Introduction to Censorship in Singapore
Censorship in Singapore
has been a heavily debated topic, and Singaporean Authorities have been criticized countlessly because of their iron grip on Singapore’s publications and other broadcasting methods.Some criticize authorities in Singapore for their seemingly irrational censorship of certain material in Singapore. Are these claims inequitable or are they a true reflection of Singapore’s Censorship laws?To find out more about censorship in Singapore, continue reading the following posts written by our very own JJC students,which are divided into various forms of publications and broadcast methods.
The categories to be explained are
-television and broadcasting
-radio
-internet
-books and publications
-games
-films
Please click on the CATEGORY LINKS on the right hand side of the page for easy navigation!
Broadcasting Censorship – Chia Teck Thong
.
“Authority” means the Media Development Authority of Singapore established under the Media Development Authority of Singapore Act (Cap. 172);
“broadcasting apparatus” means any apparatus capable of or designed or constructed for the reception of any broadcasting service and specified in the First Schedule;
“broadcasting apparatus licence” means a licence granted under section 20 in respect of broadcasting apparatus, and “broadcasting apparatus licensee” shall be construed accordingly;
“broadcasting licence” means a licence granted under section 8 or 9 for the provision of a licensable broadcasting service, and “broadcasting licensee” shall be construed accordingly;
“broadcasting service” means a service whereby signs or signals transmitted, whether or not encrypted, comprise —
(a) any programme capable of being received, or received and displayed, as visual images, whether moving or still;
(b) any sound programme for reception; or
(c) any programme, being a combination of both visual image (whether moving or still) and sound for reception or reception and display,
by persons having equipment appropriate for receiving, or receiving and displaying, as the case may be, that service, irrespective of the means of delivery of that service;
“Chairman” means the Chairman of the Authority and includes any temporary Chairman of the Authority;
“chief executive” means the chief executive of the Authority appointed under section 28 of the Media Development Authority of Singapore Act (Cap. 172) and includes any person acting in that capacity;
“class licence” means a licence determined under section 9 to be applicable to certain licensable broadcasting services, and “class licensee” shall be construed accordingly;
“Code of Practice” means a Code of Practice issued under this Act;
“debenture” includes debenture stock;
“dwelling-house” includes a hotel, inn, boarding house or other similar establishment;
“encrypted” means treated electronically or otherwise for the purpose of preventing intelligible reception;
“free-to-air broadcasting service” means a licensable broadcasting service made available for reception in not less than 2 dwelling-houses by broadcasting apparatus commonly available to the public without payment of a subscription fee;
“free-to-air licence” means a broadcasting licence granted under this Act for the operation of a free-to-air broadcasting service, and “free-to-air licensee” shall be construed accordingly;
“Info-communications Development Authority of Singapore” means the Info-communications Development Authority of Singapore established under section 3 of the Info-communications Development Authority of Singapore Act (Cap. 137A);
“licence” means a licence granted under any provision of this Act, and “licensee” shall be construed accordingly;
” behalf of the Government.
WHO ENFORCES THE MEDIA LAWS
The Minister may, after consultation with a person to whom this section applies, give to that person such directions as he thinks fit as to the exercise by that person of its functions under this Act.
(2) Without prejudice to the generality of subsection (1), if it appears to the Minister to be requisite or expedient to do so —
(a) on the occurrence of any public emergency, in the public interest or in the interests of public security, national defence or relations with the government of another country; or
(b) in order —
(i) to discharge or facilitate the discharge of an obligation binding on the Government by virtue of its being a member of an international organisation or a party to an international agreement;
(ii) to attain or facilitate the attainment of any other object the attainment of which is in the opinion of the Minister requisite or expedient in view of the Government being a member of such an organisation or a party to such an agreement; or
(iii) to enable the Government to become a member of such an organisation or a party to such an agreement,
the Minister may, after consultation with a person to whom this section applies, give such directions to that person as are necessary in the circumstances of the case.
