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On March 1, a reader's letter published in Lianhe Zaobao's Forum page with the headline “Feedback from readers taken seriously” caught my eye. He cited a number of suggestions he made through the Forum page of Zaobao which received swift responses from the authorities and quick follow-up actions to back his observation. His own experiences led him to conclude that:”This is a good illustration of the democratic system at work in Singapore. Newspapers provide the avenues for people to air their views and these are taken seriously by the authorities which act promptly to find solutions to problems”. At first glance, the letter appears only to affirm the positive and effective communication between government departments and the people. What should not be overlooked, however, is that underpinning this virtuous circle is the credibility of the media. To begin with, the people must have faith in the media for them to bring up problems and issues in the belief that when their concerns are highlighted in the press, the authorities will remedy the situation. This is evidence of the credibility that the press enjoys among the people. Similarly, the government, well aware of the influence newspapers have over its readers, pays close attention to reports, comments and views in the press. And ministries or departments will investigate and deal with problems that come under their purview in a speedy manner. This shows that the government respects the media and believes the concerns expressed by the man in the street are genuine. It is the duty of the media to keep the people informed of government policies and major events as well as provide accurate feedback to the government on the problems and hardships the people face. The media acts as a bridge between the government and the people and should seek to make each aware of the concerns of the other and establish an effective channel of communication between them. This is also the process by which the media develops its credibility. To win the trust of the people and strengthen its hand, the government should keep abreast of the changing needs of the people and help them overcome problems that they have to grapple with. An open and democratic government should respect the right of the people to have access to information. It should, for example, explain to them the rationale for changing an important policy or the reasons for a major event that has taken place. The information should be timely, accurate and as comprehensive as possible. The government should also have its ear to the ground to have a good grasp of how the people feel and what they need. The media is the most important means through which to achieve this. Every serious news provider seeks to be credible and the process of achieving this is an arduous one. Cable News Network or CNN, for instance, has invested tremendous human and other resources over the years to extend its tentacles worldwide to bring real-time news from every part of the world to its viewers. The US Central Intelligence Agency or CIA had no clues at all when a coup took place in the Kremlin in 1991. It was the CNN which brought the full drama of the successful attempt to seize power to the viewers. CNN's ability to keep up with such high-quality reporting has won it worldwide credibility. While it requires hard work to build up credibility, it takes little effort to ruin it. For instance, anti-Thai riots broke up in Cambodia at the end of January, resulting in death, injury and severe damage to property. Bangkok suspended most of its ties with Phnom Penh and anti-Cambodian sentiments ran high in Thailand. The cause of the tragedy - Cambodian newspaper Rasmei Angkor (Light Of Angkor) reporting an unverified comment by popular Thai actress Suvanant Kongying that “Cambodia has stolen Angkor Wat from Thailand”. This is an example of how the abuse of public trust in the media can have serious consequences that may not be redeemable. It will no doubt be an uphill task for the newspaper to restore its credibility. The effort to establish credibility can be likened to sailing against the current, a failure to forge ahead means the danger of being overwhelmed by the relentless tide. It has taken the local media here many years to gain its hard-won credibility. It is an invaluable asset that it should continue to build upon. The reader ended his letter by saying that he hoped “the effective feedback mechanism can be further enhanced”. My hope is that the media here will cherish and make greater use of its credibility. (The writer is a sub-editor of Lianhe Zaobao. Translated by Yap Gee Poh.)
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3月1日《联合早报·交流》版刊登了一篇来稿，题为《读者的话管用》。这位读者列举了几次通过早报提出建议，都迅速得到政府有关部门的回应，并及时解决了问题。 他由亲身经历认识到，“这是新加坡民主社会的一个侧影，报纸支持人民说话，人民在报纸上公开提出的意见受到有关当局的重视，从而使问题能够及时得到解决，影响深远……” 表面上看，这篇来稿只是反映了政府有关当局与民众之间的良性沟通。然而如果深入分析，就会发现这种良性沟通的背后，其实是以媒体的公信力作为桥梁的。 首先，民众必须相信媒体敢于为民请命，会把民生疾苦反映出来，才有可能把周遭发生的一些问题与状况反映给媒体，希望通过媒体这个“扩音器”，引起有关当局的重视，从而使问题得到解决。这是媒体公信力在民众一方的体现。 相应的，政府则因清楚了解媒体在民众中的影响力，才会随时关注媒体上出现的相关报道、反映和言论，一旦出现与己有关的问题，相关部门就进一步进行查证，并力求迅速完满地解决问题。这是政府相信媒体权威性，相信媒体读者言论真实性的体现。 从传播学角度来说，媒体有责任向民众传达政府的各项政策法规及重大事件，同时也应如实把民生疾苦反映给政府。 媒体作为政府与民众之间的桥梁，应该是双向的，既要做到上情下达，也要做到下情上达，使政府与民众之间形成一种良性沟通，由此树立媒体的公信力；政府则应通过媒体倾听民众的声音，了解民众需求，并本着真诚服务民众的精神，及时有效地解决问题，这样才能取信于民，从而树立起政府自身的威信。 一个开明、民主的政府，应该重视公众的知情权，并及时、真实和尽可能完整地向公众解释最新发生的重大事件与政策走向的转变；同时注意聆听民众的声音，尽力去了解民众的感受与需求。而媒体正是达成这一目的最重要的途径。 公信力是每一个严肃媒体的不懈追求。公信力的树立更是一个艰难的过程。美国有线新闻网（CNN）多年来投入大量人力物力，触角遍及世界每个角落，力求把当地发生的新闻以最快速度报道给大众。 1991年克里姆林宫发生巨变时，美国中央情报局事前都毫无警讯，可是CNN却在第一时间把事件呈现在大众面前。它长时间持续这样优异的表现，才能赢得今天的全球公信力。 公信力的树立如此艰难，要破坏它却是轻而易举。滥用公信力造成的伤害更是无法弥补。 今年1月底，在柬埔寨发生的反泰暴动，不但造成人命伤亡和财物损失，也使泰国断绝了与柬埔寨之间的大部分联系。同时，泰国国内也掀起了反对柬人的活动。 这一悲剧的起因，不过是柬埔寨《吴哥之光》未经查证就刊登了泰国电视红星素瓦南的一句话，“柬埔寨盗走了我的吴哥窟”。 《吴哥之光》滥用媒体公信力，造成了不可收拾的局面。我们也很难想像，《吴哥之光》今后需要花费多大的努力，才能重新树立起它的公信力？ 由此可见，公信力的树立就像逆水行舟，一篙不及将一泻千里。我们的媒体经过多年努力，树立起一定的公信力，这是最值得庆幸与珍惜的。媒体在珍惜这一宝贵财富的同时，更应致力于不断加强它的范围与力度。就像这位读者在来稿最后提到的“我认为这件事意义很大，影响深远，希望今后这样的机制继续发扬光大。” 我们也都这样希望！
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