How SPH could ruin CHIJ's reputation

Don't label our girls 'easy', say angry convent schools

It seems the Franchise school hasn't learned from the NKF's costly lesson. If they take SPH to court, SPH will call up Davinder Singh, who will call up witnesses and maybe even commission a statistical study revealing that many people know and have heard of the generalization and even the allegations, and thus to comment on it is eminently fair.

And then their reputation will be well and truly ruined as a "tongue in cheek" comment will have been sanctioned by the court. Maybe the franchise will even be ruined.

Hurr hurr.


A: anyway it's a universal thing ( stereotype or urban myth?) that catholic schoolgirls in uniform are repressed when it comes to u know [what]

B: hard case
­cuz many influential people are ij girls
­or married to ij girls
­
Me: wasn't NKF influential?
­
B: not as influential as 100 years of ij education
­
davinder from sji
given the clout that ij girls have in sg
sph would prob not want to risk it

Me: how come RGS didn't sue New Paper

B: cuz they are not catholic
there is a certain moral std that they are required to adhere to

C: btw i don't think the IJ girls ppl have a case against SPH
firstly i've never heard of a "class of people" suing for defamation
how do you prove that ALL IJ girls were defamed?
the school has no locus standi

there's always journalistic privilege as a defence
though i fail to see how the article is a "matter or public interest"

D (ex-convent girl): haha the convent girl is the symbol of a man's deepest darkest desires right? wtf :P


Sunday Times article tarnished our image: CHIJ chairperson

Wednesday • September 20, 2006

Ansley Ng
ansley@newstoday.com.sg

ELEVEN convent schools in Singapore have threatened legal action against Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) for an article that allegedly defamed convent schoolgirls.

Today has learnt that a lawyer's letter has been sent to the media company on Monday, demanding an apology and costs and damages to be paid for a "defamatory" article that was published in last week's Sunday Times, which described convent girls as being "easy" with members of the opposite sex.

Three days ago, The Sunday Times, the weekend edition of The Straits Times, published a story titled "Singapore A-Z … once more, with feeling", a "tongue in cheek" look at Singapore icons and subjects which coincided with the recently-launched Singapore — the Encyclopaedia.

Under the alphabet "I", the newspaper ran a short description of "IJ girls", term for girls who study in CHIJ (Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus) Catholic mission schools.

"'IJ girls' is a generalisation for girls who study in CHIJ schools and who like to hem their school uniforms real short, wear their belts real low on their hips, and are allegedly easy when it comes to the opposite sex," a paragraph read.

A cartoon above the paragraph also showed a girl in blue lighting up a cigarette.

"Singaporeans perusing our pages should note that this is done in tongue-in-cheek," one part of the article read.

According to sources, a letter of demand was sent to SPH on Monday, asking for an apology to be published in this weekend's edition of The Sunday Times.

It also demanded that costs and damages to be paid to the Infant Jesus Board of Management, which manages the 11 schools.

The board comprises 14 members, including two nuns, eight former students and four men, who are linked to the schools.

The story upset many alumni and parents and the board members were believed to have received more than 50 phone calls and email messages of complaint between them.

Yesterday, The Straits Times letters pages published a letter written by Donne Marie Aeria — the board's chairperson — rebutting the story.

Ms Aeria called the article "an ill-conceived idea and done in bad taste".

"Was there a need to tarnish the image of thousands of students, past, present and future, including girls as young as six years old in Primary 1, with an image that they are 'allegedly easy when it comes to the opposite sex'?" Ms Aeria wrote.

"It has caused much distress, pain and embarrassment to ladies of all ages, that hail from our CHIJ schools."

There are currently about 16,000 girls studying in the 11 primary and secondary CHIJ schools.

SPH declined to comment when contacted.

Aljunied GRC MP Cynthia Phua, who studied in CHIJ Secondary School (Toa Payoh), called the generalisation "insensitive".

"Eleven schools are all wearing the same uniform. It's too much if you see one case and generalise," said Mrs Phua, whose daughter is studying at CHIJ Primary School (Toa Payoh).

"If (The Sunday Times) wants to stick to its comment, they should clarify who their sources are."

Addendum: The original paragraph is archived on this blog