3/25/2018

The media - Truth is stranger than fiction

Below are a few paragraphs from the statestimesreview ridiculing the top officials of The Straits Times for lying in an open hearing. I as usual disagree with thestatestimes for their criticisms of the most respectable and serious and always reporting the truth newspaper in Singapore. I also disagree with their low ranking for credibility at 151st in the world. Of course you are free to disagree with me and my biased opinion. I would not be offended as I also have very thick skin. I would not demand an apology, I swear.

'Openly lying at the Select Committee’s hearing, Singapore’s state media claimed that they are “serious journalism” and independent from the ruling party’s influence.

Singapore’s state media, comprising of Mediacorp and Singapore’s Press Holdings, are collectively ranked 151st in the world for credibility. The shameful ranking puts Singapore media among the third world nations like Iraq and North Korea, but the editors representing the two propaganda state media, senior editors of Mediacorp and editor of Straits Times, protested insisting they are not biased:

“Over the last five, 10 years we’ve tried extremely hard to be fair, balanced and objective because we see our role as not trying to play up one party or the other, but to give our readers as much information as they can to make decisions for themselves. If we were biased, we would be clearly called out on social media. It would backfire and affect our credibility, so we wouldn’t be inclined to do that. I don’t think it does anybody any service if we tried to … it would be a disservice to our readers, a disservice to our journalists, and ultimately I think a disservice to Singapore.”
The propagandists also said that the internet is the reason why trust in the mainstream media has fallen, and called for the government to impose more censorship on the internet “to level the playing field with the mainstream media”:'

I know that it is very difficult to dispute the poor rankings of international bodies on anything but only to agree with them when the rankings are good. It is only human to hear the good stuff, read the good stuff. I just dunno how an international body could give The Straits Times such a low ranking when it is as reputable as the New York Times, the Washington Post etc as it always carried their unbiased, objective and well researched political western propaganda to attack, ridicule and rubbish any country that is being demonished by the American Empire. See how many pages were given to western journalists to write and condemn Asian countries from the western perspectives. Somehoe Singapore could not produce any good journalist to write news from our own perspective and interest of Asians. But these are foreign news and not the fault of the paper. They never write them, maybe even have to pay to have the right to publish these western fake news.  Oops, they are alternative news from the West, not fake.

A good point to note is that for the last 5 or 10 years The Straits Times have been trying extremely hard to be fair, balanced and objective in reporting local news. Never mind what they were doing before the last 5 or 10 years. Maybe then it was easier to report fair, balanced and objective news or they were reporting something else. They could not be reporting unfair, unbalanced and unobjective news right? Come to think of it, should it not be a natural thing, a moral thing, a thing of honour, to be reporting fair, balanced and objective news? Is this not the responsibility and purpose of a news media?

Anyway, if they have to try extremely hard, they must have good reasons to work extremely hard just to be fair, balanced and objective. Not sure what or who is making them working so hard when it should be second nature, the right thing to do.  Telling the truth is so easy. Every child can do that without any effort. On this ground I think we should be very appreciative of them for telling us their problem without having to say it. This is the best honourable journalists could say or do under the circumstances.

Let's believe in the honour and fairness of our journalists for giving us so respectable unbiased news, not fake news, all these 5 or 10 years under extremely difficult conditions. Let's not believe in their lowly 151st world ranking. And thestatestimesreview should not criticise them so unfairly.

As they said, wait till you are wearing the shoes or be in their position, only then would you understand their hardship and difficulties. Whatever they are saying or not saying, and confessing or not confessing, I like.



30 comments:

Anonymous said...

Straits Times where got publish fake or false news, or half-truth, or untruth, or misrepresented, or misinform or dis-inform or anything that the code of conduct of a professional journalist would do, where got? Never, never, never, they only published music to the ears mah. I also swear for the Chief Propagandist, oops oops I mean Chief Running-Dog, oops no no no, I mean Editor-in-the-Chief's-Pockets, oops oops oops, hai ya what's wrong with my mind today? I mean Editor-in-Chief lah! Correct? Ah yes, now I got it right. Heng Ah, otherwise get sued until pants drop you know?

Anonymous said...

The meow meow cat said, i dont like fishes, i tried very hard, very very hard. I dont even get near nasi lemak with fishes n ikan bilis.

Matilah Fakers! said...

When you are called up by your Paymaster's hatchet-gang and asked "Have you been a good boy?", what do you say? How do you answer them in order to save your own skin?

