Singapore. Freedom from the press: Journalism and state power in Singapore. By Cherian George. Singapore: NUS Press, 2012. Pp. xiii, 272. Notes, Bibliography, Index.

Abstract

Freedom from the press: Journalism and state power in Singapore By CHERIAN GEORGE Singapore: NUS Press, 2012. Pp. xiii, 272. Notes, Bibliography, Index. doi: 10.1017/S0022463414000204 The title of Cherian George's latest book Freedom from the press: Journalism and state power in Singapore beautifully sums up the relationship between the press and state in Singapore. Since becoming an independent nation in 1965 the island/city state has developed a reputation for rapid modernisation/development coupled with authoritarian governance (of the 'soft' kind). As George's title suggests the state has been 'free' of the press at least in terms of it providing any sort of oversight function to the practice of governance. Through various legislative and other 'control' measures introduced during the 1970s and '80s (some dating back to the colonial era) the press in Singapore has largely been made compliant with government agendas. George's own background as a Straits Times journalist and his more recent undertakings as a scholar of media, politics and power give nuance and depth to this study as well as a high degree of credibility to its findings. His closeness to the subject (on a range of levels) is perhaps what helps to provide one of the key insights offered by this study. George's approach and analysis starts from the premise that the press is 'enmeshed' in a broader system of institutions, 'shaped by historical, cultural and economic forces' (p. 15), all of which have been 'politically sterilised', rather than as many commentators seem to perceive of it (wrongly according to the author) as an institution which alone could push Singapore to democracy (p. 25). The print media is the main focus of this study because of the fact that in Singapore at least, unlike many other parts of the world, newspapers still have high circulation and continue to employ a large number of professional journalists. George also notes that, unlike the broadcast media, print media in the Republic did for a time enjoy a great degree of autonomy and thus became the target of government control. The study also examines the state's policies with regard to the Internet due to the challenges new media poses to the dominance of print media and state control. The author suggests though that the impacts of these new media should not be 'overstated' (p. 4). The study offers numerous insights into how the Singapore state has achieved the cooperation of the press. Whilst the state has wide-ranging powers to deal forcefully with any uncontrolled press outbursts, Chapter 5 highlights what is termed 'calibrated coercion' as the main element of media control. This chapter provides a keenly insightful analysis of the way in which authoritarianism works in Singapore not just in the media but historically across all potential sites of challenge to the state authority. In practice this has meant an initial harsh crackdown on dissent followed by legislation to prevent future problems and then to rewarding those who cooperate. The key element being ultimately that the state has moved from the use of draconian powers to a system of self-censorship. By practising 'self-restraint' George argues that the state has been able to 'build ideological consent' (p. 96) for itself amongst the citizenry. George suggests that this is an important reason why authoritarianism is likely to be sustainable in Singapore. Ideology coupled with economic benefits for those who conform have been much more effective as tools of 'cooptation and control' (p. …