By mid-2000, the Singapore media scene was abuzz with activity. Almost any self-respecting journalist, commentator or observer, local or foreign, wanted to know whether the issuance of new licenses by the People's Action Party (PAP) government to Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) and MediaCorp had translated or would translate into more press freedom? Or will things remain as before?

Historically, the media did have a controlled start under the stewardship of British colonial rule and by the end of the rule in Singapore, there was a fairly vibrant print media industry in English as well as in the local vernaculars of Mandarin, Malay and Tamil.

There were also some other minority language publications. Largely these were seen as fairly free. However, independence in 1965, saw the arrival of the People's Action Party and its leader Lee Kuan Yew. The press suffered a setback.