ABSTRACT
Before the 1997-98 Asian crisis struck, media control had become so effective in Singapore that it was largely enacted through self-censorship. But with the crisis’ advent and all the official rhetoric about transparency and the importance of information flows, could the lid on the media be maintained? Didn’t the circumstances at least invite more serious media scrutiny of companies – including GLCs – by business journalists, regardless of whether that was welcomed or lobbied for by business itself? And couldn’t journalists and activists committed to comprehensive transparency exploit the government’s rhetoric by trying to push the envelope of official tolerance for critical reporting and political openness? In any case, electronic media such as international broadcasting and the Internet had proven a headache for authoritarian leaders elsewhere in Southeast Asia once the crisis hit. Why would it be any different in Singapore?
