Michael Fay
In late February 1994, an American teenager (Michael Fay) studying in Singapore, was charged with 53 counts of vandalism, including spray-painting cars and sentenced to six strokes from a cane made of bamboo-like strips. Interestingly, the fact that Singapore was punishing a young American involved in acts of anti-social behavior hardly appeared to have the makings of an international incident. However, over the next two months the case spiraled into one of the biggest regional media events of the year provoking terse exchanges from the leaders of both countries and triggering a vitriolic press war between American newspapers and Singaporean newspapers. Then president Bill Clinton wrote a letter to Singapore president Ong Teng Cheong and personally requested that Michael Fay be granted clemency. However, the Singapore government refused to acquit him, but reduced his sentence to three strokes of the cane instead out of respect for America. This change in events led to reports in the New York Times about the American government threatening to scuttle Singapore's bid to host the first meeting of the new global trade order in retaliation for the whipping1. Singapore's pro-government newspaper, The Straits Times, retaliated and calle
As stated in the Singaporean law statute, any act of vandalism warrants a minimum sentence of three strokes of the cane3. In such a restrictive environment, it is impossible to display much of the elements of journalism as defined by Kovach and Rosenstiel and even if the Straits Times is able to incorporate the above mentioned elements, it only does so to a certain extent. Although both news agencies covered the exact same event, news reports from each agency on this event seemed to differ a lot because both agencies, while claiming to be responsible, neutral and reliable, had inadvertently taken sides in this international political and cultural controversy. It is also worthy to note that although the New York Times has allowed personal sentiments and opinions to saturate its coverage on the incident, it was still faithfully carrying out an independent news coverage. A mid-sized car that costs about USD $15,000 would cost about SGD $100,000 in Singapore. This law had already been in effect a good four decades before Michael Fay appeared. 6" While the Straits Times faithfully covered the incident in its entirety, even reporting that the other suspects (from Hong Kong, Thailand and two Singaporeans) involved in the incident were punished as well and were given more strokes of the cane, the New York Times has failed to do so. As such, although both newspapers reported on the same event, the different constraints, political affiliations, governmental restrictions as well as the different views on punishment and government have affected exactly how the incident was covered. A significant representation of each country's sentiments can be observed from the coverage of this event by the New York Times (USA) as well as the pro-government newspaper, The Straits Times (Singapore). In tandem with that idea, the New York Times has come across as a fair and accurate news provider by pointing out issues and the perceived mistakes of the Singapore government in meting out capital punishment for a crime that is viewed as a harmless prank in America - the vandalizing and spray painting of cars. For example, although the Straits Times reported on the incident in its entirety, the majority of its sources were government officials and many high-ranking officials. In a report on 8 April 1994, he advises Americans to stop visiting Singapore every year or flying its airline; stockholders and customers of US companies doing business in Singapore could re-examine corporate investments and purchases; the use of "cheap Singapore labor" to "add value" to US exports to Asia could be re-examined7. The four elements of journalism, as defined by Kovach and Rosenstiel, that are most pertinent to coverage of this story are: truth, verification, independence from faction and the freedom and need to exercise personal conscience. However, the New York Times is of the opinion that Singapore is "singling out an American to prove to the world that Singapore should not be reckoned with5". The fact remains that Singapore enjoys a relatively low crime rate as compared to America9 and is not a "lawless state.
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Acceptance Essays
