Abstract

CSJ-08-0006.0 This case is about the challenge faced by the Far Eastern Economic Review (FEER) and its parent company, Dow Jones, when in 2006 FEER ran afoul of Singapore’s leaders and its government. The case traces the history of the media, both domestic and international, in Singapore. It describes the legal challenges the Singapore authorities mounted over the years against the foreign press, culminating in charges which former Singapore President Lee Kuan Yew and his son brought against FEER for an editorial they found offensive. Within days, a government ministry upped the ante, informing FEER that it would henceforth be subject to new restrictions. Dow Jones legal counsel had to weigh competing claims: defend Western values of press freedom versus protect the interests of other Dow Jones publications active in Singapore.

Students will be given a window into what it means to cover a society with a culture and rules distinctly different from the US. They will be asked to consider whether another political ideology—Confucianism—provides justification for press controls. They will also gain an understanding of how easy it can be to cross the line set by authoritarian governments—and the price journalists can pay. They will come to appreciate that the editorial and economic interests of news organizations are frequently more closely linked than both sides might wish.

This case can be used in a course about international media; about the business of journalism; or on US coverage of foreign news.

Credits

This case was written by Julia Ioffe for the Knight Case Studies Initiative, Graduate School of Journalism, Columbia University. The faculty sponsor was Professor Michael Shapiro. The Columbia Center for New Media Teaching and Learning (CCNMTL) produced the multimedia, online product. Josh Stanley was the project coordinator, and Zarina Mustapha was the website designer. Funding was provided by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation .