By Clarissa Oon, Senior Political Correspondent

SINGAPORE will soon allow party political films that are objective and do not distort facts, and an independent citizen panel will be set up to pass them.

Such films, which would be sanctioned under an amended Films Act, could include factual documentaries, recordings of actual events and biographies.

The Government announced this yesterday as part of its cautious acceptance of two-thirds of the recommendations made by a council it appointed to study the impact of new media.

Citizens will be engaged through Reach

Official feedback unit will be the main platform for Government

By Li Xueying, Political Correspondent

THE Government will engage citizens online more actively - but on its own turf.

Reach, its official feedback unit, will become the main platform through which it will interact with netizens.

Responding to individual blogs and forum postings - a recommendation by the Advisory Council on the Impact of New Media on Society (Aims) - will require a huge amount of resources and be 'extremely difficult', said Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts Lee Boon Yang.

Political podcasts to be allowed by the next GE

By Clarissa Oon

BY THE next general election, voters can expect to watch podcasts and vodcasts put out by political parties as part of their Internet election advertising.

Such audio or video files could be of election manifestoes, election rally speeches, party press conferences or constituency tours to promote the election candidates.

In announcing this yesterday, the Government accepted an advisory council's call to widen the list of what is legally sanctioned for election advertising on the Internet.

Taskforce will find ways to shield young against Net risks

By Li Xueying

A TASKFORCE will be set up to strategise how children can be protected against the dangers of the Internet.

To be co-chaired by the deputy secretaries from two ministries - Information, Communications and the Arts, and Education - it will coordinate national efforts involving government agencies, the community and the industry,

It will also get more resources, promised Dr Lee Boon Yang, Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts.

Airing of views: Gag on civil servants stays

By Li Xueying

THE gag stays: civil servants are still not allowed to publicly express their personal opinions on government policies.

Allowing them to do so would 'compromise the performance of their duty by undermining discipline and trust within the civil service', said the Government.

Dr Lee Boon Yang, Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts, made this clear yesterday, as he explained why the recommendation of the Advisory Council on the Impact of New Media on Society (Aims) was rejected.

Web hosts may get some protection

By Clarissa Oon

WEB content hosts could get some protection when their users are sued for defamation, following a Government review of existing laws on the subject.

The authorities agreed yesterday with the recommendations of an advisory committee that the law needs to spell out more clearly how liable content hosts are when defamatory remarks appear on their portals and forums.

Singapore's defamation laws currently allow victims to go after the person who made the offending remarks, plus others in the 'chain of publication'.

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