plus-sized models on her hit reality show 'America's next top model' = they go on to have successful careers
- - - - eg. supermodel Tyra Banks is constantly trying to get the fashion industry to recognise and acknowledge the beauty of 'fiercely real' models
- - - - tend to sensationalise headlines and news stories
      - bc increasingly driven by ratings and profits
      - cannot be trusted to regulate themselves
      - increasing voyeurism + tends to toe the line of what is acceptable
      - depicting sex and violence as glamorous = increases crime rates in society
      - tend to publish what they believe their audience wants to see
      - eg. The Danish newspaper commissioned and printed cartoon portraying the Prophet Muhammed in a bad light = growing hostility between Denmark's immigrants and locals = caused protests and social unrest
      - use click bait / twerk info to make it more appealing
    - - to gentle alter people's perceptions of others and themselves
      - eg. PAP control SG media like ST to cover up their mistakes or downplay any problems faced
      - eg. Great Firewall of China bans information that challenges or expresses discontent with the regime in power
      - prevent citizens from questioning existing status quo
      - China firewall stops citizens from learning about historical events that can cause them to turn against their govt
      - eg. North Korean journalists undergo ideological training every week where they are being updated on the latest unquestionable authority of their leader
    - - intentionally deceive and manipulate actions of consumers
      - distorted the idea of beauty and aesthetics
        eg. Slimming advertisements use before and after photos
      - use of Photoshop to create flawless skin and reduced sizes has led to unrealistic beauty standards for women = culture of self hatred
      - exploiting people's vulnerabilities to create false and materialistic demands
      - buy and spend more than they need bc they equate personal worth to material possessions
      - media glamorises unhealthy lifestyles (smoking and drinking) + downplay healthy diets
      - eg. media advertised Slim 10 diet pills to be safe and effective when it had adverse effects on consumers' health = many died of liver failure
    - - fake news has great power to cause panic and social disharmony in society
      - 'yellow journalism'
        
        a type of journalism / newspaper that present little to no legitimate well-researched news whilst using eye catching headlines for increased sales
        
        exaggeration of news events, scandal-mongering, sensationalism
  - - - subjected to checks and balances by new media
      - most journalists are ethical, still want to give the truth
      - news agencies wont deliberately engage in unethical reporting due to the risk of being uncovered and losing viewership
      - new technologies of blogs and forums also provide alternative to stop mainstream airing of political views
      - new form of media shone light on lies kept from public and thus can be trusted to provide truth to the people
      - eg. conspiracy of Monsanto using harmful growth hormone was uncovered by reporters of Fox News. news reporters were sacked to prevent the story from leaking but their story eventually found circulation through independently produced documentaries
      - even if mainstream news outlets are not trustful, there are still journalists with integrity and independent companies that wish to be truthful