Despite its
democratic veneer, Singapore rates poorly in
global press freedom rankings due to a deeply
entrenched culture of self-censorship and a
pro-state bias in the mainstream media. Reporters
Without Borders, a France-based press freedom
advocacy group, recently ranked Singapore 136th in
its global press freedom rankings, scoring below
repressive countries like Iraq and Zimbabwe.
The country's main media publishing house,
Singapore Press Holdings, is owned by the state
and its board of directors is made up largely of
PAP members or other government-linked executives.
Senior newspaper editors, including at the Straits
Times, must be vetted and approved by the PAP-led
government.