Mothership (website)
 | |
Type of site | Digital media company |
|---|---|
| Available in | English |
| Headquarters | Singapore |
| Owner | Bridgewater Holdings Pte Ltd |
| Editor | Martino Tan (Managing Editor) |
| Subsidiaries | Babelfish[1] |
| URL | mothership |
| Commercial | Yes |
| Registration | None |
| Launched | February 2014 |
| Current status | Active |
Mothership is a digital media company that operates in Singapore. It was founded in August 2013 and its website officially launched in February 2014.
History[edit]
Mothership.sg was started in 2013 as a socio-political blog for young Singaporeans. The timing of its conception coincided with a period of political and social change in Singapore following the watershed elections of 2011.[2] Mothership's "48 reasons why you still feel for Singapore" was published in August 2013 when the site was in beta phase. It crashed their servers for two hours after being shared widely.[3]
In February 2014, the website was officially launched.[2] It was initially funded by social enterprise, Project Fishermen, which is chaired by former senior civil servant, Philip Yeo. Former foreign minister of Singapore, George Yeo, is its non-executive advisor.[4]
On 2 April 2014, the website registered for a class license issued under the Broadcasting Act.[5] After the Media Development Authority had introduced a new framework for websites with local news content in 2013, the website sought MDA for advice if it should be licensed under the framework as well. In 2015, the website was told by MDA that it met the threshold that requires the website to be registered.[6] As part of the requirements, the website had to put up a S$50,000 bond.[6]
In 2016, Mothership was incorporated as Bridgewater Holdings Pte Ltd.[2] This was done to change its funding structure from being supported by a social enterprise to a fully commercial media business. It was determined that without commercialising the project and depended on funding from Project Fishermen, the website would potentially have run out of funding by 2016.[2]
In 2017, Mothership rebranded itself and launched a new logo, typeface, and website design.[7]
In 2019, Mothership’s application for press accreditation was approved by the Ministry of Communications and Information.[8] This meant that it would have access to government information, news, and events.[9] However, the press accreditation has been temporarily revoked, 6 months each, twice for breaking press embargo, once in 2022,[10] and once in 2023.[11]
In 2022, Mothership launched a new creative space called “Matchbox”, aimed at empowering emerging creatives in creating content and showcasing their talents.[12] In November 2023, Matchbox held a live event called "Making .wavs" that featured young, up-and-coming local musicians hoping to break into the industry. [13]
Reception[edit]
In 2021, the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism issued a Digital News Report which indicated that Mothership was used by 42% of Singapore's population.[14]
In the 2023 edition of the study, Mothership emerged as the most used online news source, surpassing mainstream competitors CNA and The Straits Times.[15]
Editorial content, notable events, & criticisms[edit]
In 2019, Mothership was caught copying content from Today newspaper without giving proper attribution. The content was amended to include an attribution and was subsequently removed.[16]
Singapore General Election 2020[edit]
GE2020 saw the increased popularity of digital platforms and sources as ways for voters to get information on the election.[17] Mothership published numerous videos during this period, including original interviews with Jamus Lim from the Workers’ Party[18] and National Solidarity Party's Choong Hon Heng,[19] and a Polling Day live show.[20] A Mothership video featuring Ho Ching reminding PM Lee Hsien Loong to observe safe distancing rules at a polling centre generated over 1 million views.[21]
Covid-19 coverage[edit]
On March 3, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong shared a Mothership video featuring a Singapore General Hospital contact tracer and the contact tracing process for Covid-19 patients.[22]
@b.linling incident[edit]
On 19 September 2023, Mothership reported on a Singapore-based Chinese influencer, Lin Lin, and misreported that she was a "tourist from China" when she had been living in Singapore for eight years and had been creating "helpful" content about life in Singapore. After the inaccurate article was published, Lin Lin became the subject of inappropriate comments, which she said was affecting her private life. Her private requests to Mothership for amendments were largely ignored. Mothership then changed its headline to replace "tourist" with "woman", of which Lin Lin viewed as "a deliberate attempt at causing controversy". She publicly requested for Mothership to take down the "false content" and issue a public apology in a video rant, after which Mothership apologised in an editor's note on the article, and amended their article while taking down the accompanying Instagram post.[23]
Subsequently, Mothership and LinLin published a public statement saying that LinLin has accepted Mothership’s apology and hopes to move on from the matter.[24][25]
Breaking of embargo[edit]
On 18 February 2022, the site made a mistake and published an infographic on the Goods and Services Tax hike ahead of an embargo of the news.[26] As a result, the site had its government press accreditation suspended for six months after an appeal was submitted to the Ministry of Communications and Information, thus losing access to press conferences and media briefings held by government agencies.[10]
On 29 September 2023, its government press accreditation was suspended for breaking embargo on an impending hike on water usage charges in Singapore with a member of its editorial team breaching the safeguards put in place after the previous break of embargo in 2022.[27][28] The suspension would be in place until March 2024.[11]
References[edit]
- ^ "Home". Babelfish. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
- ^ a b c d "Charting his own Course". www.nus.edu.sg. Retrieved 7 December 2021.
