Customer Reviews

Contentious Journalism And the Internet: Towards Democratic Discourse in Malaysia And Singapore

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"Contentious Journalism and the Internet" is an interesting examination of the new avenues for political reporting and expression outside of the mainstream media in Malaysia and Singapore that have arisen with the advent of the Internet. The book presents a contrast between the traditional models for print and television news, which are largely controlled by the state, and new models of online media that have emerged to offer oppositional viewpoints to a wider audience than ever before. Cherian George presents case studies of four very different Internet news sources, two from Singapore and two from Malaysia, each of which has a very distinct approach to journalism and to managing the significant risks associated with publishing articles that are critical of an authoritarian government. The book offers excellent insight into how technology and the desire of Singapore and Malaysia to be competitive in the high tech market have forced their governments to accept some loss of control over information, while still retaining a great deal of state control through the threat of severe penalties for expressing oppositional points of view.

Perhaps the most interesting element of "Contentious Journalism and the Internet" is the dichotomy that allows each of these websites to exist in societies where political forces have a vested interest in shutting down free speech and ample power to exercise that option. Cherian George notes how the huge economic potential of the Internet has driven both countries (perhaps grudgingly) towards increasing levels of press freedom. In an attempt to woo companies to the area, both have made huge investments in technology infrastructure which has created the physical framework for unprecedented communication. The author posits that the subsequent success in attracting global companies has resulted in a risk versus reward choice for the two states, whose economic fates are now closely tied to their ability to provide access to open networks. Both governments have opted to relinquish some control over their press in order to open their doors to businesses that rely heavily on the information superhighway.

George's evaluation of the intersection of technology, journalism and government is helpful in understanding how the societies in Singapore and Malaysia have developed in response to becoming part of a larger global economy, and how those societies may continue to evolve going forward. George's analysis suggests that the greater freedom of press enabled by the Internet will create an unprecedented level of public discourse in Singapore and Malaysia that increasingly engages global participants, rather than simply the one dimensional message of those in power. It seems likely that, as external business interests and other global constituencies begin to influence public policy in the region, internal controls will correspondingly loosen to allow more divergent opinions to be expressed without fear of government reprisal.