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'I shouldn't have done it'
Radio deejay Hossan Leong says he should have waited for SMRT's confirmation before announcing Circle Line breakdown
Gold 90.5FM deejay Hossan Leong, who apparently got into trouble for announcing Wednesday's Circle Line breakdown on air based on information from tweets, now says that he should have waited for official confirmation from SMRT.
Following a breakdown in services on the Circle Line, which affected about 1,400 commuters, the 42-year-old had announced the incident on air.
Shortly after, he tweeted to his almost 10,000 followers: 'OK... I reported it on air and now I'm getting into trouble for it?? The CC line is DOWN rite? I did nothing wrong rite?'He subsequently tweeted: 'Apparently I can only talk about it if OFFICIAL SMRT statement is given, NONSENSE'. The tweets were circulated online, with many supporting Leong as doing a public service, and blasting SMRT for being overly officious.
But he tells Life! that the tweets were 'taken out of context' by netizens and that it was his own fault for 'jumping the gun' and not verifying the information.
'I should have said it was unverified. After I reported what I had read on the tweets, Traffic Watch told me that SMRT had called to ask why I put it out there and I thought I was going to be in trouble,' he says.
'So being rash and impulsive, I tweeted what I tweeted, which was completely blown out of proportion. I take full responsibility for it and I shouldn't have done it.'
He has since deleted the tweets. He adds that he does not usually rely on information from Twitter for his show and usually looks to 'reliable news sources'.
In response to queries from Life! about MediaCorp Radio's policy on broadcasting information from social media sources, vice-president of Radio Corporate Services Sandra Chan says that the broadcaster relies on both formal and informal sources, including listeners, to keep Singaporeans up to date on daily happenings.
Ms Chan says: 'We are mindful that should it be from informal sources, our facts should be verifiable so as not to create unnecessary panic or worse, provide wrong information.'
An SMRT spokesman says that SMRT did not speak with Leong and that it sent out the first Traffic Watch advisory about the breakdown to the media at 7.45am on Wednesday.
Life! understands that radio presenters are usually advised not to report information based on tweets as there is nothing to back them up.
But the breakdown on the North-South Line on Thursday night saw a different approach taken by television presenters.
A short video titled 'The Moment We Decided, 'The Heck With SMRT's Press Release!' can be seen on the Facebook page of Primetime Asia, a news and current affairs programme on Channel NewsAsia.
It shows CNA presenter Timothy Go checking Twitter for updates on the breakdown and asking if he was allowed to report what was being tweeted. It added: 'Tim's comment is in reference to our radio colleague Hossan Leong and what happened to him just a few days ago, reporting the delays on the Circle Line before a press statement was released.'
Former MediaCorp deejay Joe Augustin, 42, a full-time emcee and part-time host with Lush 99.5FM, notes that as a deejay with Class 95FM, he used to share traffic information on air based on telephone calls from listeners but was also required to wait for confirmation from the Traffic Police.
But Leong appears to have had the last laugh. Following the massive North-South Line breakdown on Thursday, he tweeted: 'Ahem. I have unconfirmed reports that... oh I think better not say. Good night.'
Radio deejay Hossan Leong says he should have waited for SMRT's confirmation before announcing Circle Line breakdown
Gold 90.5FM deejay Hossan Leong, who apparently got into trouble for announcing Wednesday's Circle Line breakdown on air based on information from tweets, now says that he should have waited for official confirmation from SMRT.
Following a breakdown in services on the Circle Line, which affected about 1,400 commuters, the 42-year-old had announced the incident on air.
Shortly after, he tweeted to his almost 10,000 followers: 'OK... I reported it on air and now I'm getting into trouble for it?? The CC line is DOWN rite? I did nothing wrong rite?'He subsequently tweeted: 'Apparently I can only talk about it if OFFICIAL SMRT statement is given, NONSENSE'. The tweets were circulated online, with many supporting Leong as doing a public service, and blasting SMRT for being overly officious.
But he tells Life! that the tweets were 'taken out of context' by netizens and that it was his own fault for 'jumping the gun' and not verifying the information.
'I should have said it was unverified. After I reported what I had read on the tweets, Traffic Watch told me that SMRT had called to ask why I put it out there and I thought I was going to be in trouble,' he says.
'So being rash and impulsive, I tweeted what I tweeted, which was completely blown out of proportion. I take full responsibility for it and I shouldn't have done it.'
He has since deleted the tweets. He adds that he does not usually rely on information from Twitter for his show and usually looks to 'reliable news sources'.
In response to queries from Life! about MediaCorp Radio's policy on broadcasting information from social media sources, vice-president of Radio Corporate Services Sandra Chan says that the broadcaster relies on both formal and informal sources, including listeners, to keep Singaporeans up to date on daily happenings.
Ms Chan says: 'We are mindful that should it be from informal sources, our facts should be verifiable so as not to create unnecessary panic or worse, provide wrong information.'
An SMRT spokesman says that SMRT did not speak with Leong and that it sent out the first Traffic Watch advisory about the breakdown to the media at 7.45am on Wednesday.
Life! understands that radio presenters are usually advised not to report information based on tweets as there is nothing to back them up.
But the breakdown on the North-South Line on Thursday night saw a different approach taken by television presenters.
A short video titled 'The Moment We Decided, 'The Heck With SMRT's Press Release!' can be seen on the Facebook page of Primetime Asia, a news and current affairs programme on Channel NewsAsia.
It shows CNA presenter Timothy Go checking Twitter for updates on the breakdown and asking if he was allowed to report what was being tweeted. It added: 'Tim's comment is in reference to our radio colleague Hossan Leong and what happened to him just a few days ago, reporting the delays on the Circle Line before a press statement was released.'
Former MediaCorp deejay Joe Augustin, 42, a full-time emcee and part-time host with Lush 99.5FM, notes that as a deejay with Class 95FM, he used to share traffic information on air based on telephone calls from listeners but was also required to wait for confirmation from the Traffic Police.
But Leong appears to have had the last laugh. Following the massive North-South Line breakdown on Thursday, he tweeted: 'Ahem. I have unconfirmed reports that... oh I think better not say. Good night.'
