Positions

1. We believe STOMP (Straits Times Online Media Print) has more potential for harm than good.
2. It is an unnecessary tool for surveillance, and has resulted in unnecessary intrusions into the private lives of Singaporeans.
3. It infantilises Singaporeans, discouraging them from thinking critically about social issues by encouraging vouyeuristic journalism.
4. STOMP should be shut down for good as it is a detriment toward the proposed establishment of a Renaissance City.
5. Alternatively, it should be revamped so that it promotes critical thought about the social issues of our day.

The Short of It
Shut Down STOMP!

Why?
Your life or the lives of your loved ones could be the next that is/are affected by STOMP’s current brand of ‘journalism’.

The Long of It
Upon its inception, STOMP was hailed as ‘the next new thing’ in citizen journalism in Singapore – it was expected to be a platform for Singaporeans to create news for Singaporeans, by Singaporeans.

However, it seems that the type of ‘news’ that has been covered thus far ranges from the banal to the mundane, to the downrightly outrageous intrusion of privacy into the lives of Singaporeans.

As a result, the website has resulted in the:

• encouragement of the culture of voyeurism in our society;
• inadvertent destruction of the lives of Singaporeans affected by the ‘news’ that STOMP reports on; and the
• possible infantilising of Singapore society by encouraging only a certain type of journalism from citizens;

among other potentiall detrimental effects.

STOMP could do so much more, namely, encouraging a culture of critical thinking through better journalism, which might result in Singaporeans being better able to engage with the social issues of today. However, it has not and will not until we do something about it.

Join the cause today as we work together to stomp out STOMP, or at the very least, facilitate its reformation into a media website that we can all be proud of.

How We Will Do It

1. NOW – Raising awareness of the cause through the use of social media and Web 2.0 technology.
2. NEXT PHASE – Sending appeals or petitions to the people in charge of STOMP until we receive a response from them.

Further Reading

• Is STOMP ‘Citizen Journalism’?