[Update on June 16, 2011: here]
Embattled TNP editor Melvin Singh appeared to have fabricated SDP candidate Michelle Lee’s comments to smear SDP and to put the party in a bad light again.
TNP had ran an article on 1 May by Bryna Sim and Melvin Singh with the misleading headlines: “Is he SDP’s loose cannon“:
“It appeared that he (Dr Chee) was about to lead the group in a march before other party members intervened to stop it.”
It turned out that a supporter had wanted to hang a garland over Dr Chee which he obliged. The crowd was clamoring to shake his hand and ask for his autograph. No ‘protest march’ of any sort ever took place. (Please watch this video from 10:40 for the irrefutable truth.)
Instead of retracting his story and apologizing to SDP and Dr Chee, Melvin Singh continues to twist and turn to exonerate himself. In an article published on TNP yesterday, he claimed that it was the police who asked a SDP member Chris Ang to inform Dr Chee to ’stop’ walking in the stadium as it may be ‘misconstrued’ as a ‘march’.
This important fact was not highlighted in the first article which was deliberately slanted to mislead Singaporeans into thinking that Dr Chee had indeed attempted to start a ‘protest march.’
In the same article, Melvin Singh quoted SDP candidate Michelle Lee as telling Dr Chee in an ‘emergency meeting’ held after the police’s ‘reminder’ that she did not want to be involved in civil disobedience.
“I said at the meeting that we need to make sure we do not involve ourselves in acts of civil disobedience. And during that meeting, Chris came to us and said that the police spoke to him.”
Melvin Singh then wrote that Michelle Lee may consider leaving SDP if there were unlawful incidents:
“He (Dr Chee) may be prepared to lose everything but I am not. I have young children and lives I am concerned with.”
When contacted by a TR reader on Facebook, Ms Lee clarified that she has never made those remarks to Melvin Singh:
[Source: Michelle Lee]
Was Ms Lee misquoted or did Melvin Singh simply put words into her mouth to smear SDP again?
From the two sagas so far, it does seem that Melvin Singh lacks basic morals, ethics and integrity to be a journalist. More innocent Singaporeans will be harmed by his ‘poisoned pen’ if he is allowed to continue working in SPH.
In the meantime, the online campaign to boycott TNP continues to gather momentum with 4,879 ‘likes’ (8:28 am, May 6) on the “Boycott TNP Facebook” as netizens vent their frustrations and anger on TNP.
Singaporeans should consider whether they should spend 70 cents to contribute to the FAT bonuses that Melvin Singh will be getting at the end of the year for his ‘expertise’ in fixing and smearing the opposition.
Melvinderpal Singh (bio)
Deputy Editor
Office: (65) 6319 5567
Email: melvin@sph.com.sg
No comments:
Post a Comment