Mothership.sg asked to register under Broadcasting Act

SINGAPORE — Social news website Mothership.sg — which counts former Foreign Affairs Minister George Yeo among its contributors — has been asked by the Media Development Authority (MDA) to register by next Friday.

The MDA said yesterday it notified the website’s operators — social enterprise Project Fisher-Men — to do so on March 27, as it met registration criteria under the Broadcasting (Class Licence) Notification, which is part of the Broadcasting Act.

The site engages in the “propagation, promotion or discussion of political issues relating to Singapore” and is structured as a corporate entity, which is deemed to be more “susceptible to coming under foreign influence through foreign funding”, the MDA said.

After a meeting last night, the website’s editors told TODAY that their key considerations were whether they have a viable and sustainable business model for potential investors or supporters, and whether registration will bring them “a step closer towards obtaining accreditation as a media outlet” here.

They declined to reveal if any decision was made.

All websites are automatically class licensed, but certain categories of sites may be asked to register, including those engaged in the “propagation, promotion or discussion of political or religious issues relating to Singapore”.

According to a parliamentary reply in January, there are 43 websites that meet the above criteria and eight websites run by political parties, registered under the Notification.

Last year, two websites with a socio-political bent were asked to register, sparking an outcry from some who were concerned that would dampen online debate.

The Independent complied with the request, while the Breakfast Network opted to shut down, citing the onerous requirements for registration. The MDA’s actions were criticised by FreeMyInternet, a group of bloggers, which said the requirement would dampen the growth of online space and was “advised by little more than paranoia of ‘foreign funding’”, given that both websites had indicated publicly they did not intend to seek foreign funding.

Yesterday, the Mothership.sg team posted a statement on its Facebook page, saying that “registering is not as scary as it sounds because The Independent Singapore and Breakfast Network were previously asked to do the same”.

“If we comply and register, we will go the way of The Independent Singapore, who are still around, writing and publishing. If we don’t comply, we will go the way of Breakfast Network, which is now defunct,” the team said.

Editor Martino Tan said the site’s editors were meeting key stakeholders last night to discuss “our concerns with registration and whether we will comply with the regulations”.

As part of the registration, Mothership.sg will be required to undertake not to receive foreign funding for its provision, management and/or operation. “The registration will not in any way affect what Mothership.sg can publish on its site,” reiterated the MDA.