SINGAPORE ELECTIONS AND THE MAINSTREAM PRESS

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SINGAPORE ELECTIONS COMMENTARY

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SINGAPORE ELECTIONS POST-MORTEM: THE BLOGSFEAR FACTOR

Independent blogs appear to have survived the Singapore election campaign period unscathed. There have been no reports of blogs being asked by MDA to register as “political” sites, which would have had the effect of banning them from electioneering.

That bloggers’ worst fears didn’t materialise could well be due to their irrelevance in the larger scheme of things. As in GEs past, the main action was offline, at the rallies and mainstream media.

So, what difference did blogs make? There was little if anything that was “exclusive” to the blogs. Nothing approaching investigative journalism. Few (printable) perspectives that hadn’t already been given some airing elsewhere.

Probably the most widely circulated blog contributions were the pictures of the WP’s Hougang rally, showing an absolutely packed field. Humour was also popular: the Mr Brown Show's "persistently non-political podcast", in particular, was a delicious talking point.

POST-ELECTION UPDATE, 8 MAY 9.30PM

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