WP Chief Pritam Singh posts about visit to ST newsroom, supporters urge WP to be wary of mainstream media

Singapore — Leaders from the opposition Workers Party (WP) recently paid a visit to the newsroom of the Straits Times, which has been revamped. WP head Pritam Singh, WP Non-Constituency MPs Leon Perera, and Daniel Goh, were hosted by editor Warren Fernandez.

Mr Singh posted about the visit on his Facebook page, and an interview with Messrs Perera and Goh was featured in a 7-minute ST In the Newsroom segment, posted on ST’s website on Thursday, May 30.

The interview tackled media strategies and the spread of information, as the two, respectively, are deputy chair and chair of the WP’s media team.

According to the ST report, Mr Singh had been asked to be interviewed as well, but he encouraged the party’s media heads to field the ST interview, saying his interview would follow “at an appropriate time.”

He explained that he wanted the two men to have more exposure from the media so that he would not be the only object of attention.

When asked about how he engages with media, Dr Goh, a sociologist at the National University of Singapore, joked that he holds “Straits Times at arm’s length.”

Mr Singh included photos of the interview on his Facebook post, as well as one with the WP leaders along with the team from ST.

He wrote that he was “very impressed with the team that prepares ST’s interactive content,” he also emphasized the historically precarious relationship the opposition has had with mainstream media.

“On a more serious note, opposition parties in Singapore have traditionally had a difficult relationship with the mainstream media. The reasons are varied and unsurprisingly, political in nature. Many are rooted in the first generation of PAP leaders interpretation of the media’s role in society.”

However, he stated at the end of his post that “mainstream media is not our (WP’s) adversary,” since the WP’s “focus as a political party and opposition is the betterment of Singapore and its people.”

He also acknowledged “that the mainstream media remains an important conduit for getting the Party’s message out and it was helpful for both sides to engage in some candid sharing.”

Mr Singh’s post has gained a lot of attention on his page, with many commenters urging caution when it comes to mainstream media.

Others expressed hope that ST would be ‘fair’ to the Workers’ Party.

Others wondered if the invite from ST was to boost its flagging sales

And still other netizens wondered if the WP visit to ST has anything to do with the upcoming General Election

/TISG

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