Forget about professional ethics and morals, because they don't worth a cent.

Forget about what your subordinates will think of you because if you lost your job, you have no more subordinates.

Forget about what your loyal readers/customers may think of you, because they are dumb and daft; that's why they continue to buy or read the lies you have been telling them.

jjgg said...

ST editors did themselves a great disservice .. all they had to do was to speak the truth that day..."I'm an employee .. I did what I was told.. as did all of you." They would have had a hero's homecoming. Did they forget.. n the truth will set u free.. hehe

Virgo49 said...


My Son, ex-SPH staff, though not in Journalism, told me that they have memos from the PAP every now and then of what's to prograte and what's not to write.

Just see who's who's in the TOP Management bearers.Mostly, ex PAP Stewards who are already washed out in the Firing Range.WO/W/O or VOVO kings.

Now another WOWO ex NOL CEO to have the cheek and their Chief Editors claiming to be Responsible Journalism.

Cho Si Lang. Tell them to watch the now current going to end Korean Drama "MISTY" now on VIU subscription channel.

Even though it's just a frictional Drama, it shows the World of True Journalism.

How the News Media dared go against the TOP ELITES to expose their cronyism.

Anonymous said...

Cannot trust Sinkieland's mainstream media as many r Garblemen controlled. They will write what the Garblemen want them to do, some more u need to pay for them. Whereas alternative news r more objective & r critical but at least they don't lie or cover anything at all to protect a SomeBolee. Mainstream media don't have the guts to tell the whole truth that's why alternative news come in, people will have to distinguish themselves whose right or wrong & not the SeeLacCommeeTee Lah.

Anonymous said...

That double-tongue slipery snake was actually hissing: "Ssssirs... I .... WANT ssssss .. A RAISE ... Thisssss year .... Sssssirs!

Anonymous said...

Good for sinkieland to have main media doing fair reporting such as driving taxi could earn $7000pm. How long such news was not propagated?
Sinkieland needs the main media to propagate opposition parties rallies have no audience, by taking a photo at 4pm or early. Sinkies will be very happy to see opposition parties rallies so empty. Pap rallies will have lots of audience by shooting from another angles. All sinkies at least 90% will vote for opposition. Who do they vote? You tell me lah.
Sinkieland media should now propagate, driving private taxi can make 70000, after 10 years oredi, the son is said to be giving up, so the job market is booming, even taxi drivers also have big big pockets. Retailers cannot cope with business want to rest 5 to 6 days a week. Too good performance for the ruling elites. If not 90% then what? 98%? You tell me lah.

Anonymous said...

Incoherent!

Virgo49 said...


The Shits Times Photographers had snapped photos of Opposition Leaders/candidates and the PaPies Leaders or MPs in their Rally Speeches or Interviews.

They will in their publications when the PAP accused the Opposition of some issues put the Opposition MPs or Candidates their worst pictures. Have them in Anger and Aggressive Moods and Gestures.

However, they will choose the sweetest and smiling photos of the PAPIES faces in their sweetest moods and faces which in their minds they are thinking, "Think by now they should have Credited my Million Dollars salaries"

Or, "KNN, very boring, have to smile and smile at these peasants. When can I go back and uncover my hypocritical smiles"

Be my real self of looking down at these stupid dafts who thought I am helping them.

The Shits Times is very good at this.

Anonymous said...

The latest on the employment from for IT graduates. Splashed $5k starting pay for a Singaporean graduate. 1 in 1 or 1 in 10 or 1 in 100. Not mentioning the 1,000s of cheap fakey IT pmets from 3rd world India in Marina Bay n Changi-bangalore n many more 1000s coming...n the continued retrenchment of our 40s n 50s age group pmets. Shit Times job aplenty for Sinkies?...n now eating your own medicine, another 200 going to be retrenched in Shit Times. Hahaha....wake up...Fake news generator.

Anonymous said...

“Truth is stranger than fiction, but it is because Fiction is obliged to stick to possibilities; Truth isn't.”
― Mark Twain


A satire.


Quote,

" My first piece of advice is "Never take any advice you have not paid good money for." That applies to my advice, of course. Free advice is not worth the money it's not paid for.

