Wake Up Singapore founder charged with defamation over false article on KK Hospital
On Wednesday (24 April), the founder of alternative news site Wake Up Singapore (WUSG) was charged with defamation.
Ariffin Iskandar Sha Ali Akbar, 26, was charged for publishing a woman’s inaccurate claims that she had suffered a miscarriage due to KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital’s (KKH) mismanagement.
In reality, the woman did not suffer any miscarriage.
Wake Up Singapore article claimed KK Hospital mismanagement caused miscarriage
According to The Straits Times (ST), WUSG published an article in March 2022 titled “The Baby Is Probably Dead – Woman Shares A Harrowing Account Of Her Miscarriage At KKH A&E”.
The article alleged that on 28 Feb 2022, a 20-week pregnant woman visited KKH seeking medical attention for Covid-19 and abdominal pains.
It further claimed that the woman suffered a miscarriage after waiting four hours at the hospital’s emergency department.
Source: TODAY
WUSG took down article and apologised
On 25 March 2022, KKH filed a police report over the WUSG article.
Later that day, WUSG issued an apology on social media, claiming the informant’s call logs, invoices, and correspondence may have been doctored.
The page was also issued a Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA) order. The post in question has since been taken down.
The health ministry later revealed that KKH had identified the woman featured in the article.
In actual fact, a doctor had attended to her within an hour of her arriving at the hospital. She also did not suffer any miscarriage.
Founder faces up to 2 years jail if found guilty of defamation
26-year-old legal executive Ariffin Iskandar Sha Ali Akbar has been identified as the founder and admin of the WUSG page.
On Wednesday (24 Apr), Ariffin was charged with one count of defamation.
If found guilty of defamation, he faces a jail term of up to two years, a fine, or both.
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Featured image adapted from Wikimedia Commons and TODAY.
