Yaacob: False info has wider reach today

A small group of Singaporeans took advantage of the recent haze crisis to spread rumours and cause anxiety, Communications and Information Minister Yaacob Ibrahim said on Monday.

"Their impact today is far greater because, virally circulated online and through text messaging, they reach many more people than they could have in the past," he said.

He cited the example of the website The Real Singapore, which put up a post - "We should not play the blame game over the haze problem" - that was falsely attributed to Tampines GRC MP Irene Ng.

Responding to a question by Tampines GRC MP Baey Yam Keng on what the Government will do to deal with such culprits, Dr Yaacob said it will ask for a correction so that the correct information is put online.

He said: "It depends on the manner in which the information has been created."

If it is false or alarming, he added that there are steps that the Media Development Authority can take, including asking the site to remove the content.