Friday, November 20, 2009

Singapore comes second on media access to government info

Singapore has come out second in a global study on how accessible information is to the media.

Topping the list is Australia, with the maximum score of 120 points while Singapore chalked up 115, according to the study by the Austria-based International Press Institute (IPI).

The pilot project, done in June, required media organisations to ask their governments a set of six questions.

The countries were awarded points based on how quickly the officials responded, with the maximum 20 points given for an answer that arrived within three hours of the query.

The score decreased gradually over time, with 2.5 points given to a response that took more than two days. A reply after one week was not counted.

Points were deducted for incomplete answers, while full marks were given if the information was publicly available.

Britain came in at No. 6, followed by United States.

The IPI is a global network of editors, media executives and journalists dedicated to press freedom, free flow of information, and the improvement of practices of journalism.

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