Comprehensive Analysis of the NUS Peeping Tom Case Report

This report provides an in-depth analysis of the 'Peeping Tom' case at the National University of Singapore (NUS), focusing on the impact of media and social media, particularly the role of online platforms in shaping public opinion and influencing the case's trajectory. It examines the headline's effectiveness in portraying the crime and the victim's ordeal, critically evaluating the concept of 'trial by social media' and its implications on justice. The report further explores the SMU Advantage and its claims about global citizenship, contrasting them with the lack of adequate protection afforded to foreign students, as highlighted by the case. The analysis delves into the ethical and legal dimensions of voyeurism, online harassment, and the university's response, offering alternative perspectives and concluding with a critical assessment of the case's impact on media literacy and the pursuit of justice.

Running Head: ANALYSIS OF THE PEEPING TOM CASE IN NUS
ANALYSIS OF THE PEEPING TOM CASE IN NUS
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1ANALYSIS OF THE PEEPING TOM CASE IN NUS
Question 1:
a) The headline of the case “NUS Peeping Tom” draws from literature while introducing
Nicholas’ fault to a character from the popular 1960 film, named Peeping Tom by
Michael Powell. It is a popular British horror and psychological thriller film. It
revolves around the man who goes around with his movie camera to record the dying
expressions of fear in the women he murders and thereby, ends up as a serial killer.
However, prior to this, a short American comedy-drama film also lived in the year
1897. These two words have kept repeating themselves from history until now while
depicting a male voyeur. He was a man who was observing women surreptitiously
while extracting sexual gratification from such sights or observations. This clearly
signifies the crime or act committed by Nicholas Lim even before anyone reads ahead
of the situation (Jewkes & Linnemann, 2017). It also adds a piece of information
ahead of these two words as NUS, which signifies that this student is a college-going
youth from the National University of Singapore (NUS).
b) The headline of the case “NUS Peeping Tom case: Monica Baey urges online
bullying against Nicholas Lim to stop” is an inappropriate title, considering the
detailed story as portrayed by the same online news portal. It is so because though
Monica is humane enough to ask the internet to stop harassing Lim and his loved ones
but at the same time, she recalls her trauma and paranoia — a condition where she
continues to live in. In addition, using this title suggests that Monica is not on a strong
hold to punish the guilty as she falls week while asking for trial by internet to stop
(Malik, 2017). It is misguiding because Monica also mentions, according to the same
article that she is happy that the case has a probability to re-open with tougher
punishments. This certainly clarifies that she is not in a forgiving frame of mind but

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nonetheless, a human. However, while the headline clearly brings out Nicholas’ fault.
It fails to portray Monica’s ordeal.
On the contrary, this headline is also effective in the way that it supports
Monica Baey, depicting her human side towards her perpetrator, while clearly
depicting the insane crime committed by Nicholas Lim. In today’s modern world,
where there is huge support, calling out such people through proper headlines,
relieves most of them to gather the core information without donating much time to
reading an entire article (HUIWEN, 2019). However, the article miserably fails in
meeting the purpose of allowing peace and stopping the trial of Nicholas and his
family by the internet when it tags him as a ‘Peeping Tom’ as well as portrays an
imagery of Monica who is good enough a human to be empathized with. The aspect
of voyeurism itself is filled with a sense of paranoia, a feeling of shamelessness and
extreme terror. Films like Psycho (1960) by Hitchcock depict such voyeuristic gaze as
horror elements in the narrative and it is usually, a male gaze, which follows the
female on such instances. It is easier to relate to these events while on the silver
screen but not when one is the victim, herself as Monica, in this case.
c) An alternative headline, suggested from a neutral ground can sound like — “As times
scroll down the internet, Monica Baey fights her way to set an example for
harassments from Peeping Toms like Nicholas.” (CNA, 2019).
d) In this case, “Trial by social media” or, as derived, “Trial by media” is a situation
where social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram are constantly
being used by the public as a device to raise their voices against the wrongs, which
are happening around (FiksAlexander et al., 2017). The easy availability of camera or
gadgets has led to a situation where these instances not only get captured but are also
put before the public for reviews. It is a system where the media acts as a quasi-

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executive, quasi-legislative and primarily, as a quasi-judiciary wing to enforce justice
by the commons or re-enforcing the idea of democracy and right to information in an
effective domain. Often, in certain cases as these, it is a situation of pre-trial by the
media or the commons or crowd, which then pressurizes the governing body of the
State or the judiciary to dictate something relevant to the public verdict (Elliot, 2016).
Use of images or videos leads to effective pre-trial procedures, which affects the
jurors and creates a serious impact on them (Winter et al., 2016). At times, it may also
interfere or intervene with the proceedings of the case. In many instances, this trial by
media is also found to be blown out of the proportion or unjustified. Few crafted
documents are also in circulation, many a times (Fox et al., 2016). This is a negative
impact when one considers trial by the media, as most people do not check facts, on
most occasions. Trial by media not only pressurizes the judiciary but creates a
collective imposition of thoughts upon the authoritative body of the government, the
police and the respective parties or here, the university itself. It is primarily so
because the university failed to deliver impromptu solution and protection to the
twenty-three year old student, Monica Baey, who had visited Singapore, all the way
from Taiwan on an exchange program. The incident where Nicholas captured and
recorded Monica while she was in her shower, left her in extreme paranoia for months
while those in authoritative positions, in the National University of Singapore, fled
with their duties after barring Nicholas from a semester and suspending him. It is after
the posts got viral that public shaming brought the NUS authorities and the Singapore
government under the eye of scrutiny and forced them to re-open the case in order to
deal it in a better way, taking proper actions and delivering better results than before.
This revived hope in Monica and she visited Singapore on ce again to sum up the case
in a justified manner.

4ANALYSIS OF THE PEEPING TOM CASE IN NUS
Question 2:
a) Developing Global Citizens with the SMU Advantage:
The aspect of SMU undergraduates, seeking to visit abroad for exchange
programs with foreign universities is a purposeless claim if the country itself is
failing to assure proper protection to the foreign students.
b) The SMU Advantage:
The Singapore Management study curriculum has many options that can sustain a
student to pass in his or her modules. However, most of the students are provided
with options to qualify the examinations, somehow, which looks insignificant and
not helpful enough to generate real-world knowledge.
c) Transformative education and Future readiness:
It reflects that a student going overseas gets the opportunity to develop himself or
herself by fostering new relationships. However, that is not the situation if cross-
cultural ideologies and basic humanity, risked every now and then.
d) Interesting, Unique Courses and Experiences during Exchange:
The courses that are referred to as unique, end up being less practical or useful,
considering a qualification from a management university as they hold a lack of
real-time job structure.
e) SMU’s Holistic Support:
The kind of support that SMU aims to provide ensures global safety and a system
of comprehensive support to students abroad besides assisting them in their
immigration, placements, accommodations, paper works and other office works.
However, the case of Monica Baey is a clear example of the help and support she
had received in her case until she took some bold steps to ensure justice for
herself.

5ANALYSIS OF THE PEEPING TOM CASE IN NUS

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