When Ideas Collide: Inside the SAS Forum on Free Speech & Media Regulation
What happens when you gather a minister, a tech lawyer, a media expert, an ethics consultant and a room full of curious students? You get one of the most dynamic, eye-opening events SAS has ever hosted.
Held on 26 February 2025, the SAS Forum 2025, themed “Freedom of Speech and Media Regulation: Governance in the Digital Age”, brought together a diverse lineup of voices to unpack one of the most complex challenges of our time: how do we govern speech in a world where everyone has a platform?
A Conversation Worth Having
As students, we’re constantly told that we live in a digital age, one shaped by tweets, reels, and instant news. But how often do we pause to consider who gets to draw the lines around what’s permissible, ethical, or even safe?
That was the purpose of this forum: to create space for real, unfiltered conversation about media regulation and the future of free speech. More than a policy talk, it was about listening, questioning, and seeing an issue from perspectives we may not normally encounter.
A Powerful Lineup
We were honoured to hear from Minister K Shanmugam, who opened the session with an unflinching look at the role of governance in digital spaces, from combating fake news to protecting social harmony. His keynote set the stage for an engaging panel featuring Mr. Selvakumar Simon, who spoke about ethics in the information age, Ms. Dymples Leong, who shared real-life industry challenges from the media side, and Mr. Bryan Tan, who added depth from a legal and cyber policy angle.
The discussion was skilfully moderated by Mr. Nicholas Fang, who ensured that the conversation stayed both grounded and accessible. And our audience? They came prepared. The questions ranged from censorship and algorithmic control to the philosophical limits of freedom in a connected world.
Beyond the Podium
What made the event truly special wasn’t just the quality of the speakers, it was the energy in the room. You could feel the intellectual curiosity buzzing. Students weren’t just listening, they were engaging, challenging, reflecting.
The Q&A segment saw a wave of bold, thoughtful questions: How far should governments go in regulating misinformation? Should AI-generated content be held to the same standards as human speech? Is there still space for dissent in increasingly moderated digital platforms? These weren’t easy questions, but they were honest ones.
It reminded us that discussions like these are more than just academic exercises. They’re about citizenship. They’re about the kind of society we want to shape, both online and offline.
The success of the forum has sparked ideas for what’s next. There’s clearly an appetite for more conversations that dive into the “grey areas”, where law, ethics, and society intersect. And we’re excited to explore those frontiers in future SAS events.
For me, organising this forum was more than a leadership exercise, it was a lesson in listening, collaboration, and purpose. From curating the topic and speaker list to troubleshooting behind-the-scenes hiccups, I learnt how to balance details with the bigger picture. Most importantly, I saw firsthand how a student-led platform can open space for serious, impactful dialogue.
Because in the end, that’s what democracy in the digital age needs: more people willing to ask the hard questions, and more spaces where those questions are truly heard.
This article was written by Vaitheswary D/O Pragash, President of SIM Singapore Affairs Society AY24/25.
When Ideas Collide: Inside the SAS Forum on Free Speech & Media Regulation
What happens when you gather a minister, a tech lawyer, a media expert, an ethics consultant and a room full of curious students? You get one of the most dynamic, eye-opening events SAS has ever hosted.
Held on 26 February 2025, the SAS Forum 2025, themed “Freedom of Speech and Media Regulation: Governance in the Digital Age”, brought together a diverse lineup of voices to unpack one of the most complex challenges of our time: how do we govern speech in a world where everyone has a platform?
A Conversation Worth Having
As students, we’re constantly told that we live in a digital age, one shaped by tweets, reels, and instant news. But how often do we pause to consider who gets to draw the lines around what’s permissible, ethical, or even safe?
That was the purpose of this forum: to create space for real, unfiltered conversation about media regulation and the future of free speech. More than a policy talk, it was about listening, questioning, and seeing an issue from perspectives we may not normally encounter.
A Powerful Lineup
We were honoured to hear from Minister K Shanmugam, who opened the session with an unflinching look at the role of governance in digital spaces, from combating fake news to protecting social harmony. His keynote set the stage for an engaging panel featuring Mr. Selvakumar Simon, who spoke about ethics in the information age, Ms. Dymples Leong, who shared real-life industry challenges from the media side, and Mr. Bryan Tan, who added depth from a legal and cyber policy angle.
The discussion was skilfully moderated by Mr. Nicholas Fang, who ensured that the conversation stayed both grounded and accessible. And our audience? They came prepared. The questions ranged from censorship and algorithmic control to the philosophical limits of freedom in a connected world.
Beyond the Podium
What made the event truly special wasn’t just the quality of the speakers, it was the energy in the room. You could feel the intellectual curiosity buzzing. Students weren’t just listening, they were engaging, challenging, reflecting.
The Q&A segment saw a wave of bold, thoughtful questions: How far should governments go in regulating misinformation? Should AI-generated content be held to the same standards as human speech? Is there still space for dissent in increasingly moderated digital platforms? These weren’t easy questions, but they were honest ones.
It reminded us that discussions like these are more than just academic exercises. They’re about citizenship. They’re about the kind of society we want to shape, both online and offline.
The success of the forum has sparked ideas for what’s next. There’s clearly an appetite for more conversations that dive into the “grey areas”, where law, ethics, and society intersect. And we’re excited to explore those frontiers in future SAS events.
For me, organising this forum was more than a leadership exercise, it was a lesson in listening, collaboration, and purpose. From curating the topic and speaker list to troubleshooting behind-the-scenes hiccups, I learnt how to balance details with the bigger picture. Most importantly, I saw firsthand how a student-led platform can open space for serious, impactful dialogue.
Because in the end, that’s what democracy in the digital age needs: more people willing to ask the hard questions, and more spaces where those questions are truly heard.
This article was written by Vaitheswary D/O Pragash, President of SIM Singapore Affairs Society AY24/25.
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