I must say that I’m a huge fan of mrbrown and I follow his blog/podcast/column. He is one of the most respectable blogger in Singapore. One of my sure read/listen of the day (if he updates)
But I was a little busy lately and hasn’t been able to keep up with all the blog entries piling up on my Google Reader. So I missed some blog articles lately. Sorry everyone. But fortunately, Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts (MICA) and Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources (MEWR) decides to draw my attention to this wonderful column that mrbrown wrote for inSing. (By the way, I don’t even know we have a ministry call MEWR.)
You see, they were against the content of the article. According to mrbrown’s editor, MEWR said it criticized a minister and a ministry. So they requested Singtel (who owns inSing) to remove the article.
I’m not sure if the folks at MICA and MEWR knew that things that once you post something online, it’s hard to remove it. There is always Google Cache. And mrbrown himself repost the entire article on his personal blog, which receive high readership daily. And after that, several bloggers & tweeters (including me) are making reference to that article, thus giving it more attention than it would have received.
Has anyone heard of the Streisand Effect? It is an Internet phenomenon where an attempt to censor or remove a piece of information backfires, causing the information to be publicized widely and to a greater extent than would have occurred if no censorship had been attempted. And this exactly what is happening now.
When will they ever learn?
So if you are free, do check out this wonderful article by mrbrown. If MICA & MEWR wants it to be taken down, then it must be something worth reading. And don’t worry, they won’t be able to take down the article from mrbrown’s blog.
on Dec 2nd, 2009 at 11:53 AM
Last year Thomson, this year Bukit Timah. If the minister and his freaking ministry has ANY sense at all, it’s high time they take a look at their records and identify all the low lying area and do something about the drainage in those area before the NEXT heavy rain.
on Dec 2nd, 2009 at 5:36 PM
Xizor2000: Maybe should set their KPI to no flood for the entire year. See if they achieve it or not.
on Dec 3rd, 2009 at 2:13 AM
I wouldn’t have read this if they didn’t take it down. Thanks MICA & MEWR!!
on Dec 3rd, 2009 at 11:07 AM
[...] Mainstream or X-Stream Media – according2ed: Why Singaporekini? Thou art Singaporekini! – Dee Kay Dot As Gee: It must be something worth reading [...]
on Dec 4th, 2009 at 2:05 AM
It’s strange that the article has to be taken down because it “criticized a minister and a ministry”.
I guess we should abolish elections in Singapore then, because not voting for *you-know-who* in a GRC will be seen as criticism of one or two ministers.
on Dec 5th, 2009 at 10:58 AM
[...] Mainstream or X-Stream Media – Asian in America: Ben, I know the problem. Tell me what we can do – The Asia File: Why people need to speak out about censorship in Singapore – TOC: Press Muse: Age of extremes – mrbrown: What happened to my “mrbrown and the flood” column – Blowin’ In The Wind: Singapore & the Economist: After the sentence cut – Gerald Giam’s Blog: Where is Singaporekini? – Jacob 69er: Singapore: Censorship city – The real victims of this repression are Singaporeans – Singapore Dino: Deja vu: Govt interferes with mr brown’s work again – according2ed: Why Singaporekini? Thou art Singaporekini! – Dee Kay Dot As Gee: It must be something worth reading [...]