By Zakir Hussain

ATTORNEY-GENERAL Walter Woon yesterday asked the High Court to impose a 'substantial fine' on the publisher of the Wall Street Journal Asia (WSJA) for contempt of court.

This was necessary to send a signal that would stop others from making similar attacks which, if left unchecked, would chip away at the rule of law here as they had in other democracies the WSJA wanted Singapore to emulate, he said.

The Government alleges that three items published in the WSJA in June and July this year attack the integrity and independence of Singapore's courts.

A-G draws the line on freedom of speech

The right to criticise court judgments is no licence to attack judiciary as well

By Sue-ann Chia

GO AHEAD, criticise court judgments. But stop short of attacking the judiciary as there is a limit to freedom of speech, said Attorney-General Walter Woon yesterday.

'The right to criticise does not give licence to make irresponsible accusations against the judiciary,' he said in his opening arguments in contempt of court proceedings against newspaper publisher Dow Jones Publishing (Asia).

Those who do will be cited for contempt of court, a charge Dow Jones Publishing is facing for three articles - two editorials and a letter - published in the Wall Street Journal Asia (WSJA) in June and July.

Western media: High priests of new religion?

By Aaron Low

IT WOULD be naive to think of newspapers as doing a service to the world when the fact is that they exist to make money. They take positions so they can please their readers, who in turn attract advertising revenue, said Attorney-General Walter Woon yesterday.

In the case of the Wall Street Journal Asia (WSJA), said Professor Woon, they are part of the Western media which sees themselves as 'high priests of a new religion' that seek to impose their own views of freedom and 'enact regime change' around the world, including Singapore.

Yesterday, both the local and foreign media came under the spotlight.

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