A further disclaimer. I know little of world, British or even Singapore affairs, not having the time nor interest nor presumption to make it a full time job to read all that stuff generated by academics, newspapers and diplomatic attaches. Unlike Lee, who has no other job at all, though he's the highest paid Minister in the land and probably the world, too. All he does nowadays (and for a long time, too, when he was Prime Minister), is to follow world affairs assiduously while dismissing Singapore's affairs as being too trivial to justify his attention......."


The link,
Jaundiced Lenses: A Letter to Tony Blair
http://jaundicedlenses.blogspot.sg/2005/04/letter-to-tony-blair.html

All Singapore Stuff editor Farhan may have been arrested – States ...
http://statestimesreview.com/2018/03/12/all-singapore-stuff-editor-farhan-may-have-been-arrested/

A Little TRUTH on HubPages
https://hubpages.com/@alittletruth

George Orwell Politics and the English Language
http://orwell.ru/library/essays/politics/english/e_polit

George Orwell The Prevention of Literature
http://www.orwell.ru/library/essays/prevention/english/e_plit

How_to_Think
http://faculty.georgetown.edu/kingch/How_to_Think.htm

Pragmatism is poison - ample code - WordPress.com
https://einarwh.wordpress.com/2016/03/10/pragmatism-is-poison/

Anonymous said...

Quote,

The Sound of Silence

Hello darkness, my old friend
I've come to talk with you again
Because a vision softly creeping
Left its seeds while I was sleeping
And the vision that was planted in my brain
Still remains
Within the sound of silence

In restless dreams I walked alone
Narrow streets of cobblestone
'Neath the halo of a street lamp
I turned my collar to the cold and damn
When my eyes were stabbed by the flash of a neon light
That split the night
And touched the sound of silence

And in the naked light I saw
Ten thousand people, maybe more
People talking without speaking
People hearing without listening
People writing songs that voices never share
And no one dared
Disturb the sound of silence

Fools, said I, you do not know
Silence like a cancer grows
Hear my words that I might teach you
Take my arms that I might reach you
But my words, like silent raindrops fell
And echoed in the wells of silence

And the people bowed and prayed
To the neon god they made
And the sign flashed out its warning
In the words that it was forming
And the sign said, the words of the prophets are written on the subway walls
And tenement halls
And whispered in the sounds of silence



The link,
Rules of political misdirection - Islam from Inside
http://www.islamfrominside.com/Pages/Commentary/Rules%20of%20misdirection.html

In Singapore: Truth is No Defense | Balding's World
http://www.baldingsworld.com/2015/07/02/in-singapore-truth-is-no-defense/

Elephant In The Room - Singapore Notes - Blogspot
http://singaporedesk.blogspot.sg/2013/08/elephant-in-room.html

Ask Not What Your Country Can Do for You - Halexandria
http://www.halexandria.org/dward821.htm




Anonymous said...

Aiya, go and google "SPH share price" and you will see the trend for the past 5 years - down, down, down, down.

That speaks volumes about their MSM, eg the Straits Times, isn'it?

Hence no need to say or argue more, correct or not?

Anonymous said...

The latest on the employment from for IT graduates. Splashed $5k starting pay for a Singaporean graduate.
12:50 pm

Hahahahahaha.

Maybe got lah, but definitely not 70% of graduates. Perhaps 30% or less. Even 1 graduate out of 1000 is still less than 30%, correct or not?

Anonymous said...

12:50pm
IT graduate got $5k from social media like slates time thio boh? Main media oredi said 8 year ago, taxi drive got $7k, not should have more at least 10k to 20k. Main media according to shumomorgan should be the only trusted source, no fake news type. U go ask taxi drivers, all will tell u many many ks they earn. IT graduate therefore should be written in main media as 15k to 20k to be fair.
U dont know how maid media reporters are to write lah. They have rules, this cannot that can. Too low for $5k, how can they write that? the editor will not publish it.

Anonymous said...

"The more one is aware of political bias, the more one can be independent of it, and the more one claims to be impartial, the more one is biased." - George Orwell

Ⓜatilah $ingapura⚠️ said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Ⓜatilah $ingapura⚠️ said...

@RB

>> As they said, wait till you are wearing the shoes or be in their position, only then would you understand their hardship and difficulties. <<

Oh please lah. Your "compassion" is truly misplaced. Sure, there are people who are in predicaments due to factors beyond their control.

However staff and management of our State Controlled media are in those organizations BY THEIR OWN CHOICE---usually a choice based on careful thinking deliberation with family and friends, and prior "networking" with senior employees in those state-controlled entities.

