Prédateur

LEE Hsien Loong

10 février 1952

Premier ministre de Singapour depuis le 12 août 2004

Prédateur depuis son entrée en fonction

Singapour, 160e/180 au Classement mondial de la liberté de la presse 2021

Dear [Name of Candidate],

I am writing to ask you what you plan to do to defend the First Amendment, freedom of the press, and the fundamental rights of journalists to practice their profession freely in what has become an increasingly hostile environment for information and news providers.

The United States, which enshrines press freedom in the First Amendment of its Constitution, is currently witnessing a drastic decline in media freedom. On June 28, one of the most horrific attacks on press freedom in the United States occurred when five employees, including four reporters, were killed at the Capital Gazette newspaper in Annapolis, Maryland. According to the US Press Freedom Tracker, which comprehensively documents press freedom violations in the US committed by national, state, and local authorities as well as private individuals, 33 journalists were arrested, 43 were physically attacked, and 15 seizures of journalists’ equipment occurred in 2017. In one of these incidents, Rep. Greg Gianforte physically assaulted a Guardian journalist the night before his state’s election. While covering the school shooting in Parkland, Florida, journalists were impersonated on social media, impeding their ability to accurately investigate the facts and disseminate information which could be vital to preventing a similar tragedy. This hostility towards the press not only risks compromising the American public’s right to be informed through journalists’ reporting, but can also degrade the public’s trust in the media itself.

This is not a partisan issue; it is a fundamental right that impacts every American no matter their politics. Journalism is at the crux of our democracy, and communities everywhere rely on journalists to provide them with information that is essential to their daily decision-making processes. It was local investigative journalist Curt Guyette who broke the story about Flint, Michigan’s lack of access to clean water in 2014, prompting years of class-action lawsuits, protests, and subsequent federal assistance to the city in order to try to resolve the crisis. Reporters Megan Twohey, Jodi Kantor, and Ronan Farrow publicized sexual assault allegations against influential Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein in 2017, leading to the ubiquitous and powerful #MeToo movement which brought decades of sexual abuse and harassment across multiple industries to light.

Yet freedom of the press in the US is currently in dire need of congressional support. It is our civic duty as one of the world’s leading democracies to uphold principles that support and protect the rights of journalists so that they may hold those in power accountable and ensure an informed and engaged community.

If you are elected, what do you plan to do to protect this utterly essential component of our democracy? What are your plans to protect the public’s right to be informed through a free and independent press?

Sincerely,
[Your name]

Hello, my name is _______ and I am from [city, state].

I’m calling to let you know that [candidate/representative]'s stance on freedom of the press is extremely important in my decision to vote. I feel that this is not a partisan issue, but a fundamental right that impacts every American no matter their politics.

I have become increasingly concerned with the growing climate of hostility for journalists in this country, and I would like for [candidate/representative] to publicly address what they will do to defend press freedom if [he/she] is elected.

Thank you.

Freedom of the press is suffering in the US. @[yourcandidate] if you are elected to serve in Congress, what are your plans to protect journalists and our right to be informed? Will you #DefendPressFreedom?

Democracy depends on a free and independent press and its ability to hold those in power accountable. [@yourcandidate] will you take measures to protect journalism and the First Amendment? Will you #DefendPressFreedom?

In June, four reporters were murdered in an appalling targeted attack on the Capital Gazette and freedom of the press. [@yourcandidate] what will you do to address the growing threat to journalists in this country? #DefendPressFreedom

Press freedom is in steady decline in the US. I want my representative to defend the work of journalists as well as my right to be informed. [@yourcandidate] if you are elected what will you do to protect a free press? #DefendPressFreedom

Journalists play a crucial role in our democracy by keeping us informed and holding those in power accountable. And yet in the US, attacks on journalists are becoming more common, undermining the media's role and creating opportunities for government overreach, the erosion of press freedom, and impeding our right to be informed. I’m contacting my candidates and encouraging them to defend press freedom during their midterm election campaign. Join me at DefendPressFreedom.com

A free press is essential to our democracy. Communities everywhere rely on journalists to report on our government’s actions and hold public figures accountable, providing us with the information we need to make decisions every day. And yet physical, verbal, and online attacks against journalists in the US are increasing at an astonishing rate. I’m contacting my candidates and encouraging them to defend press freedom during their midterm election campaign. You should too. Read more at DefendPressFreedom.com

Press freedom is declining in the US at an alarming rate. Physical, verbal, and online attacks against journalists have increased drastically in the last two years. As the US midterm elections approach, we must remind our congressional candidates that journalists play a crucial role in our democracy by keeping us informed and holding those in power accountable. I’m contacting my representatives and encouraging them to defend press freedom during their midterm election campaign. Join in and help me spread the word at DefendPressFreedom.com

MODE DE PRÉDATION : autocensure et bâillonnement systématiques

Fils du Premier ministre Lee Kuan Yew, fondateur de la cité-État singapourienne, Lee Hsien Loong a perpétué le régime de parti unique hérité de son père, et sa doctrine de la “dictature bienveillante” : “Dormez en paix braves gens, votre gouvernement s’occupe de penser à votre place.” Dans ce système, la liberté de la presse n’a pas lieu d’être. Et pour le maintenir, Lee Hsien Loong a développé un implacable appareil de contrôle de l’information. Sa première arme agit en amont : deux grands groupes détiennent l’ensemble des organes de presse singapouriens - et c’est le gouvernement de Lee Hsien Loong qui en désigne directement les dirigeants. L’autocensure est par conséquent la règle dès qu’on touche aux questions qui pourraient l’importuner. Une deuxième arme agit en aval : la redoutable Autorité de développement des médias (Media Development Authority, MDA), contrôlée par le gouvernement, peut censurer n’importe quel contenu journalistique et ordonner la fermeture des organes de presse de façon parfaitement arbitraire. Pour sa part, Lee Hsien Loong est lui-même coutumier des procédures-bâillons : à travers des plaintes pour diffamation, ses armées d’avocats réclament des sommes astronomiques aux journalistes et blogueurs qui lui déplaisent, menant à des harcèlements judiciaires extrêmement éprouvants. Enfin, avec sa “loi anti fake news” entrée en vigueur en novembre 2019, le gouvernement de Lee Hsien Loong a parfait son attirail de répression en s’arrogeant le droit, en toute modestie, de décider quelle information est “vraie” ou “fausse”.

CIBLES DE PRÉDILECTION : David contre Goliath

Puisque l’ensemble de la presse écrite, radio, audiovisuelle et en ligne doit systématiquement rentrer dans les carcans du discours officiel, seule une poignée de sites d’information et de blogs tentent, difficilement, de fournir une information fiable et indépendante aux Singapouriens. Leurs administrateurs sont régulièrement victimes de procédures bâillons initiées par Lee Hsien Loong en personne. En mai 2021, le blogueur Leong Sze Hian a dû lancer une campagne de financement participatif pour payer au Premier ministre la somme astronomique de près de 165 000 euros, tout cela parce qu’il avait simplement partagé sur Facebook un article évoquant des faits de corruption. Le responsable du site The Online Citizen Terry Xu est pour sa part réduit à passer ses nuits à étudier les codes de procédure pénale du droit singapourien, faute de ressources nécessaires pour faire face aux plaintes intentées contre Lee Hsien Loong.

DISCOURS OFFICIEL : écraser les “fourmis”

“Nous avons appris à vivre avec ces piqûres de fourmis.” (6 octobre 2020, à propos d’une plainte contre un blogueur à qui Lee Hsien Loong réclamait 80 000 euros.)