Media in Singapore is probably going to split in two segments or already is. One is the big companies supported by the establishment, big companies and the wealthy, and the other made up of curators of information generated by the population at large.
One is supported financially by advertisement and backroom deals while the other is able to sustainability and still profit through advertisement, such google ads, with its mass readership as it is not burdened with massive staffing cost and infrastructure to generate the content that they publish.
But before one should say it is just another eventuality of how society progresses, one should ask if this is a good development to our society.
One planders to those in power while the other to the masses. One crafts stories to fit agendas, while the other crafts to hit readership target. One reports half-truths to hide the truth, the other re-angle stories to hit the soft spot or trigger point of readers.
The sad part of this, is that not about the agencies doing what they do but the readers who do not realise that for themselves.
As for the disappointing part in this, is that the government which is entrusted with the development of this country, chooses to weed out competition for its propaganda machinery via regulation such as Newspaper Printing Presses Act and MDA financing regulation, and yet be contented to allow certain publications that do not pose a threat to carry on. Resulting in the eventual divide of the nation with readers being polarised by the extreme end of stories with no capacity to critically think what is in the best interest of them and the country.
I just wonder for the interest of the country, how would there be progress or positive changes to the society if there is no meaningful discussion to talk about the pros and cons of issues. Instead of having the people in power behave in a reactionary or patronising manner with ill thought of policies or measures which the population not knowing any better.
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