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  • Essay / Laws to combat online lies in Singapore media

    Online lies have been spreading rapidly in Singapore media since the inception of the Internet. It is a negative voice, thought, comment, or attack that someone makes against a person or organization. This is falsely demonstrated, which can have a significant impact, such as affecting racial and religious harmony or national security. The Singapore government has passed many relevant laws, such as the Sedition Act, the Internal Security Act (ISA), the Telecommunications Act, the Defamation Act and the Penal Code, to prevent cases of lies online. With many existing laws imposed against online lies, the government should not enact more laws to prevent and combat lies. Because this will prevent people from expressing their opinions, which will create even more discontent among them as their voices will not be heard. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”?Get the original essayAccording to Channel News Asia's Bharati Jagdish (2018) discussion on online lies, he believes that online users can use the information provided by others as a discussion platform, to elevate their understanding of the situation and become a thinking society. The opinions people express online help create a platform for discussion, where people can read to understand what others think about a situation that is occurring. This interaction allows people to freely express their opinions, provided that it does not target any individual or organization and does not undermine racial and religious harmony or national security. Thanks to existing laws, the government can prosecute offenders who cause an online sensation. A good example of how these laws are imposed can be seen in a recent online lie published by The Real Singapore (TRS). The founder and co-founder of TRS were charged with sedition and jailed for spreading news about a Filipino family complaining about Singaporeans playing loud music during the Thaipusam religious festival to generate revenue. In this case, TRS news may affect societal trust and peace between foreigners and Singaporeans. Will implementing more laws on online lies endanger the work of journalists? An economic factor to consider. According to the Editor-in-Chief of Singapore Press Holdings (SPH), Mr. Warren Fernandez (2018), he mentioned that the laws imposed should have clear but subtle differences between deliberate and unintentional spreading of lies. With more laws applied to existing laws, it makes the journalist's job difficult. Because people don't want to disclose information, they might be afraid of being accused of unintentional crimes. Eventually, the work of journalists becomes more difficult and many will not want to pursue this profession due to the limitations. However, enacting additional laws to prevent and combat online falsehoods may be necessary to help expand the boundaries of existing laws. According to Mr. Edwin Tong, MP for Marine Parade GRC (2018), he mentioned that topics related to lies are not covered in depth when dealing with the perpetrators. When a new piece of news catches the attention of others, the gist of the lie remains unresolved. Therefore, the new approach to this situation would be to reduce the lying situation before returning to the next problem. An example would be ».