Budding journos make headlines
From left: Celine, Isabella, Chng Yan and Desmond standing on the steps of the Scottish Parliament building in Edinburgh, where Future News 2015 was held
NUS students swept all four places allocated to Singapore participants in a journalism essay competition, earning the opportunity to attend Future News 2015, a global journalism conference held in the Scottish Parliament at Edinburgh from 4 to 6 September.
This is the second edition of Future News, following its debut in 2014, organised by the Scottish government, the British Council and Reuters, in partnership with several media companies and various universities. Future News 2015 brought together some 50 aspiring journalists from more than 20 nations to listen and learn from the best in the industry, while providing opportunities for networking and interaction.
The four winners were recent Law graduate Chng Yan; Year 4 Communications and New Media (CNM) student Celine Leong; Year 3 CNM student Desmond Koh; as well as Year 3 Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS) and University Scholars Programme student Isabella Chua. Chng Yan, Celine and Desmond have taken the News Reporting and Editing module offered by NUS Communications & New Media, and also published their work on Campus Eye, a CNM online news site.
Ms Tan Ee Lyn, the module instructor, was thrilled with her students' unprecedented win. Noting that this was the first time CNM students have participated in such a competition, Ms Tan believed that the sense of purpose in journalism, which the course emphasises, could have contributed to the win. "Our students need to think hard about how this job opens up doors and gives them privileged access, and they have a duty to the public and need to give back to society. The course teaches them how ethics, accurate and balanced journalism are cardinal principles…of course, they are taught clear, sharp and effective writing.
Key speakers at the conference included Mr Paul J Ingrassia, Managing Editor for Reuters, Ms Sue Turton, an award-winning war correspondent who has reported from the frontlines in the Middle East, and other industry leaders from BBC, Buzzfeed, CNN and STV.
Desmond and Celine (both left), together with Chng Yan (right), caught up with Mr Ingrassia during the conference
Speaking of her experience at the conference, Chng Yan said, "Some of the themes that came up strongly were the changing landscape of journalism especially with the growing role of new media in the last two decades, that journalism is a calling and that there are always many ways for young people to achieve their ambitions and they should never stop trying.
Writing holds special meaning for Celine, who felt that it possesses the capability of shaping people's perspectives. "I feel that writers occupy positions of privileged power, allowing them to give a voice to the voiceless in our society, she said.
Moving forward, Isabella expressed her desire to continue writing, regardless of the profession she is in, saying, "My options are still open, but I will probably do something that combines writing, creativity, design and research.
By Chng Yan, alumna from Faculty of Law; Isabella Chua, FASS & USP; and FASS students Celine Leong and Desmond Koh
