New censorship review panel to relook content codes for new media

Todayonline 05:55 AM Sep 25, 2009

THE members of the new Censorship Review Committee 2009 have been named. Mr Goh Yew Lin, chairman of the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music, will head the panel.

Sixteen other people, including academics, media experts, lawyers, violinist Min Lee and author Koh Buck Song, who serves as deputy chair, were also appointed to the committee, which was announced the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts.

Mr Goh, managing director of GK Goh Holdings, called it a "very challenging responsibility to find an appropriate balance in our national censorship policies", with the issues involved "complex" and some "contentious".

The independent panel was set up to conduct a mid-term review of content issues across broadcast, films, videos, publications, audio materials, the arts and new media.

It will look largely at issues raised by industry players. But it will also examine how media convergence is "testing traditional content regulation concepts", and whether new content codes are necessary to guide the emergence of new technologies and new media platforms, said the ministry.

The committee will hold focus group discussions and set up a website for people to give feedback.
It will submit its report to the Government by the middle of next year.