Singapore tightens digital media laws as trust in news declines to 45%, says Reuters report
The regulation forms part of a broader legislative framework that includes the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA) and the Foreign Interference (Countermeasures) Act.
These laws aim to manage misinformation and protect public confidence in government institutions.
According to the Digital News Report 2025 by the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, the new deepfake law prohibits publishing or sharing AI-generated or digitally manipulated content that falsely depicts political candidates saying or doing things they did not.
The law is broad, covering both favourable and unfavourable portrayals. It excludes animations, beauty filters, and entertainment-style memes. Platforms that fail to comply with takedown orders risk fines of up to US$1 million.
This regulation follows increasing use of visual platforms like YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok for news. Usage of these platforms rose by 4 percentage points for YouTube and Instagram, and by 3 percentage points for TikTok.
POFMA enforcement and high-profile corrections
Singapore's POFMA gives ministers powers to order corrections of online content deemed false or harmful to public confidence.
In November 2024, activist Kokila Annamalai received correction orders after alleging arbitrary executions in Singapore's criminal justice system.
While Meta and X complied with the correction demands, Annamalai did not and now faces potential imprisonment. The government's rebuttals were posted on its official Factually website.
In a separate case, multiple outlets including Bloomberg, The Edge, and The Online Citizen were directed to correct reports involving real estate deals linked to government ministers.
Bloomberg noted it complied under protest and reserved the right to appeal.
The ministers involved have since filed defamation suits against Bloomberg and one of its reporters.
The Online Citizen faces extended restrictions
Singapore also extended its restriction on The Online Citizen (TOC), preventing it from earning revenue from its website and social platforms until 2027. This follows its continued status as a Declared Online Location (DOL) under POFMA since July 2023.
Originally set to expire on 21 July 2025, the ban was extended by the Ministry of Digital Development and Information on 11 June 2025.
Authorities said the extension was necessary due to TOC's persistent publication of alleged falsehoods.
However, on 13 June, Mary Aileen Diez-Bacalso, Executive Director of the Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA), expressed serious concern, criticising the move as a troubling use of POFMA to silence dissent and suppress free expression, and urged the government to stop further eroding Singapore's shrinking civic space.
Terry Xu, chief editor of TOC, described the extended DOL as a clear act of oppression against independent media and a targeted attack on the outlet.
'If the DOL were applied strictly according to the letter of the law, then Bloomberg and The Edge should have been subjected to the DOL as well, since they were issued Correction Directions containing more than three statements deemed false,' Xu argued.
He also noted, 'It is particularly noteworthy that the Correction Directions involved in the declaration are linked to Minister K Shanmugam — the very person who introduced the POFMA law in the first place.'
Mainstream media adapt through AI and consolidation
Despite the regulatory environment, mainstream outlets such as Channel News Asia (CNA) continue to be trusted and widely used. CNA, part of the state-owned Mediacorp group, leads online news usage at 47%.
Its broader media network includes Channel 5 and Channel 8, each with a 23% weekly reach. CNA has also expanded internationally to the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada as of March 2024, marking its 25th anniversary.
However, Mediacorp also made strategic consolidations.
In early 2024, it shut down TODAY, a digital newspaper once Singapore's second most-read outlet. The decision aimed to refocus resources towards CNA's digital newsroom, which now produces long-form weekend content.
Mediacorp has been investing in semi-automated production processes such as FASTs—AI-generated news summaries aimed at mobile and social-first audiences.
The Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) also released updated training guidelines urging media professionals to gain skills in generative AI and virtual production.
The Reuters survey shows 7% of respondents have used AI chatbots to access news content.
Digital-native outlets and language diversity
The second most-used digital news platform in Singapore is Mothership at 46%, followed by the Straits Times, published by SPH Media Trust.
SPH also operates Lianhe Zaobao (8% reach), Berita Harian (4%), and Tamil Murasu (1%), catering to Singapore's multilingual population.
Yahoo! News, which ranks fourth in usage at 21%, recently shifted to full content syndication, laying off its editorial and social teams. This move signals industry-wide pressures on traditional news production.
The report confirms a continued shift in news consumption habits. Social media and digital channels are now the primary sources of news.
Platforms like WhatsApp and Facebook held steady, while younger-skewing services saw modest growth.
In contrast, traditional platforms such as television and print have seen steep declines in use over recent years.
Public trust in news continues to slide
Public trust in news fell by 2 percentage points to 45%, despite legacy brands maintaining relatively high individual trust scores. The Straits Times (75%), CNA (74%), and Channel 5 (73%) were the most trusted among respondents.
Alternative and independent outlets continue to lag behind in public trust, attributed to their shorter histories and focus on viral or controversial content.
Singapore ranked 126th out of 180 in the 2024 World Press Freedom Index by Reporters Without Borders. Despite a technologically advanced media ecosystem, restrictions under POFMA and similar laws continue to limit media independence.
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