Yang Kaiheng, one of the founders of the now-defunct The Real Singapore (TRS) website, is upset he cannot move on with his life, despite having served eight months in jail for publishing seditious articles.

This was after the People’s Action Party Policy Forum (PPF) said in written submission and oral evidence to the Select Committee on Deliberate Online Falsehoods on March 23 that the founder of TRS had spread deliberate online falsehoods to generate revenue.

Comment about TRS made when criticising NGO

PPF, an arm of the ruling party that engages government leaders on policy issues, had been criticising a report by non-governmental organisation Human Rights Watch (HRW) for perpetuating falsehoods without basis and under the guise of objectivity.

The HRW report had cited how TRS founders were charged with sedition, “although none of the posts for which they were prosecuted encouraged any sort of public disorder, much less incited violence or overt discrimination against any particular religion or ethnic group”.

In response, the PPF said the HRW report failed to mention that TRS founders had fabricated “sensational falsehoods” against foreigners to generate advertising revenue.

It was subsequently discovered that TRS founders made more than half a million dollars off their website.

PPF's representative, Vikram Nair, also said during the hearing that TRS founders made a lot of money, enough "to buy private property in Australia with just fake news".

“The TRS case is a classic example of deliberate online falsehoods, which can seriously undermine societal trust, social peace,” PPF wrote.

“Does HRW seek to perpetuate such deliberate online falsehoods by using them as reference points?”

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Founder upset

In the Channel News Asia Facebook post comments section, Yang wrote in response to the article on PPF's serious criticism of HRW that it is "unfair" to characterise his actions as having deliberately fabricated stories to sow discord just to make money.

Yang, who now runs a ramen business with his wife, Ai Takagi, who was also imprisoned as she was a co-founder of TRS, argued that it was a lack of due diligence that caused him to publish articles that were not accurate.

He also said he had pleaded guilty to sedition, and not deliberately fabricating news to sow discord among religious groups in Singapore just to make money.

Yang's comment in full:

Dear PAP Policy Forum,

I am the founder of the now defunct TheRealSingapore.com and I went to jail for 8 months by pleading guilty to sedition. I pleaded guilty because I am unable to prove in court that the articles in question does not have seditious tendencies because simi-sai also can be proven to have seditious tendencies.

However it is unfair for you to say that I deliberately fabricated news that sow discord among religious groups in Singapore just to make money. As you already know the website is generating half a million dollar in revenue every year with users posting and contributing up to 10,000 articles in a year, why would I give up all that "lucrative" money just to fabricate 7 seditious articles which on average made only $116 in advertising revenue?

I am remorseful and accepted my punishment for not doing due diligence check which resulted in the 8 articles being posted on my website.

I am terribly dissapointed that after serving my prison sentence I am still unable to move on with my life and one of my customer actually call me up highlighting this article to me. I have a ramen business to run now so I kindly ask that you do not anyhow say things that are not true. Pleading guilty to the sedition act is not the same as admitting to deliberately fabricating articles for money. Thank you.

Critics still displeased with him

Yang's comment was met with sympathy, as well as further criticisms.

One obvious reason for the backlash is because Yang could not have pleaded guilty or stood trial for deliberately fabricating news as there are existing gaps in the law in this area, which the Select Committee is looking into.

And then there is the issue of karma.

Others are saying Yang is getting a taste of his own medicine.

Previously, in its heyday, TRS articles were well-known for mischaracterising events and people without any avenue for correction for those affected:

I’m not an IB but I wanna tell you, you’re at the receiving end of what you used to allow on your site.

Your failing to ensure what get posted and what doesn’t destroy credibility of others.

You’re getting a taste of it now. Unlocking the 2nd prison takes time and acceptance is not given just because you think you deserve it.

You may think the IBs are out to make your life hell but is your life hellish? It’s just not as comfortable as you would like it.

Perhaps your supporters or those anti government brigade can show you their support by patronizing your stall instead of just blabbering in words only.

Hang in there. If you are genuine, perhaps there’ll be a change of hearts. But seeing how unforgiving most people are, you have an uphill task.