On Sunday (7 April), an event was held at Tao Payoh Central hub and it appeared that the Info-communications Media Development Authority (IMDA) was present and “educated” the public about fake news.
According to the information that TOC received from the member of the public, the audience at the event were mostly elderly citizens, and the speaker at the event allegedly told them that they should trust mainstream media like The Straits Times (ST) and the Government.
The speaker added that they should not believe information or news that they receive from other small or independent media, including Mothership.
We were told that Senior Minister of State for Transport Janil Puthucheary who is also part of Select Committee gave the opening speech at the function.
Following his speech, the emcee highlighted to the public that they should verify small links given by other sites like Mothership, and warned them not to share posts or messages. The emcee showed the email of ST on the screen and said if they are in doubt on certain news or information, they can send an email to ST to check on the facts.