SINGAPORE - There will always be pressure to create clickbait and sensationalist content to attract eyeballs in a highly contested and fragmented media landscape, but media outlets must resist these temptations and continue to uphold high standards, said Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong on March 19.
At a time when people are increasingly identifying themselves in more narrow ethnic terms and living in echo chambers, it is important to tell stories that bridge divides and keep our society strong and united, he added.
Speaking at local broadcaster CNA’s 25th anniversary dinner at Capella Singapore, DPM Wong said the media landscape has changed dramatically over the last 25 years with the emergence of Internet news outlets.
Traditional news outlets compete for ad sales with platforms like Google and Meta, and for attention with everything from Netflix to TikTok.
In the 70s and 80s, television was the main source of information, but it is now being replaced by streaming, he added.
He said: “Newspapers everywhere are struggling. Major publications are a shadow of their former selves.”
He also noted that the Internet and social media have enabled much more competition in the form of alternative content online, which is distributed directly to audiences around the world.
The traditional media model involved bundling services of differing profitabilities – such as news reporting and lifestyle offerings – as a package to be delivered through a common distribution platform.
But this model, which used to work well, has now been broken due to competition from the Internet and social media, and media companies everywhere are under pressure to adjust to new realities, he said.
Although there is worry that the attention spans of audiences are getting shorter and they may not want to pay for content, DPM Wong said there is still strong demand for high-quality content that people are prepared to pay for.
Mediacorp embarked on its digital transformation journey more than 20 years ago, with government support to grow its reach and stay relevant.
In 2020, the Ministry of Communications and Information said in a parliamentary reply that about $310 million is annually allocated to support public service broadcasting programmes, including those across Mediacorp’s TV channels and radio stations.
DPM Wong said: “You may not have a millionaire business tycoon, but do not worry, the Singapore Government (has) got your back.”
At the event, Mediacorp chairman Niam Chiam Meng said that CNA will expand to North America and Europe through television streaming services, YouTube and a new edition of its website.
In April, it will also start a new hour-long news bulletin on weekday evenings called East Asia Tonight to help audiences understand Asia better.
On March 11, CNA also launched cna.id, a website in Bahasa Indonesia offering a selection of translated and original stories to engage the audience in Indonesia who prefers to read in that language.
DPM Wong said: “More and more, we are being inundated with half-truths and misinformation, which unfortunately spread more quickly than plain, boring facts.”
The spectre of online falsehoods will only become more challenging to tackle over time, especially when it is super-powered by artificial intelligence (AI), he said.
But he also noted that such technology can help journalists in their work, giving the example of how CNA is developing AI interactive bots for fact-checking.
While the Government educates the public on staying vigilant against falsehoods and has put in place laws to guard against these threats, media outlets also have a role to play, he added.
“Rigorous and robust fact-checking remain our best defence against misinformation and falsehoods. We should also harness technology to help us in this work.”
