Importance Of Self Regulation In The Media

Tutorial Paper Essay

This paper addresses the topic of self-regulation in the media, and how self-regulation work in the context of the media and communication industry in Singapore.

By definition, self-regulation is a “joint endeavour by media professionals to set up voluntary editorial guidelines and abide by them in a learning process open to the public. By doing so, the independent media accept their share of responsibility for the quality of public discourse in the nation, while fully preserving their editorial autonomy in shaping it.” (Haraszti, 2008)

It is important to note that self-regulation in a Singaporean context is not necessarily the same process of regulation like the west. Singapore is a generally conservative majority – which makes up much of Singapore’s dominant elite. Singaporean media still is, like many other countries, serving its role as a “subset of culture and cultural discourses,” and a medium “where ideas, ideology and ideologies are communicated, circulated and entrenched”. However, Singaporean media is different because the government has been able to control media’s earliest manifestations and forms, ensuring that the media becomes tool in furthering social-cultural, economic and political agenda. (Lee, 2010)

The media thus needs to reflect important moral values as a public good. “The government has defined the key role the media is to play in society – that of contributing to national development by informing, educating and entertaining