Singapore, which has one of the strictest and regulated cultures among nations nominally considered "free", has declined to force bloggers to register with the government's media watchdog agency. Referring to blogging as "old wine in new bottles," Singapore determined that bloggers do little other than post their own thoughts to web pages, amd that represents no threat to public order:

Singapore’s National Internet Advisory Committee has abandoned an idea to make it compulsory for bloggers to register with the media watchdog.

The popularity of blogs or online journals prompted the committee to consider requiring their authors to register with Singapore’s Media Development Authority (MDA).

Political and religious parties, Internet service providers, and online newspapers already come under this rule.

The NIAC decided that bloggers who posted material "against the public and society interest" could get prosecuted under other laws, and that registration with the MDA amounted to a redundancy. The definition of that activity gets rather broad in Singapore. Freedom House notes that Singapore earns a "Not Free" status for press freedom for its heavy-handed management of the media:

Media freedom in Singapore is constrained to such a degree that the vast majority of journalists practice self-censorship rather than risk being charged with defamation or breaking the country's criminal laws on permissible speech. The constitution provides the right to freedom of speech and expression in Article 14 but permits restrictions on these rights. Legal constraints include strict censorship laws, including the Newspaper and Printing Presses Act, which allows authorities to restrict the circulation of any foreign periodical for publishing news that interferes in domestic politics, and the Internal Security Act (ISA). ...

The vast majority of print and broadcast media outlets, as well as Internet service providers and cable television services, are either owned or controlled by the state or by companies with close ties to the ruling party. ... Internet use is widespread but the Internet is under the supervision of the Singapore Broadcast Authority, which controls access to Web sites and censors some information, and political and religious Web sites are required to register with the government's Media Development Authority.

In addition, Singapore requires native publications to acquire government licenses annually to operate legally. Given all of that, it hardly comes as a surprise that the local media tempers its criticism of the very government that can put them out of business. Also, Singapore has allowed media convergence to bring almost all of the major domestic news sources under the ownership of a few people with strong ties to the ruling party, eliminating competition and the temptation to publish exposés that it brings.

Blogggers in Singapore may rest a bit easier with this ruling, but they shouldn't. In this case, the bloggers should insist that they get the same treatment that the media receives -- or better yet, that the media should get the same treatment that the bloggers receive and demand freedom of the press in Singapore. Since they cannot do that with safety, the rest of us should demand it for them.

We may be old wine in new bottles, but when we want, we can be stronger than vinegar. (via It Shines For All)

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