Internship at TNP reaffirms his passion for journalism
Former TNP intern among four awarded scholarships as SPH develops new generation of journalists
It is more important than ever that journalists report accurately and objectively given the upheaval from social media and the increasing frequency of fake news, Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) chairman Lee Boon Yang said yesterday.
Dr Lee told the annual scholarship award ceremony at SPH News Centre: "The new technologies such as artificial intelligence, powerful algorithms and tools like data analytics are in fact, day by day, changing the type of content that gets wider circulation.
"SPH will always uphold the highest standard of quality journalism, being able to provide accurate, reliable and properly researched and edited news content."
He said the company will transform its core media business, citing the first SPH Innovation Day held early this month.
The company took another step in developing a new generation of journalists yesterday by handing out SPH scholarships for undergraduate studies to Mr Aqil Hamzah, 21; Ms Zhang Qianxue, 20; Ms Crystal Heng, 19; and Mr Chua Wei Qian, 21.
Of the four, two will be attending Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and two will be going to the National University of Singapore.
Mr Aqil, who will be pursuing communication studies at NTU next month, said his six-month internship at The New Paper this year had affirmed his passion for journalism.
ENJOYABLE
"I really enjoy the job because every single day, the things you do are totally different," he added. "So the experience is always fresh, and you get to listen to new people talk and hear their stories."
One memorable assignment came last month when he travelled with a colleague to Seremban in Malaysia's Negeri Sembilan state to cover a wake.
The parents of two young children had been killed in a car accident in Johor.
Mr Aqil said the journey there took more than seven hours because of traffic jams.
It was also the first time he had interviewed people at a funeral.
"When speaking to the family members, you have to be considerate because it is a sensitive issue," he added.
The Lim Kim San Memorial Scholarships were also handed out yesterday to 11 university students.
The bond-free scholarship was launched in 2006 to help students of modest means pursue local undergrad studies in languages, linguistics and humanities.
Another 14 scholarships were given out to the children of SPH staff members and newspaper vendors for junior college, polytechnic or university studies.
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