STOMP: are Singaporeans ready for online journalism?

STOMP received 1.68 million unique visitors in March 2014 alone. Will they turn down a controversial story for their integrity at stake? With anonymity at play, it shifts the shouldering of blames elsewhere and this also lessened their responsibility. I believe this is why unconfirmed articles were and will still be allowed on the site.

One thing I am thankful for on the site is a strange sense of community amongst readers who stand for what is right, back up each other or even to the point of bashing STOMPers for providing redundant news. In a very small stance, this is an organic galvanizing tool to promote cohesion. Yet less so, many comments on STOMP just end up as a verbal spit and war.

Less than 18 hours, over 11,000 signatures were gathered in a petition to shut down the site. There has been promises made for a more stringent guidelines to post articles on the online journalism site. What is your take on STOMP as a platform for online journalism? Do you think Singaporeans are ready for online journalism?

Writer: Leong Chee Sheng