Yaacob in MDA Rap explains why news websites in Singapore need to have license

Minister for Communications and Information Yaacob Ibrahim gets the MDA Rap treatment in which he tries to explain why Singapore requires news websites to apply for licences. He says Singapore wants to protect the interests of the ordinary Singaporeans and therefore it is important that the government makes sure that they read the "right" thing.

The new regulations state that online news sites reporting on local "news and current affairs" will need individual licenses, they will need to put out a performance bond of S$50,000 to acquire the license, and licensees will be required to remove "prohibited content" within 24 hours of being notified to do so. Sounds absurd? You bet. It is as absurd as the infamous MDA Rap video.

Meanwhile, bloggers in Singapore do not fall into MDA's new licensing framework for news sites, yet. MDA says that an individual writing about current affairs and trends on his personal website or blog is not news reporting.