(3) Any directions given under subsection (1) or (2) may include provisions for —
(a) the prohibition or regulation of any broadcasting service;
(b) the taking of, the control of or the use for official purposes of, all or any system and equipment used in the provision of any broadcasting service; and
(c) the stopping, delaying and censoring of messages and the carrying out of any other purposes which the Minister thinks necessary.
(4) A person to whom this section applies shall give immediate effect to any directions given to him under subsection (1) or (2) notwithstanding any other duty imposed on him by or under this Act.
(5) A person to whom this section applies shall not disclose any directions given to him under subsection (1) or (2) if the Minister notifies him that the Minister is of the opinion that the disclosure of the directions is against the public interest.
(6) The Minister may —
(a) pay compensation for any damage caused to a licensee by reason of its compliance with the directions of the Minister under subsection (3) (b); or
(b) make grants to licensees for defraying or contributing towards any losses which they may sustain by reason of their compliance with the directions of the Minister under any other provisions of this section.
(7) Any sums required by the Minister for paying compensation or making grants under subsection (6) shall be paid out of the Consolidated Fund.
(8) This section shall apply to the Authority and to any person who is a licensee.
(9) If any doubt arises as to the existence of a public emergency or as to whether any act done under this section was in the public interest or in the interests of public security, national defence or relations with the government of another country, a certificate signed by the Minister shall be conclusive evidence of the matters stated therein.
What Kind of Penalties ??????
Apr 25, 2008
SINGAPORE (AFP) — A Singapore television channel has been fined 15,000 Singapore dollars (11,200 US) for promoting a gay lifestyle, the media regulator said.
MediaCorp TV Channel 5 was fined for an episode of a home decor series, “Find and Design”, which contained several scenes of a gay couple with their baby, the Media Development Authority said in a statement issued late Thursday.
In the episode concerned MDA said the host of the show helped a gay couple transform their room into a new nursery for their adopted baby and congratulated and acknowledged them as a family unit.
The episode, which aired in January, “normalises their gay lifestyle and unconventional family setup”, MDA said.
This was in breach of the code governing programmes which are available free over the air, it said. The code disallows programmes that promote, justify or glamorise gay lifestyles.
Singapore, Southeast Asia’s most advanced economy, maintains strict censorship laws.
Earlier this month, MDA fined a cable television operator 10,000 dollars for broadcasting an advertisement featuring lesbian kissing.
As part of major revisions of the Penal Code approved by parliament last year, Singapore legalised oral and anal sex between heterosexual couples but retained a law that criminalises intercourse between gay men.
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong favoured the retention of the law, saying Singapore remains a conservative society — with the traditional family as its main building block — and homosexuals cannot set the tone for the mainstream.
Abolishing the law could “send the wrong signal” and push gay activists to ask for more concessions, such as same-sex marriage and parenting, Lee said.
Internet Censorship – Caroline Fok
Internet censorship in Singapore is hard to maintain as the internet is still a relatively new medias compared to televisions or radios. With 66.3% of the population ( an estimate in 2006 ) being internet users, it is hard to censor things from those of an unsuitable age for it.
Who does the censorship in SG? Who enforces censorship in SG?
The Media Development Authority (MDA) enforces censorship in Singapore. The National Internet Advisory Committee (NIAC) was formed in 1996 to help advise the MDA on its Internet policies and regulations governing the Internet, new media and related services.
India: India has created to sections within the government to regulate the internet, the Computer Emergency Response Team and Cyber Crime Investigation Cell.
Computer Emergency Response Team, or CERT-IN are a means to regulate internet traffic thats flowing in and out of India.
Cyber Crime Investigation Cell which part of Mumbai Police, India carries out punishments involving cyber crime and to enforce provisions of India’s Infomation Technology Law.
What governs censorship in SG? (What is censored, or not, and why)
MDA censors websites and blogs containing material that may be a threat to public security, national defense, racial and religious harmony and public morality.