Their choices of profession and employer are CLEAR, predetermined, and carefully researched---they know EXACTLY what they are doing, and have personal agendas they are DELIBERATELY pursuing.

So fuck them. Fuck them to hell.

>> The shameful ranking puts Singapore media among the third world nations like Iraq and North Korea, but the editors representing the two propaganda state media, senior editors of Mediacorp and editor of Straits Times, protested insisting they are not biased <<

Public Masturbation lah. Not just fake news, fake sex as well 😛

Ⓜatilah $ingapura⚠️ said...

@ 850

"Matilah Fakers!"

Wah lau eh, fan club ah? 😂

ðĻģ’ä― č€æŊč‡­é–Š

Happy Palm Sunday, Jesus is coming...open your mouth! 😋

Tyranny Showing Its Head Limbs and Tail. said...

The way ST Editors answered the Select Committee clearly tells the public that they not only sold their services, their brains and bodies, but also their souls. Really pathetic, deplorable and sickening. Worst than slaves of the Demonic British Empire, the Evil American Empires and the Atrocious and Brutal Imperial Japanese Empire. They had no choice but these ST slaves chose to be and enjoy being slaves of conscience.

Anonymous said...

...ST slaves chose to be and enjoy being slaves of conscience.
March 25, 2018 4:12 pm

Slaves are not even paid lah.

ST Editors are very well paid u know.

Anonymous said...

Don't know true or not, but I heard that last time, during LKY time, the most senior ST editor was even invited to the Istana to have lunch with LKY and some senior journalists even have minister's personal phone number.

Anonymous said...

In Western media, on relevance of stories to the audience, "One European is worth twenty eight Chinese, or perhaps two Welsh miners worth one thousand Pakistanis." - McLurg's Law of Public Interest.

That's why a coach crash in a river in India did not make the news on BBC despite the fact that 60 people had drowned.

Anonymous said...

Spore baby boomers after War, super fast track uplift in standard of living from 1960 to 1995 will not be repeated. It was the "Golden age" for Singaporeans. At the helm in pro-growth, pro-Singaporeans' economic policies was the late Goh Keng Swee.

3 key appointments by Old Man & cabinet spelled the reverse of that trend for majority of Singaporeans as it steadily worked its way through the system:
1. GCT who delivered way, way above Swiss standard of compensation to him & his political team, and delivered the start of relatively higher & higher Swiss costs of living to the citizens.
2. The gross over-estimation of the Son capabilities by the late Old Man. A paper general who was an army Vovo-king.
3. The DSO engineer, Jinx to manage Tummysick, and the vast influence she has in appointing of cock-ups besides the buy-high, sell-low strategy.

The trend is intact.

There is a wise old wisdom; "Government officials must not get wealthy". Power & lots of money bring up the weaknesses of human nature. The last 25 years and ancient history have re-confirmed the folly of Old Man cleverly crafted philosophy in his latter reign to pay themselves loads of money as public servants.

Anonymous said...

Truth and fake r class mates n very good friends.
No need seperate em.

Anonymous said...

Truth is six.fake is three.in pai gao.(in chinese dominos chips)

Anonymous said...

Founded in 1845 the 'state times' is just a colonial legacy of english Empire i.e straits settlement of Penang Malacca n singpura!

Even a primary student knows it has become a tool of the State!
The power of the press belongs to the people in all other democratic countries!

Anonymous said...

The court of conscience lies with every voter in Sg. You should vote out biased media policy. Media coverage that is fair to all political parties is the basis of a fair n just electoral platform.

Anonymous said...

In 1996, the PAP founding chairman Dr Toh Chin Chye was, in fact, wrongly named in the SPH New Paper, as the culprit in a hit-and-run accident which left a 17-year-old student dead.

The New Paper had reported that the former DPM Dr Toh was arrested with the headline, "Hit-and-run accident case: Ex-DPM Toh Chin Chye arrested". It even featured a photo of Dr Toh.

The real suspect turned out to be a 33-year-old salesman bearing the same name as Dr Toh.

In the end, Dr Toh took legal actions and SPH had to pay for damages. SPH also published an apology in all its papers.

The apology read, "We would also like to apologize to all Singaporeans for besmirching the name of one of our founding fathers."

Dr Toh, then did not ask to enact new laws to tackle faske news because there are already adequate laws in place.