Initiatives to serve public need for reliable news

SPH Media Trust (SMT) will set up a fact-checking service to debunk fake news and will also launch media awareness and financial literacy programmes for the public.

These efforts are part of SMT's mission to be a trusted source of credible news and "counter the pandemic of fake news", said Mr Warren Fernandez, editor-in-chief of SMT's English, Malay and Tamil Media Group and editor of The Straits Times, yesterday.

"We are all entitled to have our own opinions about what's going on in the world, but I don't think we're entitled to our own facts," he said at a media briefing on SMT's plans for the future.

"If we can't agree on what's black and what's white, how do we debate the grey areas, the policy choices that we're going to have to make in our society? Without meaningful debate, you can't have a consensus on the way forward."

Mr Fernandez said the new initiatives will empower readers to recognise fake news, scams and misinformation, and make savvy financial choices.

During the briefing, SMT chairman Khaw Boon Wan said trust and credibility are key issues in today's digital era.

"The ability of a publisher to be a trusted source is the competitive advantage, and that's where I think we should put our energy and investment in," he said.

While there is an abundance of information available on the Internet, not all sources are reliable, Mr Khaw noted, adding that many contain "rubbish", "misrepresentations" or "nonsense".

"The question now is, which one can you trust? Which news is real - meaning properly substantiated fact, verified? Which one is reliable? With all these multiple sources of broadcasts and articles, how do you distinguish between what is real, what is not real, and what is important?"

He added: "Readers like me... we go to top websites that we trust."

Mr Khaw, a former health minister, cited reports by established media outlets like The New York Times and the Financial Times, and health information from trusted sources like Singapore's Ministry of Health, the American non-profit Mayo Clinic and Harvard Medical School. "They have to guard their brand, so they have a process of making sure what they put out on their website has been verified, fact-based, and occasionally, when they make a mistake, they correct it. That's what serious publishers like us do."

He was asked how SMT will ensure newsrooms remain independent once the company begins receiving public funding and how it will manage local and international perceptions of its independence. The Singapore Government has said it is prepared to provide funding support to SMT and this is likely to be scrutinised in Parliament during this year's Budget debate next month.

In response, Mr Khaw said SMT's media outlets should focus on doing a good job, pursue the truth and pride themselves on producing articles and sound analysis based on facts. "The customer makes the judgment... If you are not adding value to the readers, then of course the readers will part company," he added.

He also said SMT can enable journalists to develop expertise in various fields, such as ST's senior health correspondent Salma Khalik, who has covered healthcare news for many years. He noted that he sometimes had "debates" with Ms Khalik when he was health minister. "Over time, I like to believe, there was mutual respect between Salma and me.

"I respect her professionalism as a journalist, and I think she respected me as a health minister wanting to raise the standard and improve the healthcare system, which people can judge and see for themselves."