The MDA’s Internet Code of Practice which defines content that is deemed unsuitable for the public, which Internet Service Providers (ISP) must adhere to blocking, as that which:
-nudity is displayed in a titillating fashion;
-promotes sexual violence and explicit sexual activity is being shown;
-encourages homosexuality,lesbianism and pedophilia ( depicting sexual activity with a persons that appears to be 16 years of age or below), depicting incest, bestiality, pedophilia, or necrophilia;
-depicts extreme violence or cruelty;
-”glorifies, incites or endorses ethnic, racism or religious hatred, strife or intolerance
An Extract from the Media Development Authority’s Internet Code of Practice
“4- (1) Prohibited material is material that is objectionable on the grounds of public interest, public morality, public order, public security, national harmony, or is otherwise prohibited by applicable Singapore laws.
(2) In considering what is prohibited material, the following factors should be taken into account:
(a) whether the material depicts nudity or genitalia in a manner calculated to titillate;
(b) whether the material promotes sexual violence or sexual activity involving coercion or non-consent of any kind;
(c) whether the material depicts a person or persons clearly engaged in explicit sexual activity;
(d) whether the material depicts a person who is, or appears to be, under 16 years of age in sexual activity, in a sexually provocative manner or in any other offensive manner;
(e) whether the material advocates homosexuality or lesbianism, or depicts or promotes incest, paedophilia, bestiality and necrophilia;’“
India:
CERT-IN handles Internet security and many institutions and agencies are allowed to call on it, including the home affairs ministry, courts, the intelligence services, the police and the head of the National Human Rights Commission.
How is censorship exercised in SG (compare different mediums, laws, hardware, software)
In 2001, the NIAC developed an Industry Content Code to help build up a culture of responsibility among Internet industry members and encourage industry co-regulation. The Industry Content Code, which was drawn up by the NIAC Industry Sub-Committee in consultation with industry members, lists down industry best practices that will complement existing regulations and
guidelines governing Internet content in Singapore.
MDA developed the Voluntary Content Code for Self-Regulation of Mobile Content(Mobile Content Code). The Mobile Content Code is a joint collaborative effort of the NIAC and the three local telecommunication companies – MobileOne, SingTel Mobile and StarHub Mobile, and it seeks to protect the young from undesirable content that can be accessed through mobile devices. The Mobile Content Code was launched in March 2006
NIAC notes that the three main ISPs are already offering Family Access Network (FAN) packages
– an optional network-based filtering service to which parents can subscribe to
manage their children’s access to undesirable content on the Internet.
What kind of penalties are exercised?
MDA can issue penalties for violations, including fines or a license suspension or termination for non-compliance
The Internet Code of Practice does not provide for any restrictions or penalties imposed on users; however, violation of other laws, such as those banning possession of pornography, may subject an Internet user to criminal penalties. In addition, the government has been accused of manufacturing charges against political dissidents and of monitoring the Internet use of suspected dissidents; the Computer Misuse Act and similar legislation have greatly increased the government’s authority to monitor and decrypt Internet content. Even if few such charges are filed, the threat thereof may serve to deter political opposition in Singapore.
Examples of Censorship Penalties:
1 website has been banned from Singapore for posting unsuitable material that show nudity and homosexuality. The site has been banned as MDA supposedly could not find its owners or operators, so they could impose penalties on the perpetrators.
Newspaper article taken from the Strait Times, Singapore
Oct28,2005
Straits Times
MDA bans gay website and fines another one
by Chua Hian Hou
The authorities here have taken action against two websites popular with gay men here following complaints that the sites contained offensive content.
One of the websites, which promoted promiscuous homosexual behaviour and recruited underage boys for sex and nude photography, was put on the Media Development Authority’s (MDA) list of 100 banned websites in July, after it received ’several’ complaints about it in March.
The MDA ban means that Singapore surfers will no longer be able to access the site – which is hosted overseas – from their home computers.
