Bloomberg's decision not to appeal defamation judgement shows it knows article 'full of falsehoods': Shanmugam
He also pointed out that Bloomberg did not appeal the POFMA order issued against the article at the centre of the lawsuit.
Singapore's Senior Minister K Shanmugam expressed disappointment after Bloomberg decided not to appeal a High Court ruling that found the news outlet and its journalist defamed him and Trade and Industry Minister Tan See Leng. The deadline for appealing the judgment had passed on August 29, according to a Facebook post by SM Shanmugam. The article, which targeted private properties purchased by the ministers, alleged a lack of transparency regarding Good Class Bungalow (GCB) transactions.
Shanmugam pointed out that despite defending their reporting, Bloomberg chose not to appeal the court's findings of malice, falsehoods, and wrongful conduct. By not appealing, Bloomberg left the court's findings on record. SM Shanmugam emphasized that Bloomberg also failed to apply to dismiss a Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA) correction order issued in December 2024.
The order stated that the Bloomberg article contained false statements of fact about GCB transactions. This further demonstrated Bloomberg's acknowledgment of the article's falsehoods.
SM Shanmugam went on to criticize some media organizations for their approach to reporting on public leaders in non-Western societies. He stated that these organizations often adopt a superior attitude, believing themselves to be entitled to maliciously malign public figures and spread falsehoods without facing consequences. He added that these organizations use their money and size to get away with this behavior, but it cannot succeed in Singapore.
Written by urgent.news from Mothership's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
