OUTREACH EFFECTIVENESS OF ONLINE MEDIA

OUTREACH EFFECTIVENESS OF ONLINE MEDIA

16.

Mr Zaqy Mohamad asked the Acting Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts (a) whether he will provide an assessment of the Government's progress in the dissemination of news and public information in the online media; and (b) how does his Ministry assess the effectiveness of the level of outreach in the online media compared to the mainstream channels of news publications and public broadcast channels.

RAdm [NS] Lui Tuck Yew: The Government uses both the mainstream and online media to disseminate news and public information. Since 1995, the Singapore Government has maintained an online presence, starting with websites which are now known as Web 1.0 platforms. As technology evolved, Ministries and government agencies have complemented their websites by increasingly tapping on a wide range of Web 2.0 platforms to communicate and engage with the public. These include popular and interactive social media platforms such as Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Flickr, podcasts, Wikipedia and so on. The Government's online presence is used to provide information and explanation about Government policies for public education, outreach and campaigns, crisis communications and public consultation.

In 2009, during the H1N1 episode, the Ministry of Health and the Health Promotion Board provided information, regular updates and advisories to the people via its MOH website, the crisis.gov.sg website, a dedicated H1N1 website and through various social media platforms. In the lead-up to the National Day Parade, the organising committee used a variety of social media channels and a Web 2.0-equipped microsite to reach out to Singaporeans. For the National Day Rally Speech by the Prime Minister, the Government also tapped on a variety of social media platforms to bring the speech live to netizens and to encourage online feedback and discussion. Various social media platforms will also be used to promote upcoming events this year, such as the Youth Olympic Games.

REACH has revamped its website and it also has a presence on Facebook and Twitter. It will also introduce new features and services to make its portal even more user-friendly for the public to give feedback to and engage with the Government. The www.gov.sg website is undergoing a revamp, and serves as the official online communication platform of the Government, providing a one-stop portal access to Government information and services and key feedback channels.

Both the mainstream and new media are important avenues to disseminate news and public information. The latest Nielsen Media Index survey conducted between July 2008 and June 2009 indicated that the readership of newspapers in Singapore has remained steady with 75% of the local population choosing newspapers as their preferred source of news. According to the 2010 Edelman Trust Barometer, 68% of local respondents(3) cited newspapers as their most trusted sources of information in Singapore, compared to the international average of 34% for newspapers.

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The online versions of our newspapers also saw a significant rise in readership from 282,000 visitors daily in 2008 to 408,000 visitors daily in 2009, a rise of about 45%(4), with four key websites – straitstimes.com, AsiaOne, Stomp and RazorTV – seeing 5.2 million unique visitors in January(5). The latest data from online traffic tracker HitWise found CNA, AsiaOne, ZB, ST, Stomp, BT, MyPaper among the top 10 "news and media" sites most visited by Singaporeans. With more Singaporeans, particularly those in the younger age groups, turning to multiple sources for information, both offline and online, it is important for the Government to take a holistic approach and leverage on both the mainstream media and online media to reach out to Singaporeans.

(3) 2010 Edelman Trust Barometer – 200 respondents were polled in Singapore. Sample selection: college-educated; household income in the top quartile for their age; read or watch business/news media at least several times a week; follow public policy issues in the news at least several times a week. Methodology: 25-minute telephone interview took place from 29th September – 6th December 2009.
(4) Source: Nielsen Media Index 2009.
(5) As reported in the Straits Times , 12th February 2010, "SPH English websites draw record-high views".

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