The other website, titled ‘Meet Gay Singapore Friends’, was warned by the MDA to remove ‘offensive’ content found on it and fined $5,000 last month for its transgressions. It has heeded the warning.
The MDA declined to say whether it had taken action against other websites, homosexual or otherwise, in the past. It also did not disclose the list of 100 banned websites, but noted that 98 of them contained pornographic materials, and two were religious extremist websites.
MDA spokesman Kwan Sui Fen said it took action after ’several complaints this year’ about the two sites.
Investigations showed that they had breached its Internet Code of Practice, which governs the content of websites here.
The two sites violated ‘Part 4′ of the Code, which includes depictions of ‘nudity or genitalia in a manner calculated to titillate’, and material advocating homosexuality or paedophilia.
One of the complainants, Mr Ricky Lee, a 33-year-old freelance software programmer, told The Straits Times that the local site that was fined used to have nude pictures and videos of gay men having sex, but these have been removed.
Besides pornographic pictures and videos, the banned overseas site also provided listings of public swimming pools without shower doors and pickup places for casual sex, information about mass orgies here, and even explicit personal advertisements recruiting underage boys for sex or nude photography.
Said Mr Lee ‘People have the right to their choice of lifestyle – and I don’t have a problem with that. But the way the sites glamorise a promiscuous gay lifestyle and try to entice young boys to join this lifestyle…is very wrong.’
His worries grew when the sites’ tactics appeared to work – the number of people registering for the sites has been growing.
For example, the banned site’s registered members grew from 60,000 last year – when Mr Lee first stumbled upon it – to more than 330,000 this year. Mr Lee believes most of the members are local, as the content focuses on Singapore.
Although happy that the MDA has banned the more extreme, overseas-hosted website, Mr Lee believes more can be done – he wants the authorities to make the site’s operator take the website down.
This could be tough, said lawyer Bryan Tan of Keystone Law Corporation.
‘The MDA’s jurisdiction is limited to sites hosted from Singapore, or operated by a Singaporean – and this might be hard to prove in this case, or the site could genuinely be run by a foreigner.’
The MDA has referred the case to the police.
Links:
http://opennet.net/studies/singapore” \l “toc2d”http://opennet.net/studies/singapore#toc2d
http://www.mda.gov.sg/wms.www/mediani.aspx?sid=195″http://www.mda.gov.sg/wms.www/mediani.aspx?sid=195
http://yawningbread.org/arch_2005/yax-504.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_censorship_in_India
Censorship of Publications – Nur Azureen(:
PUBLICATIONS
Who governs censorship in publications?
The censorship review committee (CRC), Media development authority – administered the Undesirable Publications Act.
What is censored?
- homosexuality, violence, sexual content and nudity, coarse language, Chinese dialects (due to Singapore’s “speak Chinese” campaigns.
How to carry out censorship exercises:
4.9 PUBLICATIONS
“4.9.1 The content standards for local and foreign publications are regulated through the
Newspaper and Printing Presses Act (NPPA) and the Undesirable Publications Act
(UPA) administered by MDA. Local publications require a permit under the NPPA.
Importers of foreign publications are registered under the MDA’s Registered Importers
Scheme which requires them not to import publications that may denigrate race and
religion, undermine the moral values of our society or prejudice public order.
4.9.2 In recent years, some popular local lifestyle magazines have become almost as liberal
as their imported counterparts in terms of content standards. While this trend
may have been brought about by readers who have become open-minded, it does
raise a censorship concern.
4.9.3 At present, there is no classification system for publications. Hence, publications
with sensitive content may be disallowed or banned as in the case of Playboy and
Cosmopolitan magazines. Some have argued that unless a publication far exceeds
society’s acceptance level, like Playboy, it should be allowed access to adult readers
through the following means:
a. Classifying the publication by allowing its sale only to those above a certain age.
b. Allowing its sale through subscription only.
c. Using cellophane paper to wrap the publication to avoid unsolicited viewing
and reading at retail outlets.
d. Using suitable consumer advice to alert potential buyers of sensitive content in
the publication.
e. Regulating its promotion and advertising to reduce its appeal to non-targeted
readers.”
