While members of the media were advised against approaching the students and staff of River Valley High School on the day the alleged murder of a Secondary One student took place, they were entitled to be in nearby public areas “as long as they wanted”, said Parliamentary Secretary for Communications and Information Rahayu Mahzam in Parliament on Tuesday (3 August).
A 16-year-old student from the school has been charged with murdering the Secondary One boy. An axe was seized by the police as evidence.
Citing online accounts from affected students, Alex Yam of Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC asked if there were more measures that the Ministry of Communications and Information could have taken to prevent students from feeling harassed by the media on the day the tragedy took place.
Ms Rahayu said that the Government is “fully aware of the anguish felt by the students and parents” and had sought the media’s understanding to refrain from approaching students and school staff outside the River Valley High premises.
“However, as reporters and media crew are in public areas … They were entitled to be there as long as they wanted, because they were not breaking any public safety laws. So there was only so much the authorities could do to actually disperse them,” she added.
“I understand this is something that was causing pain to the staff and students. But we hope this is something we can continue to manage,” said Ms Rahayu.
“We must understand that it was not just the media – both mainstream as well as online – but also members of the public who gathered outside the school once the news broke, to offer their condolences and support, and expressions of sympathy.
“So we continue to appeal to both media and well-intentioned members of the public to give the much needed space to affected students and staff in such situations.”
Earlier, Workers’ Party Member of Parliament (MP) He Ting Ru of Sengkang GRC had asked for media guidelines on approaching minors in the aftermath of traumatic events such as the River Valley High incident.
Ms Rahayu replied that when a traumatic incident occurs, students and staff are naturally very affected, and safeguarding their wellbeing must be prioritised.
However, she noted that there is a “high level of public interest and concern” regarding such incidents, and said that the Government understands that “the media has a responsibility to ensure accurate news reporting”.
Such reporting can help prevent panic stemming from rumours and fake news circulating among the public, said Ms Rahayu.
Concurring with Education Minister Chan Chun Sing’s ministerial statement on 27 July regarding the tragedy, Ms Rahayu noted that the media were not granted access to the school compound and were restricted to public areas outside the school grounds.
The media was asked not to press students or staff for interviews, or to take photographs of them in a way that could identify the individuals, she said.
Doing so would have exacerbated the stress they were going through, said Ms Rahayu.
The media were also encouraged to give the school space to recover from the incident, she added.
Additionally, the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) has also reminded the media about the legal protections accorded to those under 18 via the Children and Young Persons’ Act, said Ms Rahayu.
The Act prohibits the publishing and broadcasting of photographs and other identifying information related to minors involved in court proceedings, including of those who are called as witnesses, and even if the revelation of such information is inadvertent.
“We will continue to work closely and engage with the media to enable them to do their job even amidst such tragedies while prioritising the wellbeing of those involved,” said Ms Rahayu.
Ms He then asked what recourse is available to the public, victims, and their families if they have concerns regarding the conduct of the media in the wake of a traumatic event, and what can be done to educate them on the avenues they could pursue.
Ms Rahayu reiterated the protections offered to minors under the Children and Young Persons Act (CYPA).
“So if any mainstream or online media, or for that matter, anyone in his or her own capacity ends up publishing any information that identifies a minor, there is legal recourse to take the offender to task,” she said.
It was earlier reported that the students were ushered by staff from the school on the day of the incident and they were not permitted to speak to the media.
“We understand, of course, that this is after the fact and students and parents would rather not be put through this situation in the first place. So, we therefore appeal to the media and all members of the public to exercise empathy and good judgement,” Ms Rahayu stressed.
On 19 July — the day the incident took place — Mr Chan said in a Facebook post that his ministry and the police “will be sharing more details on the case in due course”.
MOE, he added, is rendering all possible support to the families of affected students, as well as the students and staff at the school at large.
“The safety and well-being of our students and staff are of paramount importance to us.
“We are determined to work with parents and students to keep our schools safe and have our children grow up and learn together in a trusted environment,” said Mr Chan.
