NUS staff reminded not to break the law when expressing views after POFMA order for East Asia Forum article
A POFMA order was issued to East Asia Forum over an article written by NUS' Dr Chan Ying-kit.
A sign at the National University of Singapore and a screenshot of the East Asia Forum website.
SINGAPORE: The National University of Singapore (NUS) reminded staff members on Wednesday (Sep 20) not to break the law when expressing their views, after a correction direction was issued to East Asia Forum over an article written by NUS academic Dr Chan Ying-kit.
In an email sent to staff, NUS president Tan Eng Chye reminded them of the university's position as a leading global university that is trusted by the public.
"This trust is eroded when any of our faculty, staff or students engage in disinformation or misinformation," he wrote in the email.
When staff members share their opinions in their personal capacity, they should ensure that this is "clearly stated" and note that their views do not represent NUS' position, Professor Tan said in his email.
They also should not use the NUS affiliation in such instances, he added.
"NUS is committed to and upholds academic freedom. Faculty members are free to express and share their views and opinions on any subject matter as long as this is carried out in a professional, responsible and accountable manner, without contravening the laws of Singapore," said Prof Tan.
He added that faculty members have a duty to educate students and "demonstrate true scholarship which strives to differentiate truth from falsehoods".
On Sep 13, Australia-based website East Asia Forum was issued a correction direction from the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA) Office.
The order related to claims made in an article titled "A spate of scandals strikes Singapore", written by NUS' Dr Chan.
The piece contained false statements on matters such as the independence of the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's approach in addressing extramarital affairs among parliamentarians, the Prime Minister's Office said on Sep 13.
Three days later, the Ministry of Communications and Information announced that internet service providers in Singapore would be ordered to block access to East Asia Forum after it failed to comply with the correction direction.
Dr Chan has apologised for the distress caused by the article, as well as the errors, omissions and false statements in the article. According to him, the article has been retracted from the website.
