SINGAPORE — In light of the recent news that SPH Media Trust’s (SMT) circulation numbers had been inflated by 10 to 12 per cent, which could potentially threaten the trust of news readers, the opposition Workers’ Party has said it will be raising a number of questions in Parliament regarding the issue next week, from Feb 6 to 8.
WP Members of Parliament Pritam Singh, Leon Perera, Gerald Giam (Aljunied GRC), Louis Chua and He Ting Ru (Sengkang GRC) and Dennis Tan (Hougang SMC) have all filed questions for the Minister for Communications and Information, Ms Josephine Teo, regarding the issue.
Mr Perera will ask the Minister, given the inconsistencies in the daily circulation numbers of SMT’s publications, whether MCI will be requiring SMT to reveal how long the circulation figures have been falsified and when SMT had planned to take action on this, as well as whether public disclosure had been planned if the news of the falsification had not been released by an alternative media outlet.
As for Mr Giam, he will ask the Minister what the terms of reference were for MCI’s review of SMT following their admission of falsification of circulation data, when the review began and when will it end, what findings there have been thus far, whether the report will be made public, and what the conditions are for public funding to SMT will be removed or reduced.
He will also ask for the source of the figures cited on in Parliament May 10, 2021, that said SPH’s newspapers’ circulation had grown by 5 per cent and ST’s circulation had grown by 20 per cent from 2017 to 2020, as well as how much bearing did this have on the Government’s decision to fund SMT, and whether Ms Teo still considers this data reliable in light of recent admissions by SMT.
A third question from Mr Giam involves the total number of newspaper copies that were printed, counted, and destroyed by SMT or its predecessor when the scheme to inflate circulation numbers was carried out; the estimated total weight of paper used; and the environmental impact of these actions.
Mr Tan will ask whether MCI will require SMT to reveal the reasons why the inconsistencies in the daily circulation numbers of SMT’s publications took a long time to be found out and made public, what’s being done to strengthen governance over such matters, as well as how these inconsistencies will impact the Government’s commitment to fund SMT.
Mr Chua will ask if MCI has reviewed the length of time in which SMT “conducted the practice of overprinting, double counting of circulation numbers and then destroying these copies, the impact of such practice on digital circulation, the effect of this practice on its financial statements and if it was deemed material, including when it was a listed company and the undertaking of regulatory actions against current or former employees and board directors for any breaches.”
Ms He is to ask Ms Teo if those involved in initiating and perpetuating the inflated circulation figures in SMT have been referred to the police for further investigation.
She will also ask what actions are to be taken against SMT “to hold it accountable for the inconsistencies in the reported daily circulation data; and whether there will be a review to the Government’s previous announcement that it will fund SMT and provide up to $900 million in funding support over the next five years.”
A third question Ms He will ask concerns MCI’s assessment of the impact of the falsification of past circulation figures by SPH “including the timing and manner in which the news was made public, particularly on public confidence and the credibility of SPH Media Trust’s current products.”
Finally, Mr Pritam Singh, the Leader of the Opposition and WP chief, will ask the Minster how the Government determines the quantum of taxpayer subsidies allocated to SMT each fiscal year; and whether these subsidies are contingent on qualitative and quantitative metrics and outcomes.
The Straits Times reported on Jan 9 about how an internal review found issues linked to circulation numbers after Wake Up, Singapore broke the story on the previous day. /TISG