Open letter to Zanny Minton Beddoes, editor-in-chief of The Economist
Dear Ms Beddoes,
I am one of your regular and loyal readers. Over the years I have been impressed by your creative, independent and courageous journalism and in-depth articles.
When I recently was in Singapore I was hence shocked and saddened when I learned that The Economist has apologized and even paid damages to the autocratic leaders of the country. The assertions that were made about the Lee family in an article about Temasek’s appointment of Ho Ching (the wife of PM Lee Hsien Loong) as CEO seemed fair to make given the circumstances (http://www.economist.com/node/3150364).
It is hard to understand what caused The Economist to apologize and pay damages to Lee Hsien Loong for this. I am assuming it must be because the circulation of The Economist in Singapore was at risk or because your operations in the country (printing, advertising, subscription services and research, if I am correct) were threatened.
However, if operating and selling magazines in Singapore threatens the integrity of The Economist, the question is if you could not structure your operations in a way that better safeguards your editorial independence. I understand that when you set up shop in the region, probably two of five decades ago, the landscape looked very different: back then Singapore was probably the only realistic location in the region to operate from. However, things have changed and, as I am sure you are aware, the neighboring countries have had a very positive development. I am sure that for instance Malaysia, Indonesia or the Philippines would be very happy to take over the business you currently do out of Singapore. Note that most of the countries in the region have significantly greater press freedom and less strict libel laws. Hence, you should be able to find a location in South East Asia where it is possible to run your business efficiently without the integrity of your journalists being threatened.
Furthermore, if you prefer to stay in Singapore, you may have greater bargaining power with the local government than you imagine. You are a famous and respected brand and you could go to Singapore’s Economic Development Board and tell them that, because of the lack of press freedom and strict libel laws, you need to look at alternative options where to run your SEA business from. I would not be surprised if they did everything they could to make you stay. Lee Hsien Loong might take a personal interest: he is a keen reader of The Economist. If you moved out, many people would no doubt lose face.
One thing you should also keep in mind is that the PAP regime in Singapore depends on at least some international legitimacy. The Economist can either add to the government's legitimacy, by doing significant business there and apologize to its autocratic leaders, or you can subtract from their legitimacy by moving business to a more democratic and freer society in the region.
So, as I hope you understand, I am very disappointed to learn that the integrity of my favorite magazine may have been compromised. I sincerely hope you that you will make whatever changes necessary to ensure that your readers can have 100% confidence in your reporting. In doing so, you would not only safeguard The Economist's editorial independence and reputation, you would also further two of the core values of the newspaper: liberalism and democracy. That should be a proposition worth considering.
Yours sincerely,
Avid reader