The Consequence of a 'regulated' press.

I think it's common knowledge that Singapore's media is not really what we would call ideal. Ranking in the bottoms of media freedom indexes, Singapore's 'liberal' media is a joke compared to the fourth estates of other countries such as the U.S. Need proof on how facts are selective reported to manipulate how you interpret them? Here it is, a report by The Straits Times.

S'pore adds record number of jobs in 2007, a third filled by foreigners
By Goh Chin Lian

BOOSTED by a strong economy, Singapore created a record-busting number of jobs last year - with a third of them going to foreigners because there were just not enough locals to fill them...

Now, what impression do you get when you read the headlines? For me, I get the idea that of all the new jobs added in 2007, a third of them are filled by foreigners. Okay, now when you examine the article, you get the following information.

...The economy added 236,600 jobs, up from 176,000 jobs in the previous year. This is an 11-year high.

Of these, 92,100 jobs went to locals last year, up from 90,900 the previous year.

What it means is that of 236,600 jobs created last year, 92,100 went to locals. This means that a staggering 144,500 jobs went to foreigners last year. This works out to be 61%. Now, I may be a mass communication student who is stereotypically bad at doing math, but 61% is definitely not A THIRD as reported by The Straits Times. Now do you get the picture?

To be fair, this could all be a matter of misinterpreting the headline, given that The Straits Times could have been referring to the total number jobs taken by foreign workers - which is a third. But, given normal circumstances, I believe that most people would have interpreted the report as I did, that what the headline meant to say was that 'of all jobs created in 2007, 1/3 was taken up by foreign workers'.

I am not saying that a mass of people are becoming unemployed because of the influx of foreign talent, I am just pointing out a mistake or selective reporting that The Straits Times might have made with regards to that particular piece of news, if you can still it that.

The Straits Times, the most widely circulated paper in Singapore, might have altered the numbers in the headlines, through the use of ambiguous writing, to make it seem that foreigners are getting less of jobs created in Singapore than they actually are. Isn't this scary? This is just one instance in a single day. How many of these goes undetected? In any case, it is funny how another news outlet reports the issue differently altogether.

6 in 10 new jobs go to foreigners

SIX in ten jobs created last year went to foreigners, the first time in at least six years that their share was larger than locals.

This comes at a time when job creation is at a record high, and unemployment and retrenchment at record lows.

The Manpower Ministry noted in its latest employment report released on Thursday that both locals - Singaporeans and permanent residents -- and foreigners benefited from the strong job creation...

Hmm... food for thought: is this willfully changing the headlines to convey a different message to 'maintain stability in Singapore' or what? Sigh, each and every time this pops up, I question why am I pursuing media studies in a country with so little media freedom. Then I realise that I am doing so because it makes for such a good case study.

Let's end this post with a quote, shall we?

Repression, Sir is a habit that grows. I am told it is like making love-it is always easier the second time! The first time there may be pangs of conscience, a sense of guilt. But once embarked on this course with constant repetition you get more and more brazen in the attack. All you have to do is to dissolve organizations and societies and banish and detain the key political workers in these societies.

Then miraculously everything is tranquil on the surface. Then an intimidated press and the government-controlled radio together can regularly sing your praises, and slowly and steadily the people are made to forget the evil things that have already been done, or if these things are referred to again they're conveniently distorted and distorted with impunity, because there will be no opposition to contradict.

-Lee Kuan Yew as an opposition PAP member speaking to David Marshall, Singapore Legislative Assembly, Debates, 4 October, 1956

Disclaimer: Because this is quite sensitive, I am obliged to inform you that I did not write this post with any malicious intent, but with the intent of studying the relationship between governance and media. Nope, I do not want to be locked up under ISA. kthxbye.