Criteria for Accreditation of Media Organisations and Personnel

Mr Chen Show Mao asked the Minister for Communications and Information (a) what are the principles and criteria that are used to accredit media organisations and personnel; (b) whether there are different criteria to accredit online and traditional media; (c) if so, what are the differences and why; and (d) whether online news websites that have to be individually licensed under the new licensing framework meet the criteria of a "news organisation" under the Press Accreditation Card system.

Assoc Prof Dr Yaacob Ibrahim: Accreditation is accorded to news organisations that cover Government events and functions regularly. Accreditation is not compulsory for news-related organisations to engage in news-gathering, and many organisations do operate without seeing the need to apply for accreditation.

Among the criteria considered before accreditation is conferred are the reach/distribution of the news organisation and its professional standing. Journalists who work for accredited news organisations can apply for accreditation and, if successful, will be issued with a press card. This includes their counterparts who work for online newspapers belonging to a parent print organisation. The platform of the news organisation, whether traditional or online, is not a consideration. The licensing of online news websites is not related to accreditation and has no bearing on the criteria used to accredit the media organisations.