High Court holds in [2026] SGHC 147 that the Reynolds privilege is not part of Singapore's common law.

The defendants sought to rely on the Reynolds privilege as a defence to defamation. The court held that this privilege, which originated from the European Convention on Human Rights and the UK Human Rights Act 1998, does not form part of Singapore's legal framework, affirming the position established in Review Publishing Co Ltd v Lee Hsien Loong [2010] 1 SLR 52.

Why it mattersThis reaffirms that media defendants in Singapore cannot invoke the Reynolds responsible journalism defence, leaving them without this shield against defamation claims.