(information obtained from http://www.mda.gov.sg/wms.file/mobj/mobj.316.Censorship_Review_2003.pdf )
How does the government carry out censorships?
Through classifications.
Eg:
-restrict the sales of books unsuitable for children by subscription .
-wrapping to prevent unsolicited viewing
-displaying consumer advise about its sensitive content.
Radio Censorship – Claire Choong
Radio Censorship
Radio Censorship has not been an area under much scrutiny, however, laws do exist for it, and so do penalties. Are the choices of the Singaporean Government in terms of censored material justifiable, or just plain unreasonable? You decide.
1. What governs censorship?
What is censored
• personal comments and observations of newsreaders, due to it being unwarranted in normal news bulletins, as seen from UnionWorks radio station’s $15,000 fine in 2002.
Another occurrence of this would be when MediaCorp Radio’s Perfect 10 DJ Sheikh Haikel was fired, as to a listener seeking advice on how to approach a girl he fancied, Haikel said he should ask her if she was wearing white panties. A listener complained about this in a letter to the Straits Times Forum Page. After this, the Media Development Authority (MDA) said the incident breached the Radio Programme Code. That was also the day he received a letter of termination from MediaCorp Radio.
• comments of political opposition parties – a Radio Corporation Singapore (RCS) radio report on a Human Rights Day event at Speakers Corner was edited because it contained comments from JB Jeyaretnam. Shortly after, the journalist had ‘resigned’.
• expletives – for obvious reasons, such as, to prevent the easily-influenced listeners from picking up bad habits such as swearing, and to preserve a conservative and cultured image of Singapore’s society
• publications that deals with race or religion in a manner that is likely to cause feelings of hatred or enmity between different racial or religious groups
• publication that deals with political issues found inappropriate or offensive by the authority
• a publication on violence or obscenity – Radio station 98.7 FM was fined for hosting a FHM contest which challenged women to remove their bras without taking off their shirts. Mediacorp Radio had to fork out $9800 to MDA, who claimed the station was ‘contravening a broadcast code’. The article stated ‘affluent southeast Asian city state felt such behavior was not merely inappropriate and offensive, but actually unfit for public consumption.’, which was their rationale for this form of censorship.
The main rationale behind censorship would be to maintain social order in Singapore’s society.
What is not censored
• material considered beneficial to society, such as educational programmes, campaigns
2. How radio censorship is exercised
• the seven second delay : “live” broadcasts on radio stations in Singapore are delayed for 7 seconds, to provide time for profanity and undesirable material to be deleted or censored before reaching the ears of listeners.
• some other countries that take part in broadcast delay
• Australia
• China
• Cuba
• India
• Iran
• Israel
• Japan
• Malaysia
• Russia
• Soviet Union
• Sweden
• Taiwan
• United Kingdom
• United States
3. Who enforces radio censorship?
From 1 Jan 2003 onwards, Media Development Authority (MDA) which was formed by the mergence of the SBA, the Films and Publications Department (FPD) and the Singapore Film Commission (SFC).
From 1 Oct 1994 to 1 Jan 2003 it was handled by the Singapore Broadcasting Authority (SBA), which was formed with the passing act of the Singapore Broadcasting Act 1994.
4. Penalties for violating radio censorship laws
Radio stations will face fines, for example, UnionWorks’ Mandarin radio station was fined $15,000.
By Law: Any person who produces objectionable publications is to be charged and liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding S$5,000(approx. US$7,700), to imprisonment for a term not exceeding one year.