- ^ "Social news website Mothership brings home discussion on Singapore". The Straits Times. 3 February 2014.
- ^ "About Us". Mothership. ISSN 0585-3923. Retrieved 21 December 2021.
- ^ "Singapore news website Mothership.sg agrees to register under Broadcasting Act". sg.news.yahoo.com. Retrieved 8 December 2021.
- ^ a b "Mothership.sg to operate under MDA individual licensing regime". TODAY. Retrieved 7 December 2021.
- ^ "Mothership Rebrand: Smile!". Branding Singapore. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
- ^ "时事网站 "慈母舰" 申请媒体证获政府批准 | 联合早报". www.zaobao.com.sg (in Simplified Chinese). Retrieved 21 December 2023.
- ^ "MCI PAC Online". Base. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
- ^ a b "Mothership's press accreditation suspended until Aug 18 for breaking embargo during Budget". CNA. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
- ^ a b "Mothership's press accreditation suspended for 6 months after second embargo breach in 2 years". CNA. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
- ^ Teo, Josephine (12 November 2022). "Congratulations, Mothership!".
- ^ "It's a wrap for making .wavs — Mothership's debut music series featuring young, up-and-coming local musicians in Singapore!". LinkedIn. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
- ^ "Singapore". Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism. Retrieved 8 December 2021.
- ^ Chong, Xin Wei (15 June 2023). "Mothership beats mainstream news platforms, becomes most used online source". The Business Times. Retrieved 12 July 2023.
- ^ "TODAY calls out Mothership for picking up their story without attributing source - Singapore News". The Independent Singapore News. 25 October 2019. Retrieved 24 September 2023.
- ^ "IPS Survey on Internet and Media Use during GE2020" (PDF). Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy.
- ^ "GE2020: WP's Jamus Lim's thoughts on fellow debaters". YouTube. 2 July 2020.
- ^ "GE2020 Singapore: 7 questions with National Solidarity Party's Choong Hon Heng". YouTube. 8 July 2020.
- ^ "GE2020 LIVE: MOTHERSHIP POLLING DAY SHOW (PART 1)". YouTube. 10 July 2020.
- ^ "PSA - remember to safe distance at polling centres". Facebook. 10 July 2020. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
- ^ "Covid-19: PM Lee thanks everyone for making the job of a contact tracer feasible". The Independent Singapore. 6 March 2020. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
- ^ "Woman Falls Victim To Cyberbullying After Mothership Article Inaccurately Calls Her 'Tourist From China'". Must Share News - Independent News For Singaporeans. 23 September 2023. Retrieved 24 September 2023.
- ^ "最近收到了很多私信问我近况如何 一些想跟大家说的话 谢谢大家的关心☺️". Instagram. 18 December 2023. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
- ^ "A note to our audiences". Instagram. 18 December 2023.
- ^ Lim, Jessie (24 March 2022). "Mothership's press accreditation suspended until Aug 18 for breaking Budget embargo | The Straits Times". www.straitstimes.com. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
- ^ "Mothership's press accreditation suspended again for breaking embargo on increase in water prices". CNA. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
- ^ Lim, Kolette (29 September 2023). "Mothership's press accreditation suspended again after breaking embargo on PUB announcement". The Straits Times. ISSN 0585-3923. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
