Chitchat End of TOC (The Online Citizen)

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An honorable member of the Coffee Shop Has Just Posted the Following:

It was formed in Dec 2006 in the aftermath of GE2006 euphoria. It had its roots in a PAP initiative to counter the emerging prominent profile that online blogs in the socio-political blogs space began to take during the run-up to GE2006.

Remy Choo, a bright young law undergrad and a YPAP activist who was assisting PAP MP Ho Geok Choo in Boon Lay ward was asked to kick-start the project. The aim was to create a close to an objective sociopolitical blog that would get acceptance. The original design of those in PAP who mooted the idea was to correct obvious and blatant misreporting that cast PAP in bad light. It however moved away too fast from their hands and that of their founding Editor. It also could not be pro PAP blog as that would be a non-starter as it was would be drowned out in content and slant by the state controlled media as well numerous community blogs that carried the party message. Duplication served no purpose.

Like it or not to the initiators, the blog very quickly gained not only acceptance but clearly became pro-opposition not by design or by choice but demand. Singapore since the clampdown of the media in the 70s and 80s became barren when the voices were not of PAP or its supporters. It was left to likes of individuals such as Mr Miyagi, Mr Brown, Alex Au, Feedmetothefishes, LuckyTan etc and one foreign forum masquerading as a porn site that provided much needed succour in the sociopolitical space.

TOC were lucky in its early days to draw a number of individuals who were not dyed-in-the-wool opposition leaning editors or contributors but were driven by social rather than political needs and the rest was pretty much peer group pressure that assured general alignment to the needs of Singaporeans starved of objective reporting and a much needed voice.

During the run-up to GE2011, it became the mainstay of many Singaporeans who knew full well that the whores in Toa Payoh Brothel could not be relied upon for an objective coverage. The WP GE2006 rally photos carried by the Brothel proved beyond doubts the extent of the slant they would go to when independent blogs carried the rally photos that gave away the true picture. And true to form, during GE2011 note how the brothel doctored the PM's speech to cover his gaffes.

Its success however led to 2 rather unsavoury developments. It gave rise to online newsblogs driven by commercial profits but had no qualms about sensationalism, false and misleading reports. The frontrunner being WayangParty/ TRE whose founder is a medical doctor Joseph Ong and other similar blogs. The second development driven primarily by the first was introduction of new legislation with even more controls. It was back to square one after nearly 6 good years of rather liberated reporting of sociopolitical events.

Alas it was not to last, the good ones in TOC both in the editing and contribution space moved on. And it became captive of the Leftist - read Function 8 and its allies. It continues but the meaningful and objectives contributions have dried up long ago. Emotions have overtaken objectivity, revisionism has overtaken history.

Many of the headline articles are old and there is the occasional reporting. It will probably remain moribund with the occasional reporting of Function 8 interest.

With the receding desert now advancing again what we are now seeing is mediocre newsblogs and sites such as the Middle Ground and Mother.sg both spawned from the PAP linked or controlled backgrounds. Smart enough to know where the OB markers are but not shy to claim otherwise.


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