References/Acknowledgements
Singapore Infopedia, a service provided by the National Library Board of Singapore
http://singaporerebel.blogspot.com
http://www.medienobservationen.lmu.de/artikel/gesellschaft/chang_censorship.html
http://blog.washingtonpost.com/offbeat/2007/06/singapore_radio_987_fined_for.html
http://www.hardware-one.com/forum/read_msg.php?tid=216003&forumid=chitchat
Claire’s Personal Analysis on Singapore’s Radio Censorship
In my opinion, the censorship laws in Singapore is centered strongly towards censoring political issues, and mainly in disfavor of opposition parties. This further complicates the job of opposition party members, which might not be completely fair.
Singaporean Censorship also should practice less stringent laws on censorship of media, and not underestimate the moral capabilities of Singaporeans. I feel that Sheikh Haikel’s extermination of employment was uncalled for, and unnecessary attention was placed on the issue. What he said, though perhaps distasteful and rude, was not an outright insult to any person of any race or religion, and was only said in jest. The listener had requested for advice, and advice was given. Granted, it was not the best advice, but the radio station did not promise so. If the listeners felt offended, perhaps they should stop listening to the radio if they are truly searching for serious and honest advice on life issues. Radio shows are created for the sake of entertainment, and listeners should keep that in mind while tuning in. Entertainers should not be punished for doing their jobs. Perhaps, if the radio station itself was upset with the style chosen by the radio show hosts, they could deal with it internally and give the host a chance to change his personal style or humor.
Perhaps the reason why Singaporeans are unable to think ‘out of the box’ and objectively is because they have been spoon fed all their lives, with people telling them what is ‘right’ to think or believe in. Maybe if we had more exposure to self censorship, we would not be so lacking in opinion and the ability to think and reason on our feet.
Video Parodies on Censorship – Claire Choong
Created by a well-known local producer Royston Tan
Expressing his dissatisfaction with the censorship in Singapore with trademark sarcasm and humor, Royston Tan put together a short film beginning with a scene of a national censorship board member being harassed by a disgruntled film buff. He voices his disapproval of Singapore’s censorship board’s editing of songs, cutting the horror from horror films, removal of scenes from global award winning movies, and states how their actions will not allow for self censorship to ever be practiced in Singapore. With much cynicism, the character states how the government is undermining their citizens’ moral strength in thinking that watching a certain type of film would equate to people following the exact behavior of characters in the movie. He also mentions how this overly protective censorship then leads to the increase in sales of pirated video material in countries like Malaysia.
This rant then leads to a song with improvised lyrics, following the tune of a song made famous by the international music group ABBA, as well as other songs familiar to most Singaporeans.
Minister Mentor Lee Kwan Yew answers questions about gay censorship laws
An arts student in Singapore felt that the censorship laws in Singapore contradicted its aims to promote arts here, especially art that touched on issues such as homosexuality. MM Lee disagreed, and felt that it was “unbelievable” that artistic expression could be suppressed by these laws, and no further examples or explanations were given.
Censorship of Films – Germaine
Censorship of films in Singapore is widely viewed by most Singaporeans and other foreign media (such as France) to be strict. This is partly due to political films being illegal to broadcast in Singapore. However, the majority of cinematic films that were banned from Singapore’s cinemas were due to excessive violence such as (The Texas Chain Saw Massacre) excessive nudity, (Shortbus), inappropriate’ religious content, (Life of Brian) and others.
Censorship process in Singapore.
Vetting Process
Film Classification Process
The Board of Film Censors (BFC) assesses if the distributor’s indicated rating for the film upon submission is suitable. A suggestion would be made if it is not suitable. Distributors hence have the choice of accepting the suggestion or removing certain scenes from the film to adhere to the guidelines required for the distributors’ preferred ratings.
An example is 15- a movie by Royston Tan who had to make 27 cuts and have an R (A) rating (for those aged over 21 and above)
A blog review on 15: http://www.directorsnotes.com/2006/06/17/15-royston-tan/
In the event of controversial films, the BFC will meet with the Films Consultative Panel to provide a decision.
An appeal of the BFC decision’s may be directed by the director to the Films Appeal Committee.
How is censorship exercised in Singapore?
