Monday, October 23, 2006

Negative headline is unfair

Last week, a leading newspaper had a headline that suggested that a prominient entrepreneur (a multi-millionaire) based in Singapore, is sued for fraud.

This created an impression among a few knowledgeable people that this entrepreneur is acting dishonestly.

I pointed out that the suit was taken by a private individual. The circumstance of the dispute is under litigation.

It was unfair of the newspaper to use a headline that created a wrong impression among the general public.

It is a different matter, if the case is taken by the public prosecutor. The prosecutor has a duty to carry out some investigation to be satisfied that there is sufficient evidence to press a case.

I urge the public to be careful about reading the headlines, especially if there is a tendency for some newspaper to be sensational or negative. Do take a more generous view about people who may be charged or sued unfairly.
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2 comments:

Heng-Cheong said...

I do not agree that "it is a different matter, if the case is taken by the public prosecutor." There can be many reasons -- such as corruption, incompetence, or political pressures -- that we may want to distrust public prosecutor too.

I am not saying the current public prosecutor to be distrustful. But, I think we shouldn't differentiate.

In *all* cases, it has to be innocent until proven guilty in the courts. To apply different standards based on whether it is Lee Kuan Yew or Random Person X that is suing is doing a disservice to our legal system.

October 23, 2006 9:32 AM
Freddy said...

I agree. Sometimes the justapositioning of the story can also create negative impression even though the contents may not be untrue.

Reporters need to be responsible in their reporting. Stories must not be slanted to sensationalise and sell the newspaper.

October 23, 2006 10:00 AM

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