5/21/2012

Policy change in the main media?



In the last GE the main media was seen as providing a more decent coverage of opposition parties’ election campaign than they were used to. This went down well with the readers for a fairer game. When I flipped open the papers this morning, there was no denial that there was a deliberate shift in the coverage. It was so stark that there is no need to guess or to think where the sentiment lies.

Take the ST for instance, front page says, WP ‘chose not to send Png to Parliament.’ In page A6, a full page of coverage with headings like, ‘Voters free to pick best man’ and subheading, WP already has 5 MPs, Democracy is being free to choose: Denise Phua. Next, WP ‘changing tunes and taking Hougang voters for granted.’ The last two articles were titled, Desmond Choo on why he stayed on despite GE defeat and Parties keep up outreach.

Where is the coverage on WP?

And in Today, the headings, WP flip-flopped on national issues: DPM Teo. The next article on the same full page on the by election, with pictures of DPM Teo and Desmond Choo is, Will WP still serve Hougang if it loses, asks Desmond Choo. I was trying to find something on the WP, but again nothing reported.

And in mypaper, on page 2, Hougang voters value honesty, integrity most in candidates, says reporter Samantha Boh. The article is about how Desmond Choo can deliver and also about how clean he is. Another full page on page 4, Choo: Hougang belongs to residents, and another, Being scandal-free ranked low in poll. There were some mentioned of WP activities at the end of the former article though and one photo each of Desmond and Png.

The message is clear as to who should deserve more coverage in the main media. The battle line is drawn.

PS. Still searching for reports on the mammoth turnout at WP rally. If only it could be turned into votes. Maybe the majority were PAP supporters being there to give the WP a false sense of confidence.

24 comments:

Anonymous said...

"Take the ST for instance..."

RB sir...u sure you're not reading PETIR magazine by mistake?

Anonymous said...

"Still searching for reports on the mammoth turnout at WP rally.."

Got lah..Chinese WanBao published a comparison pic of the rally to prove that support for the WP is decreasing...what a cheapshot. Was presently surprised why the news on national t.v did not show the extent of the crowd on the night of the rally...perhaps not news worthy

Chua Chin Leng aka redbean said...

Got to thank the new media for reporting on those not newsworthy to be reported.

And the paper I was reading definitely cannot be Petir lah. Got to pay for it you know.

Anonymous said...

Not an Hougang voter.
But I cancelled my long time subscription to the Shit Times this month.
My family has been subscribers for 3 generations.

This our little attempt at moral support for the Hougang voters.

jjgg said...

rb...aiya...level playing field also got bump here....bump there mah!!!

good time for houganites to show the MIW a thing or two...

u can't stop progress la!!!!

Chua Chin Leng aka redbean said...

Hougang is the flag bearer for more say by the people. Through WP, a once written off little pary, the Hougang spirit is spreading, now to Aljunid, and where else next? The whole population is looking up to Hougang to fight the battle of a better future for their children.

And this battle is more significant to the losers who have been on the wrong side of growth and progress. They are still waiting for more good years.

Anonymous said...

Please. All useless noises. At best, regime collapses, at worst, all collapse and the city burn.

Anonymous said...

"The whole population is looking up to Hougang to fight the battle of a better future for their children.

And this battle is more significant to the losers who have been on the wrong side of growth and progress"

You may be on the wrong side of growth and progress but that doesn't mean your children will be. In any case, you are preempting and destroying your childrens' future.

Anonymous said...

Come, let's vote in a Strong Opposition so that we can withdraw our CPF at 55. Our cost of living is really terrible, everything so expensive. From medical to Kopi and COEs and transport. FTs and whatnots, can all balek kampong, we don't need them. Singapore with local born local bred, have arrived and WE can survive on our own. Moreover they have been taking away our jobs. With FTs all gone, MRTs will be less crowded, break down less often. Our salaries can then be raised, and 50% increase will not be that unrealistic for ocuupations like bus drivers, nurses, cleaners, taxi drivers, construction workers etc. MNCs will have no choice but to employ our local PMETs which are as good if not better than many FTs.

Redbean continue to fight for us, local born local bred ! Majulah!

Anonymous said...

They want to bring back the kampong spirit. Please. This place looks first world but the people still third world.

Anonymous said...

People like redbean want to bring us back to kampong, so lets go back ! We all can rear chickens and our children can rear chicken too!

Anonymous said...

The govt oredy encouraging people to plant their own vegetables in HDB flats. Rearing chicken is only a matter of time. Just get use to it.

Anonymous said...

With WP, the process can be speeded up.

Anonymous said...

"Will WP still serve Hougang if it loses, ask Desmond Choo"

As a Hougang voter for the past 20 odd years, my more immediate concern is: will the PAP do Hougang in if they lose this by-election by implementing underhand tactics to punish Hougang voters.

