State media tabloid STOMP from Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) published a fake news of a video showing a dog trainer kicking a dog at an exhibition and claiming it to have taken place at a Singapore pet exhibition, Pet Expo Singapore.
“It has come to our attention that a story on STOMP Singapore shows a dog trainer kicking a dog and it states that the incident happened at Pet Expo Singapore 2017. We would like to clarify that this is not the case and we believe that this incident occurred at another exhibition. We and everyone we work with (including 15 animal welfare groups) love dogs and animals very much and we do not condone such violence!”
Malaysia’s The Star confirmed that the video was widely circulated and taken at an exhibition in Malaysia.
State media Singapore Press Holdings and Mediacorp are collectively ranked 154th in the world for media credibility. The Singapore government often publish propaganda fake news and half-truths to indoctrinate the Singapore population to express support for their national policies.
Currently, the Singapore government is abusing the national state media Straits Times to impose new laws to incriminate independent news sites like TheOnlineCitizen and States Times Review. Among other propaganda effort includes neutralizing the negative sentiments of a 30% water price hike and dictator Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s legalized corruption of fixing the Presidential Election.
Despite outlawing fake news, the Singapore government does not take action against its state media. Earlier in April, 3 independent news sites – TOC, STR and ASS – were flagged as fake news sites by Law Minister K Shanmugam who vowed to “make them feel the pain” for publishing news criticizing the Singapore government.