THE Government has commended an advisory council for its comprehensive report and insightful observations on the pertinent issues and concerns arising from the emergence of new media.

It will study the recommendations made by the Advisory Council on the Impact of New Media on Society (Aims) and will announce the Government's position in about 1 1/2 months' time.

The council was appointed in April 2007 to study the implications and impact of new media on society and to make recommendations to the Government on how to address the complex social, ethical, legal and regulatory issues arising from new media.

It submitted its final report, entitled 'Engaging New Media: Challenging Old Assumptions', to the Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts Lee Boon Yang on Monday, after conducting a six-week public consultation.

Thanking the 13-member advisory, chaired by veteran editor Cheong Yip Seng, Dr Lee said it has done 'extensive and excellent work', conducting numerous meetings and discussions among themselves as well as consulting a wide range of stakeholders and concerned groups.

These included media and telecommunications industry players, educators, bloggers, academics, non-government and government agencies, as well as a cross-section of Singapore society, such as parents and students.

Much time and efforts were also spent on learning the experiences of other countries in coping with the challenges of new media through study trips to the United States, Europe, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, China, Japan and South Korea.

Dr Lee said the report has captured the broad spectrum of public views and suggestions, and has fleshed out the relevant issues and recommendations for the Government's consideration.

'The subject of new media is a complex if not perplexing one.� New media poses challenges for the individual, organisation and government the world over,' said the government statement.

'There is no easy solution to the many concerns posed by new media. Aims took on an enormous, difficult and challenging task, more so when Aims is probably the first council of its kind specifically set up by government to study the impact of new media and to make recommendations to address the concerns. There is apparently no such council in the countries that Aims members visited.

'Being a complex subject, it is therefore not surprising that there were different views expressed, not just among Aims members themselves, but also across the various groups that Aims consulted.

Thus, it is a big challenge for Aims members to reconcile the wide diversity of views and ideas given, and to ensure that every relevant view and idea is considered in developing the Aims' recommendations.'

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