All films broadcasted legally in Singapore must pass through the Singapore’s censorship board and under the -Films Act- all videos must bear a certificate issued by the MDA’s Licensing Services (Films and Publications) unit with the exception of exempted categories that carry an exemption number.
E.g. Educational documentaries.
Videos bought outside of Singapore borders are considered uncensored and must be declared and submitted to the Board of Film Censors (part of the MDA) for classification. The Board classifies videos under the Films Act based on the content and does not determine their origin.
Who does the censorship in Singapore?
The Films Consultative Panel (FCP), the Board of films censors (BFC) and the Films Appeal Committee (FAC) are the ones who censor all films to be broadcast within Singapore with certain exceptions:
Films exempted from censorship
· Educational or training materials
· Advertising and promotional materials (excluding promotional clips of non-exempted videos and film trailers)
· Arts and cultural performances
· Documentary
· Sports
· Children programmes
· Recordings of local TV programmes
· Pre-1966 movies and music clips
· Personal recording
· Karaoke (excluding MTV clips and live concerts)
Outline of the panels censoring films in Singapore.
Films Consultative Panel (FCP)
Aim: to reflect the community’s standards in classification decisions.
The Panel is to provide for a more balanced and objective approach to film classification, in keeping with changing social mores. The Panel is consulted whenever a decision needs to be made on a controversial film.
§ Formed in 1982
§ Panel is appointed for a term of two years.
§ Consist of 65 members from different age groups, races, religions, marital status and professions.
§ Chaired by Mr. Vijay Chandran, Lecturer/Course Coordinator, School of Film & Media Studies, Ngee Ann Polytechnic.
The Films Appeal Committee (FAC)
Aim: provide distributors a chance to appeal against decisions on films.
(Stipulated under Films Act)
§ 15 members from different fields of expertise.
§ Formed in 1950s.
§ Chaired by Mrs. Mildred Tan, Managing Director, Ernst & Young Associates PTE LTD
§ Panel is appointed for a term of three years.
Under Section 26 of the Films Act, the committee is empowered to make such order as it thinks fit with regards to:
· approval for exhibition of any film which is the subject of appeal
· excision or retention of any part of any such film
· classification of any film.
The committee’s decision is final
Censorship Review Committees draws up the general guidelines while the Media Development Authority (MDA) set up the detailed guidelines with views from the FCP, FAC and the film industry.
Views expressed during dialogue sessions with different community groups, surveys and feedbacks from the committee are taken into consideration when the guidelines are reviewed regularly.
Singapore’s censorship enforcers
· The public
the public is advised to call 1800 478 5478 when seeing obscene or uncertified videos being illegally possessed.
· The copyright owners.
The copyright owners are informed by the MDA who is not legally empowered to arbitrate in copyright claims or disputes about copyright infringement of owner’s intellectual property rights allowing these owners to follow-up and take legal action under the Copyright Act.
· Immigration & Checkpoints Authority
The immigration & Checkpoints Authority works together with the MDA to ensure that all films bought outside of Singapore borders –hence considered uncensored- are submitted to the Board of Film Censors.
What kind of penalties is exercised?
· Penalty: Those found dealing with obscene materials can be fined up to $80,000 and/or face a jail term of up to two years.
· Penalty: For the possession of obscene videos are a fine of up to $40,000 and/or a jail term of 1 year.
Links to outside opinions on Singapore’s censorship on films:
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2000/apr2000/sff3-a24.shtml
Article: censorship of broadcast on censorship -Satire on censorship not funny
http://www.thinkcentre.org/article.cfm?ArticleID=2346
Blog on cinematic films:
http://sgfilmsoc.blogspot.com/
Reference for the above information:
www.mda.gov.sg
Acknowledgement for pictures used:
http://www.cartoonstock.com
http://www.socialmedia.biz
Game Censorship – Lee Hong Yang
A new two-rating classification system for video games will be launched from 28 April.
