SPH Media put government funding to good use, but it still has 'considerable catch-up' to do: Josephine Teo

SINGAPORE: The government funding given to SPH Media so far has been put to good use, but there is still "considerable catch-up" for the organisation to do in its digital transformation, said Minister for Communications and Information Josephine Teo on Friday (Mar 1).  

For FY2023, SPH Media failed to meet their digital reach, youth reach and vernacular reach key performance indicator (KPI) targets. 

It also did not manage to meet another KPI target of maintaining the average time spent on its websites and apps.

"Accordingly, it did not receive the full funding that was committed," noted Mrs Teo in parliament during her ministry’s budget debates.

"SPH Media will need to do more to maintain its relevance in this challenging media environment and will need continued support as it strives to get onto firmer footing."

She was responding to questions from Leader of the Opposition Pritam Singh (WP-Aljunied) about updates to the government’s funding to SPH Media. 

In 2022, the Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI) announced it would provide up to S$900 million in funding support for SPH Media Trust over the next five years. 

At the time, Mrs Teo said this would help SPH Media make “essential investments that move it decisively into the digital era”.

Thus far, around S$320 million has been disbursed to SPH Media across FY2022 and FY2023, she said on Friday. 

MCI has also budgeted to provide SPH Media with around S$260 million in funding in FY2024. This is reflected in MCI’s budget book as part of the ministry’s overall grant disbursement provided to other organisations, Mrs Teo added.

PUBLIC SERVICE MEDIA A "CRITICAL PUBLIC PILLAR"

While SPH Media did not meet some KPIs in FY2023, Mrs Teo also commended them on other improvements.

The funding disbursed to SPH Media has strengthened its digital systems to improve outreach, in line with what other global publications have done.

For instance, all of SPH Media’s titles – The Straits Times, Lianhe Zaobao, Berita Harian and Tamil Murasu – have launched mobile apps. 

SPH Media has also made "extensive efforts" to improve retention and quality of its newsrooms through training, scholarships and fellowships with overseas institutions such as the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism.

On Friday, Mrs Teo also reminded the House that in an information landscape where truths have to compete with falsehoods, public service media is a “critical public pillar in our society's infrastructure of fact". 

“On matters deserving public attention, such as community news in the vernacular, or indeed parliamentary proceedings, profit-driven platforms may have no interest except to sensationalise or add their own ‘spin’," she said. 

“We also need public service media to tell Singapore stories and project Singapore’s voice. We cannot expect media organisations elsewhere to do so for us."

Mrs Teo pointed out that “our ability as a people to have a shared understanding of issues of the day, to know where our national interests lie and what we must do to ensure our continued success” is at stake. 

As such, sustained investment in public service media entities is not a “nice-to-do”, she stressed. 

“Rather, it is a ‘have-to-do’, if we are to uphold quality journalism that supports the public good.”

In response to queries from CNA about Mrs Teo's comments and SPH Media's plans to meet KPIs in FY2024, a spokesperson said the company has made "steady progress" since it began its "transformation journey" two years ago.

"There will be learnings to apply and room for improvement along this journey as we continue to adapt to the evolving media landscape. We believe that our commitment to our transformation roadmap will help deliver outcomes aligned with our mission and objectives."