Media regulation in Singapore : empirical study of the instruments of media policy and its efficiency with regard to the attainment of political objectives

• Main Author: Carsten, Gäbel
• Other Authors: Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information
• Format: Theses and Dissertations
• Language: Other
• Published: 2010
• Subjects: DRNTU::Social sciences::Mass media::Media law, ethics and policy
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/41146
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Singapore's government justifies the regulation and control of the media by drawing on the “Developmental Concept”, a variation of authoritarian media theory that delineates the role of the media in developing countries. Singapore's government regards the city-state to be a country which is still in the process of development. According to the “Developmental Concept” the media have to contribute to the process of “Nation Building”. The political leadership demands to be in charge of directing this development, thus subordinating the media under its rule. The empirical study at hand examines if Singapore's government is in fact achieving its objectives by taking advantage of the media. The study concludes that the media in Singapore foster economic growth. However, the results do not prove with certitude that media regulation and media policy make the media contribute to the development of harmony between races and religions, the maintenance of national security, the genesis of a national identity and the installation of a strong media industry in Singapore. Nonetheless, the empirical study shows that the government successfully takes advantage of the media in order to consolidate its predominance and power position.