The Board of Film Censors (BFC) under the Media Development Authority (MDA) said the move will be introduced to allow consumers, especially parents, to make informed choices about the video games available in the market.
The new video games ratings will carry rating stickers of either Mature 18 (M18) or Age Advisory.
Mature 18 (M18) is a restricted category for persons 18 years old and above with retailers required to conduct an age check at the point of sales.
As for Age Advisory, it is considered suitable for those 16 years old and above where retailers need not conduct age checks at the point of sale, but are encouraged to exercise responsibility by not selling these games to those below 16 years of age.
Games that do not fall into the either categories are approved for general consumption and won’t carry any rating stickers.
Source: Channel News Asia
Why censorship?
Due to the depiction of graphic violence, sexual themes, consumption of illegal drugs, consumption of alcohol or smoking or profanity ( coarse language) in some games, many parents are worried about what exactly are their children playing on their computers. Censorship therefore serves the purpose of providing a standard for parents to buy game appropriate for their children and also for gamers to make responsible choices on the type of games they choose to play.
Said Ms Amy Chua, Chairman, BFC, “The new ratings will provide more choices for gamers. The games distribution and retail industry will also benefit from having a rating system that allows it to make available more games targeted at the different groups. At the same time, the age-appropriate ratings and consumer advisories will help parents make informed choices about the games their children play. This represents a balanced approach in enabling more media choice for Singaporeans while protecting the young.”
Examples of games which depict extreme violence or use of crime include Mortal Kombat, Doom, and Grand Theft Auto. It is disturbing to some that some video games allow players to act out crimes, and reward them for doing so. A famous example is the extremely popular Grand Theft Auto III by Rockstar Games, in which one can actually commit serious crimes. However, any activity of this sort in the game is done completely by choice and players are punished for committing crimes by the police. Considering this game allows one to freely choose, it could also be noted that the game is similar to real life.
Examples of games that may spark religious unhappiness can include Games such as Breath of Fire II, La Pucelle Tactics, Xenogears, Xenosaga, Final Fantasy Tactics, Final Fantasy X,Castlevania, Tales of Symphonia, Grandia II and Shin Megami Tensei. They contain religious themes that some might find offensive.
EXAMPLES OF PSYCHOLOGICAL IMPACTS WITHOUT CENSORSHIP
On April 20, 1999, American high school students Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold killed 13 people and themselves in the Columbine High School massacre. The pair had been fans of Doom, claimed their mothers, a video game in which you control a character through a space station environment and kill demons, and zombies; however, later investigations by the FBI revealed that Harris’ plan was originally to blow up the school. He started shooting when his bombs did not go off.
On June 7, 2003, 18-year-old American Devin Moore shot and killed two policemen (Arnold Strickland and James Crump) and a dispatcher (Leslie Mealer) after grabbing one of the officers’ weapons following an arrest for the possession of a stolen vehicle. At trial, the defense claimed that Moore had been inspired by the video game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
GAMES THAT WERE UNCENSORED AND WHY
Ironically, those that were counted as censored are not censored in certain games- basically for the sake of business. The principle of high demand accounts for the uncensoring of violence/ profanity as censorship of these items would result in poor sales. The gaming industry is important to almost all developed countries- extremely strict censorship would result in poor business- so in actual fact, censorship in singapore can only be carried out to a certain extent.
Examples includes: Warcraft 3- Violence and bloodshed, the use of profanity and ideas related to war and bloodlust. Censorship is only carried out to a certain extent, with an ESRB rating of TEEN, but in fact some might argue its themes could be well beyond mature 18. With less strict censorship, Warcraft 3 has reached extremely high sales worldwide.
Sources :
Wikipedia – www.wikipedia.com
Channel News Asia
team members(:
team members and their roles ; credits
caroline fok : internet censorship
germaine : film censorship
chia teck thong : television censorship
hong yang : game censorship
azureen : book censorship
claire choong : radio censorship, website publishing & maintenance, videos, introduction to the website
