I filed several questions for the Minister for Information and Communications to answer in Parliament regarding the revelations of the falsification of circulation data by SPH Media. In summary, I will be asking:
1) What are the terms of reference of the Ministry’s review of SPH Media and under what conditions will public funding to SPH Media be reduced?
2) Were the increased circulation figures cited by the Minister in Parliament in 2021 used as a basis for funding and are they still reliable?
3) How many newspaper copies were printed, counted and destroyed and what is the environmental impact of these actions?
These are the detailed questions I will be asking:
*4103. Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song: To ask the Minister for Communications and Information regarding the Ministry’s review of SPH Media following their admission of falsification of circulation data (a) what are the terms of reference of this review; (b) when did this review begin and when will it be completed; (c) what have the findings been so far; (d) whether the report will be made public; and (e) what are the conditions under which public funding to SPH Media will be removed or reduced.
*4104. Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song: To ask the Minister for Communications and Information (a) what was the source of the figures cited on 10 May 2021 in Parliament that SPH’s newspapers’ circulation had grown by 5% and The Straits Times’ circulation had grown by 20% from 2017 to 2020; (b) how much bearing did this data have on the Government’s decision to fund SPH Media; and (c) whether the Minister still considers this data reliable in light of recent admissions by SPH Media.
*4102. Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song: To ask the Minister for Communications and Information (a) what is the total number of newspaper copies that were printed, counted and destroyed by SPH Media or its predecessor company for the entire duration of the scheme to inflate circulation numbers; (b) what is the estimated total weight of paper used; and (c) what is the environmental impact of these actions.
These questions are likely to be answered during the Parliament sitting on the week of 6 Feb 2023. If you have further insights into this issue to share with me, please email me at gerald.giam@wp.sg or WhatsApp 89250747.
