RSF Press Freedom Index Questionnaire

Below is the questionnaire that RSF distributes to press freedom monitors. My own crude assessment of Singapore’s press freedom situation is indicated in the form of the following code:

= Definitely a problem in Singapore.

= Definitely not a problem in Singapore.

😐 = Difficult to say (criterion is subject to interpretation and debatable; or facts are hard to prove; or may vary from year to year.)

– Cherian George

PHYSICAL ATTACKS, IMPRISONMENT AND DIRECT THREATS

During this period, were there any cases of journalists:

😐 1. Being illegally detained (without an arrest warrant, for longer than the maximum period of police custody, without a court appearance etc)?

2. Being tortured or ill-treated?

3. Being kidnapped or disappearing?

😐 4. Fleeing the country as a result of harassment?

During this period, were there:

5. Armed militias or secret organisations regularly targeting journalists?

6. Journalists who had to have bodyguards or use security measures (such wearing bulletproof jackets or using bulletproof vehicles) in the course of their work?

INDIRECT THREATS, PRESSURES AND ACCESS TO INFORMATION

During this period, were there cases of (Yes/No):

😐 7. Surveillance of journalists by the state (were journalists’ phones tapped, were they followed etc)?

😐 8. Journalists employed by privately-owned media being forced to stop working because of threats or political pressure?

9. Serious difficulty accessing public or official information (such as refusal by officials to provide information, information being provided selectively, according to the media’s editorial position)?

😐 10. Restrictions on access to or coverage of any regions in the country (such as an official ban or strict government controls)?

😐 11. Foreign journalists deported or prevented from entering the country?

CENSORSHIP AND SELF-CENSORSHIP

😐 12. How many news media were censored, had issues seized, had their premises ransacked or had their operating licence withdrawn by the state?

During this period, was there (Yes/No):

13. Systematic prior censorship of all the media (control before publication)? This refers not to a media regulatory body but to government or military censorship offices that inspect all state and privately-owned media content prior to publication or broadcasting and can order the suppression of any item.

14. Widespread self-censorship in the privately-owned media? Give a score from 0 (none) to 5 (strong self-censorship).

😐 15. Important news that was suppressed or not covered because of political or business pressure? Give examples.

16. Frequent detailed investigative reporting on a range of sensitive subjects?

PUBLIC MEDIA

During this period, was there or were there (Yes/No):

17. A state monopoly of TV?

😐 18. A state monopoly of radio?

19. A state monopoly of printing or distribution facilities?

20. Government control of what the state-owned media publish or broadcast?

😐 21. Unjustified dismissals of journalists in the state-owned media?

22. Opposition access to state-owned media? Give a score from 0 (no access at all) to 5 (free and fair access).

ECONOMIC, LEGAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE PRESSURE

During this period, was there or were there (Yes/No):

😐 23. Unjustified or improper use of fines, summonses or legal action against journalists or media outlets?

😐 24. Attempts to violate the confidentiality of journalistic sources (by means of investigation, interrogation, prosecution and so on)?

😐 25. Use of the withdrawal of advertising to pressure news media (in which the government or state agencies stop buying advertising space or the government gets private firms to do this)?

26. A requirement to obtain a licence in order to start up a newspaper or magazine?

27. Serious threats to news diversity, including threats resulting from narrow ownership of media outlets? Give a score from 0 (no threat) to 5 (very serious threat).

28. A government takeover of any privately-owned media during this period, either directly or through government-controlled firms?

INTERNET AND NEW MEDIA

During this period, was there or were there (Yes/No):

29. A state monopoly of Internet service providers (ISPs)?

30. Cases of access to news, cultural or political websites being blocked by filtering mechanisms or being closed down by the authorities?

😐 31. Cases of cyber-dissidents or bloggers being detained for more than a day? How many?

NUMBER OF JOURNALISTES MURDERED, DETAINED, PHYSICALLY ATTACKED OR THREATENED, AND GOVERNMENT’S ROLE IN THIS

During this period, how many journalists, media assistants or press freedom activists:

32. Were killed in connection with their work?

33. Were killed in situations in which the government was involved?

34. Were detained or jailed (for more than 48 hours)?

35. Were still in prison at the end of this period as a result of receiving a long jail sentence (more than a year) for a press offence?

36. Were physically attacked or injured?

37. Were any or all of these acts of violence carried out by representatives of the state (such as police, soldiers, political leaders or ruling party activists)?

38. In the above cases, did the authorities do their best to punish those responsible for these press freedom violations? Give a score from 0 (no efforts) to 5 (strong efforts).

39. Or did the authorities take steps to prevent those responsible for these press freedom violations from being prosecuted (for example, by blocking investigations or postponing trials indefinitely)? Give examples.

COUNTRY MEDIA DATA

Give an estimate of the number of:

40. Independent or opposition news media operating in the country (excluding media based abroad).

For RSF Press Freedom Index Methodology, click here.