''New Naratif'' (

Malay Malay may refer to: Languages * Malay language or Bahasa Melayu, a major Austronesian language spoken in Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore ** History of the Malay language, the Malay language from the 4th to the 14th century ** Indonesi ...

for New Narrative) is a Malaysian–based online journalism platform and self-described

independent media Independent media refers to any media, such as television, newspapers or Internet-based publications, that is free of influence by government or corporate interests. The term has varied applications. Within the United States and other developed ...

outlet that publishes content on

Southeast Asian Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical south-eastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of mainland ...

current affairs. Founded in 2017, it is managed by Singaporean historian and former athlete Thum Ping Tjin and freelance journalist

Kirsten Han Kirsten Han is a Singaporean journalist and social activist. In 2017, she co-founded the Malaysian-based online journalism platform '' New Naratif'' with Sonny Liew and Thum Ping Tjin, and served as its editor-in-chief till March 2020. Activis ...

. The outlet publishes investigative reporting, academic research, comics, explainers, videos and podcasts in English,

and other languages of Southeast Asia. It describes itself as promoting " democracy, freedom of information and freedom of expression in Southeast Asia". It is funded by membership fees, philanthropic grants and undisclosed donations. The outlet is registered in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Disputes with Singaporean authorities

The site has been involved in a number of disputes with Singaporean authorities, with the website often posting about Singaporean politics. Singaporean authorities have accused ''New Naratif'' of being a vessel of foreign interference – the website is based in Malaysia and relies heavily on undisclosed donations – an accusation that the outlet has denied. During the

2020 Singaporean general election General elections were held in Singapore on Friday, 10 July 2020 to elect 93 members to the Parliament of Singapore across 31 constituencies. Parliament was dissolved and the general election called by President Halimah Yacob on 23 June, on ...

, ''New Naratif'' was investigated by Singaporean police for allegedly publishing paid advertisements on Facebook, which according to the Elections Department amounted to illegal conduct. Thum was subsequently questioned by police and his phone and laptop were seized. The post was taken down by Facebook after the

Infocomm Media Development Authority The Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) is a statutory board under the Singapore Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI). History Following the passing of the Info-communications Media Development Authority Bill in Parliame ...

issued a notice to the social media site for "unauthorised paid Internet election advertising" as the post was still available after June 30 (Nomination Day) and not sanctioned by any candidate or election agent. ''New Naratif'' responded by asking authorities to stop their "long-standing campaign of harassment". A number of civil society groups led by South Africa's Civicus along with Article 19, Human Rights Watch and

Amnesty International Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says it has more than ten million members and sup ...

requested authorities to drop charges against the site.{{Cite web, last=Gaebee, first=Kgalalelo, title=Singapore: Drop police report against independent media outlet New Naratif, url=https://www.civicus.org/index.php/media-resources/news/4669-singapore-drop-police-report-against-independent-media-outlet-new-naratif, access-date=2021-03-01, website=www.civicus.org, language=en-gb

Reception

New York City–based '' Columbia Journalism Review'' highlighted ''New Naratif'' as an example of a number of emerging independent outlets from Asian countries, where

freedom of the press Freedom of the press or freedom of the media is the fundamental principle that communication and expression through various media, including printed and electronic News media, media, especially publication, published materials, should be conside ...

is rare, as an "alternative" to the media dominated by primarily Western and Chinese outlets.

References

Malaysian news websites Investigative journalism Southeast Asian studies Media bias