After losing past GE, the PAP resorted to underhand tactics at various times by:

1)Pulling out their PA Kindergarten and leaving many parents in the lurch. Eric Low had the cheek to tell Hougang voters that if he is elected, a new Kindergarten will be set up. No wonder Hougang voters took him to be a clown.

2) Demolishing the market and hawker centre that many old folks patronise because the food was good and cheap. This was done after Hougang voters rejected Goh Chok Tong's offer of upgrading if PAP wins Hougang.

Now Desmond Choo is talking about building a new market and hawker centre if he is elected. Isn't the decision a very clear indication that the PAP was using underhand tactics to punish Hougang voters for voting the WP?

3) Rental flats in Hougang Avenue 3 were upgraded by Low Thia Khiang without charge. This was something the PAP could not match. But a few months later, those upgraded flats were torn down. Why allow Low to upgrade at great cost in the first place and waste so much Houganger's money? Doesn't the HDB know beforehand where and when flats will be torn down for redevelopment? This is another case of 'bad hearted people' at work.

These are some of the things that those outside Hougang do not know other than being denied upgrading on all fronts. That is why, so many opposition Hougang voters will remain as die-hard opposition voters till kingdom come.

Anonymous said...

While politicians fight each other for the honor "to serve" people the people are like spectators egging the fight on by placing their bets or votes on their fav.

Aren't you stupid people tire of ring shows?

You still go home empty and what changed? Money still not enough for most people, people are still unneighborly and the elites continue to make fools out of you.

The winner of the fight gets to spit more saliva than the rest of you...so?

Anonymous said...

The MSM wants to do a full and fair coverage of WP in this by-election, like they are doing for PAP and Desmond Choo. The WP and Ah Huat is not cooperating with enough big cock-ups for MSM to report.

Anonymous said...

If you are a Hougang voter, of course you can vote whoever you want, you can vote Hougang back to kampong if you want to, and rear chickens. Pappy would be doing Hougangers injustice and disrespect if they were to continue to force its programmes down its throat, eg, PAP kindergarten , upgrading etc. If Hougang vote for WP, it is a rejection of PAP ideology, which is progress, which is what the country has seen past few decades. Of course, progress comes at a cost, things become expensive and places become crowded. SO if Hougang decide to reject that kind of lifestyle, then Pap has to respect it. It comes as no surprise. If you vote for WP and the MP abscond again, then so be it because that is what you guys have asked for. You deserved everything.

Anonymous said...

The drugs and steroids have numbed the brain cells and many Singaporeans are just not thinking anymore. Give them a few more jabs to feel good for another few years.

Anonymous said...

Same. The magic spell and halo effect of LTK has cast a spell on many Singaporeans too, making them feel good, in control and in very forgiving mood of anything that the party dishes out. Like all drugs, feel good only last a short while.

Anonymous said...

"If you vote for WP and the MP abscond again, then so be it because that is what you guys have asked for. You deserved everything."

Even the worst and terrible screwup by WP will never beat the screwup by PAP. Agree ? Did WP ever lose millions of state money let alone hundreds of billions of dollars of state money over bad investment ?

Please read the following
http://christopherbalding.com/

and see how our world's most expensive yet useless govt send their tiny idiotic small flies to do red herring only to be embarrassed by Chris. How did Chris know more about the state of affair than our clowns. that prove our clowns are really really really really clowns that should be in circus not in parliament.

Anonymous said...

Chris is one of the most fucked up clowns I ve ever seen. I wonder why would anyone bother to spend so much time writing blogs, writing things which twist and slant information meant to misinform the public.

Singapore's reserves is one of the highest in the world. The strength of S$ testify to that. You realise it when you travel overseas. No need to hide and can't hide either. The world fund managers know that. Only nincompoos like Chris don't know. The debt ratio of Singapore is so misinformed I could de-construct Chris's eassay. So called the blind delibertaely leading the blind. And I am sure even layman investors like redbean (who is in the financial industry) and me knows fund are evaluated on a total portfolio, not per-investment, on an anuual basis. Of course, if one chooses only to zero in on lost making investments, there surely will be.

Anonymous said...

"Chris is one of the most fucked up clowns I ve ever seen. I wonder why would anyone bother to spend so much time writing blogs, writing things which twist and slant information meant to misinform the public."

Wow. We have a Singapore genius ! I waiting for your book of "How to lose billions and yet still win in investment".

Anonymous said...

How transparent were the losses? What accounting? Private accounting or public accounting? How many billions were really lost? You know?

Anonymous said...

Jan: I buy Genting, lost $5
May: I buy Ezra, I lost $2
Sep: I buy Tibs, I made $5
Oct: I buy CAO, I made $8

End of year, in total, profits plus losses, I made $6. This is publicly audited, reported and transparent. Evaluated, compiled, verified and ranked by international rating agencies and fund managers.

Yes, billions could be lost during the process, but billions more were made. That is the scale of investing the country's reserves.Do they have to report to citizens of Singapore everytime they go toilet to pee and how many pubic hair they shed? No.