At least, that is the view of labour chief Mr Lim Boon Heng. During a press conference to discuss NTUC's social report on Wednesday, he called on the press to be responsible when reporting about these issues.

For months, dreary topics such as unemployment and wage reforms have been making headlines. More often than not, Mr Lim felt, the media has either been sensational or has failed to give a complete picture of the situation.

For example, recent reports on wage restructuring at PSA Corp came across as if it was cutting workers' wages rather than making adjustments to the fixed and variable components of wages.

Even Mr Lim felt he was a victim of selective reporting.

Recent comments he made about pre-emptive strikes and possible cuts to employers' CPF contributions, have been construed by some workers as Mr Lim's show of support for these measures.

Mr Lim said his comments had been taken out of context. "The reason why I brought up the subject of pre-emptive retrenchments is not because I want employers to retrench people but because there is already a trend ... we have to prepare for it if we want to look after the interest of our workers."

Whenever retrenchments occur, letters to newspapers and commentaries tend to have this refrain: Union leaders seem to echo a pro-management stand or trade unions don't seem to be doing much.

But the fact is, said Mr Lim, a lot is being done - except that not much of it is being reported. Over the last two years, unions dealt with over 11,000 industrial relations cases, but few were given publicity.

Several political observers agreed that the media has been overplaying the doom and gloom. "There are always two sides of the story. For every pain, there is some gain but the negative aspects seem to be the predominant thing reported in the media," said a veteran union activist.

Dr Ooi Giok Ling, senior research fellow at the Institute of Policy Studies, said: "Negative news tends to be highlighted" while less emphasis is given to unions' efforts to help workers.

But the more critical reporting - or sensational, as some would argue - is also a reflection of the changing media landscape.

In recent years, Singapore has been moving from a "very closely aligned government position" towards a more balanced direction, noted Professor Eddie Kuo, communication studies lecturer at Nanyang Technological University.

And the press is doing a good job in reflecting the ground sentiments, said Mr Mohd Yunos Awang, president of the National Transport Workers' Union. "While all the negative news depresses everyone, workers can be prepared for what lies ahead for Singapore," he added.

The very nature of Singapore's industrial relations - where most negotiations are conducted behind closed doors - may also contribute to the lack of coverage on the work of union leaders. Mr Lim said: "I would very much like to see the work of unions being reported in the media to let Singaporeans know that indeed our unions do a lot of work. But if we damage the industrial relations climate and create the wrong impression in the minds of investors, we do more harm to ourselves."

The veteran union activist feels that the media's coverage of union affairs is dictated by its definition of news. "News is not something fresh as a daisy, news should also include good things that are ongoing.

Every day, someone is benefiting from NTUC's schemes and nothing is reported. Because these schemes are old and ongoing, in the eyes of the newspaper editors, they are not considered newsworthy," he said.

The definition of news is not the only thing that differs between groups.The same applies to the concept of responsible journalism. Prof Kuo said: "From the Government's position, there is this expectation of the press to explain policies and help support and promote them. However, this may not be the expectation the general public have of the media. They want the media to address their concerns. And also, what role does the media sees itself playing? We talk about responsibility, but responsible to whom?"

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