Dropped for asking the hard questions

I had mentioned this in passing, but felt that it deserves more attention than that. Dexter Lee wrote that the regional news channel will be replaced on SingTel's MioTV service by Russia Today and China's CCTV9, which are somehow considered "newer adequate choices":

According to my friend, she had received a letter from Singtel in March informing subscribers of the removal of AJE and replacement with other “newer adequate choices”. No word or reason had been given by Singtel on why they have pulled AJE from the airwaves. A check with the MioTV site does indicate that the dropped Middle East news channel has been replaced with “newer adequate choices” such as Russia Today, CCTV 9 (China) as well as Euronews.

Perhaps Al Jazeera has rattled the nerves of the ruling elite with a host of programs scrutinizing the socio-economic problems in Singapore, more so than any other news channel (including the venerable BBC World News).

Dexter then goes on to list the videos that perhaps made our ruling elite just a tad bit uncomfortable. Shining a light to reveal uncomfortable truths is what journalism is about, but Al Jazeera have been punished for doing their jobs right, more so than the giants BBC, CNN or the local CNA. This is a character test: how the government reacted to Al Jazeera shows how much they do not want these issues, and the impact of their policies, to be exposed to Singaporeans.

You can visit Al Jazeera's website here, and watch their live streams here.