The Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) has fined Mediacorp S$5,500 for racially insensitive content in a Toggle episode.

The IMDA press release said:

The Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) has imposed a financial penalty of $5,500 on Mediacorp Pte Ltd (Mediacorp) for breaching the Video-On-Demand Programme Code.

An episode of Toggle’s Chinese-language web drama series “I Want To Be A Star”, which was first made available for viewing on 5 September 2016, carried an offensive remark by one of the characters who said that Indians and Africans were the same and that it would make no difference casting an Indian as an African in a TV production. The segment also featured a Chinese male actor with “blackface” makeup role-playing an African.

IMDA assessed that the segment was racially insensitive and constituted racial stereotyping that might offend certain segments of the community. IMDA notes that Mediacorp promptly removed the offensive segment from the Episode and has taken remedial action to prevent a recurrence.

In the episode of Chinese-language web drama series, I Want To Be A Star, first aired on Sept. 5 last year, actor Chew Chor Meng's character said Indians and Africans were the same.

Chew added that it would make no difference casting an Indian as an African in a TV production.

Chew's son in the series, played by Chinese Singaporean actor Shane Pow, appeared in the same episode wearing an Afro wig and donning "blackface" make-up.

Recently, over at Singapore's YouTube scene, race has cropped up as well and turned into an intense discussion.

But at least one funny video came out of it in response: