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High Level Advisory Council Will Study Implications Of IDM Sector
Posted on Monday, March 26, 2007 - 06:00 PM

A new Council, The Advisory Council on the Impact of New Media on Society (AIMS), will be formed on 1 April 2007 by the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts (MICA), to study the far-reaching social, ethical, legal and regulatory implications of a rapidly growing Interactive and Digital Media (IDM) sector. It will also make recommendations to the government on how these issues should be managed while keeping pace with the d evelopment of IDM in Singapore.

2. The formation of this Council was first announced in Parliament on 3 March 2007.

3. The AIMS will be chaired by Mr Cheong Yip Seng, who recently retired as Editor-in-Chief of the English and Malay Newspaper Division at Singapore Press Holdings. Throughout his long distinguished career as a journalist, Mr Cheong has developed a deep understanding of the multi-racial, multi-religious make-up of Singapore as well as the rapidly changing media landscape.

4. The Deputy Chairman is Professor Tan Cheng Han, Dean of the Faculty of Law of the National University of Singapore. Prof Tan has headed the Law Faculty since 2001 and was made Senior Counsel in 2004. He also serves as consultant to TSMP Law Corporation, a private law practice.

5. The other 11 members of the AIMS will be drawn from diverse backgrounds, with expertise relevant to the various issues to be addressed, including industry participants, academics, sociologists, journalists, professionals and other community representatives. The list of committee members and their backgrounds is given at Annex A (see www.mica.gov.sg).

6. The AIMS will report to the IDM Steering Committee to ensure coordination with Singapore ’s IDM industry development efforts. Its recommendations will be submitted to MICA for consideration and follow up.

7. Interactive and Digital Media (IDM) or new media as it is popularly known, is a new emerging industry that has been identified as a promising growth industry for Singapore . The National Research Foundation (NRF) has allocated S$500 million over the next five years to fund the development of a strategic IDM research programme.

8. As the global IDM sector is still young and evolving, it is necessary to monitor international trends and domestic developments in order to anticipate and respond expeditiously to new opportunities and challenges.

MINISTRY OF INFORMATION, COMMUNICATIONS AND THE ARTS
26 March 2007