The Singapore mainstream media has close proximity to the state as we all know. Which means it tends to reproduce a lot of the state narrative on minorities that reproduce cultural deficit theory.

It blames issues that minority faces as one caused by their culture and erases the reality of issues of underdevelopment, which are tied to socioeconomic & other structural inequalities and & historical factors.

Cultural deficiency is also used to explain away fault lines in the ideologies of meritocracy and multiculturalism. Ethnic cultural norms and values are to be blamed when we try to account for socio-economic inequalities and power imbalances

Take this article for example. Issue of health is also an issue of access to healthy food and of course healthcare.

Brown Singaporeans, especially Malays, are over represented in poverty as compared to the Chinese. Which means they have little or no access to healthy food and healthcare. (You can read more by scholars who have written about it)

The article reduces Indian and Malay cuisine as just roti prata, nasi lemak and usual hawker food, we have other dishes as well.

Also interviewing one man who owns an Indian restaurant in Little India does not give you a comprehensive understanding. In this case, even eating habits are blamed. Take a look at certain parts of SG and you would see Chinese restaurants and eateries open till late as well.

Again, this reduces the Malay community that only liked to gather, go to Changi Village and have picnic. Which is something everyone does, regardless of race. One poor quote like this should not be used to represent the community.

My fav scholar, Stuart Hall writes that stereotypes essentially reduce someone to a few traits. They also exaggerate and simplify them, and “fix them without change or development to eternity”. It also excludes what is not deemed normal, and is part of maintaining symbolic order

One can argue, but "statistics!" Yes, but does statistic give you an understanding of the issue? Or is it used as a tool to justify certain problematic narratives of a marginalise and to other them?

Even "kampung spirit" has been reproduced in the media as a factor to justify the drug issue in the Malay community. Malays are reduced to being "communal" which leads to drug abuse and the issue of reintegration is never, like drug abuse, a socioeconomic issue.

Also, when people get outraged about race of minorities being mentioned, people are outraged that the issue is deemed and framed as a minority issue.

Take this article on gambling. The statistics show that most gamblers are Chinese, but notice how it's deemed as a "Singapore" issue in the headline? It is only at the LAST sentence did they identify the Chinese community.

https://www.tnp.sg/news/singapore/more-singaporeans-gambling

And speaking of which, remember this article?

Let's look at the choice of photo. The Berita Harian file photo. Of Malay men in traditional wear, going who knows? Hari Raya? Friday prayers? To put it in the article is of poor taste.

The point is, when minorities are outraged about media coverage. It goes beyond "why do you keep showing our photos?" The racial bias isn't just bias, it ascribes problematic cultural deficit theories onto us.