Development journalism is often touted as more applicable to Asian countries like Malaysia and Singapore than the western liberal approach, for historical and cultural reasons. Proponents see its premise of media–government partnership as necessary for securing economic development for the country. The approach is also not considered a hindrance to press freedom or democracy because of regularly held political elections that empower elected leaders the right of influence over the press. How well development journalism performs during elections, which are adversarial by definition, is thus crucial to the legitimacy of elections as well as the approach itself. This pioneer study aims to shed light on the legitimacy of Asian-based development journalism by examining coverage of the 1999 general elections in Malaysia by three major newspapers in the country. Findings obtained through media-framing analysis indicate that it needs a lot more work.

Singapore, an island nation at the southern tip of mainland Southeast Asia, has a population of about 3.6 million made up of 77 percent Chinese, 14 percent Malays, 7 percent Indians, and 2 percent classified as others. The non‐citizen population makes up another 1.2 million. A former British colony, the republic adopts the Westminster parliamentary system, and the government has been controlled by the People's Action Party (PAP) since 1959. The three corporations that provide for the various media in the country are largely owned by the government's investment arm, Temasek.

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