THE SINGAPORE PRESS AND THE WOMEN'S MOVEMENT : A STUDY OF ALTERNATIVE VOICES

Abstract

This research study investigated the access or lack thereof that the local women's movement has to the The Straits Times to air feminist views on women's issues, as well as the conditions surrounding this access. It attempted to explore the manner in which an alternative voice is presented in the dominant press. It also sought to identify factors that constrain or facilitate access of the women's movement to the press. Research abroad has shown that social movements generally find it difficult to insert oppositional messages in the dominant press. Nonetheless, other research studies emphasize that openings can be found in the media for the expression of dissent. The growing women's movement within the Singaporean context of strong government control and press monopoly, presented an interesting case for study. Based on a content analysis of press coverage on women's issues in 1983 and 1994, the study revealed that there is a substantial increase in the representation of feminist voices in 1994. Drawing upon interviews with both journalists and women activists, constraining and facilitating factors that surround the access of the women's movement to the press were identified. These include the socio-political context, the organisational structures of both The Straits Times and women's groups, and individual factors such as strong women leadership and sympathetic journalists. These interviews served to substantiate and contextualise the findings of the content analysis. On the whole, the study gives cause for optimism regarding the possibility of the local women's movement in using the press to disseminate alternative views of reality. A unique configuration of factors in the present context allows for this.