Democracy, Media and Law in Malaysia and Singapore ― A Space for Speech

Commentators on the media in Southeast Asia either emphasise with optimism the prospect for new media to provide possibilities for greater democratic discourse, or else, less optimistically, focus on the continuing ability of governments to exercise tight and sophisticated control of the media. This book explores these issues with reference to Malaysia and Singapore. It analyses how journalists monitor governments and cover elections, discussing what difference journalism makes; it examines citizen journalism, and the constraints on it, often self-imposed constraints; and it assesses how governments control the media, including outlining the development and current application of legal restrictions.

Andrew T. Kenyon is Professor of Law at the University of Melbourne, Australia.

Tim Majoribanks is Professor in the La Trobe Business School at La Trobe University, Australia.

Amanda Whiting is Associate Director of the Asian Law Centre at the University of Melbourne, Australia.