Biased Media Headlines: Migrant Workers and COVID-19 in Singapore (ELP)

Task: Create some biased headlines demonstrating opposing attitudes to a current issue in the media – ELP

1. Poor hygienic practices by foreign migrant workers amidst the COVID-19 outbreak: how migrant workers neglected warnings from day 0 and disrupted Singapore’s extraordinary attempt to contain the virus.

2. Singaporean government to implement enhanced measures to take care of our migrant workers to curb the spread of COVID-19 amongst Singaporeans.

3. Cramped migrant worker dorms in Singapore: why workers were late to adapting safe distancing measures in high-risk areas.

The three headlines that I’ve created above reflect the prominent perspectives about migrant workers and their contribution to the spike of COVID-19 cases in Singapore. The first headline reflects the traditional mindset that many conservatives here in Singapore hold, who are ignorant of the struggles that they face when having to reside in bunk-beds. To this extent, many Singaporeans argue that it is because of the migrant worker’s lack of awareness that they continue to live in poor hygienic conditions, whereby, in reality, it’s quite the contrary. Many foreign news sources, such as headline three, have been highlighting the plight that migrant workers are facing. Considering that many were told to continue work despite the government encouraging their own citizens to stay at home creates a juxtaposition in the treatment between migrant workers and Singaporean citizens. Due to increased foreign media attention with similar headlines to that of headline three, the Singaporean government finally implemented enhanced measures. However, as implied through the second headline, the Singaporean government are only exerting measures to curb the spread amongst Singaporeans, in fear that the number of cases of COVID-19 will increase due to the spread of the virus amongst migrant workers.