The news was published comprehensively on Zaobao and The Straits Times on 30th Aug 2008. I like the brief summary published by Zaobao, 2nd Sept:
新媒体应在负责任中开放
对于传统媒体如报章的许多读者来说，新媒体的到来似乎只是“未来世代”的事，与他们并没什么切身关系。但在科技发展一日千里的21世纪，新媒体的确是到来 了，而且对信息的流通、人际的交流，甚至政治日程与社会变迁，都产生着巨大的影响。新媒体的开放势所必然，而如何开放则是一个必须深思熟虑的课题。新媒体的传讯方式相当广泛，包括电脑上的互联网、网络论坛、博客（blog)、播客（podcast）、影像播客（vodcast）、网络视频、手机简 讯（SMS)、手机电视、公民新闻（citizen journalism）等等。新媒体无远弗届，网络通全球，并在弹指之间接触到千万个用户，威力之大可想而知。
李显龙总理在8月17日 国庆群众大会演说中，便指出新加坡目前有超过80％的家庭享有宽频网络服务，手机户头也多达600万个，互联网和多媒体已成了许多人生活的一部分。他也提 醒，像在网上散播匿名假信息而造成的韩国“疯牛症风波”这类不负责任的媒体运作，将对社会造成很大的祸害，须要设法管制和避免。
由13名各具不同背景的人士组成的新媒体咨询理事会，经过一年半考察和意见征询，参考了韩国、加拿大、美国、中国等国的经验后，上星期五发表了报告书。接下来的六至八周内，理事会将通过网络论坛、博客等方式进一步征询民众的意见，才敲定完整的报告书提交给政府。
理事会主席是新加坡报业控股英文／马来文报前集团总编辑张业成，记者会上他强调政府和网民双方都应改变思考模式，抛弃成见，以开明的胸襟在新媒体的桥梁 上相会。与此同时，理事会所作的研究与提呈的报告，可说已相当清晰地给我们勾勒出新媒体的利与弊，以及政府和民间能够采取的应对办法。
比如报告指出，禁止任何人制作及播放政治影片的“影片法令第33节条文”，现已过时。因为被禁的影片一旦放在YouTube网站上，任何人都可以看到。所 以，改变相关法律是必要的步骤。然而，正如报告书所指出，用法律来管制互联网只是最后的手段，光靠政府一方面去监督也不够，政府应号召社会发挥集体力量， 共同维护健康的网络气候。
对于这一点，我们表示赞同。我们欢迎对新媒体采取更开放宽容的态度，给予它更大的政治空间，但我们也认为，这 种开放应该是以一种负责任的方式进行，应该受到理性与道德力量的约束，应该考虑到新加坡社会的特殊性，不应动摇对新加坡的生存发展至关重要的政治稳定。正 如张业成受访时说，咨询团问过的每个人都认为，放宽网络政治空间势所必然，但完全开放却也是危险的，而他个人认为，对付不实网络评论的最佳武器，是“可信 度”。
的确，“可信度”或“公信力”正是新媒体目前所缺乏、而这也是一些老品牌传统媒体所拥有的宝贵资产。相对于多数新媒体为求快求爽 而传播未经查证的信息，传统媒体所刊登的新闻是经过专业新闻工作者的处理和过滤、将信息的砂砾去芜存菁后的准确可靠的内容；相对于新媒体论坛充斥着即时反 应性的快评，传统媒体的言论比较理性和深思熟虑。这些都是广大受众信赖传统媒体的主要原因，是它目前享有的一大竞争优势。
然而，若在解 除对新媒体的限制、让它享有更大空间并逐渐纳入主流的同时，没有相应检讨传统媒体所受到的限制、相应开放其空间的话，那它目前的优势将会渐渐失去，将目前 的主流地位拱手相让，将受众的眼球推向日新月异的新媒体，尤其是年轻一代。社会所不可或缺的严肃理性的论坛也将因此而逐渐削弱式微。
新 加坡有今日的成就，负责任的传统媒体在营造共识、促进和谐、维持稳定等方面扮演了重要的角色、贡献了一份力量。如何在新时代中，确保传统媒体与新媒体相辅 相成，而不是此消彼长，削弱社会的一股重要的建设性力量，是我们在讨论如何开放新媒体时所必须正视、必须周全考虑的问题。
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Who is AIMS?
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Related story
SINGAPORE: The Advisory Council on the Impact of New Media on Society has suggested that the making and distribution of political films be allowed and the ban on 100 websites in Singapore be lifted. The council was appointed in March last year. Its task is to propose suggestions on how the government can better manage new media issues while keeping up with the development in this area.
Over one year, the council focused on four key areas of the new media. They include electronic engagement, which calls on the government to intensify its communication with the citizens using new media like blogs and online forums.
Cheong Yip Seng, chairman, Advisory Council, Impact of New Media on Society, said: "Going forward, political contest is not just going to be confined to the old channels of newspapers, television. Increasingly, political discourse is going to take place online.
"There's no running away from the fact that the new media is an important channel of communication and it's an important tool for politicians to attract support and raise funds."
On regulation of online political content, the council suggested narrowing the scope of law or even revoking it.
Professor Tan Cheng Han, deputy chairman, Advisory Council, Impact of New Media on Society, said: "That was controversial because some of us were in favour of repeal of the provision. Others wanted a more nuanced view relating to amendment and were not prepared to go quite as far as this.
"Another controversial area related to the ban on 100 websites. While some of us recognised its symbolic purpose, we also felt that it misleads the public into thinking that there's a great deal more safety than there really is and therefore we were in favour of repeal. Others wanted to keep it because they felt it sent a good symbolic message."
The council is also calling for an agency to introduce a national strategy for cyber safety for the protection of minors.
As for intermediary immunity for online defamation, one suggestion is to give limited immunity to the middlemen like internet content hosts.
The committee admitted it did not cover all the issues concerning new media as it was focusing on those that were more time sensitive.
Going forward, the committee said the government needs to pay attention to other issues like the protection of private information on the internet as well as copyrights.
An independent current affairs website, The Online Citizen, hopes bloggers will analyse the report and give feedback.
Gerald Giam, deputy editor of The Online Citizen, said: "I'm personally quite happy to see that among the recommendations is a repeal of the law that bans political films and that's a step forward and hopefully will come out in the final recommendation as well.
"I don't think we should be waiting for the government to give us the stamp of approval before we start moving forward and doing some work ourselves."
Revealing its recommendations on Friday, the council is also calling for public feedback via its new website www.aims.org.sg.
It will study the public feedback before revising and submitting recommendations to the government by November this year. - CNA/vm
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