TNP reporter bags award for Young Journalist of the Year
SPH holds annual journalism awards
It has been quite the busy year for journalist Mr Hariz Baharudin, 27.
For the past 12 months, the reporter who is two years into his job has had his name on the front page of The New Paper, reporting on numerous issues and bagging four monthly awards for his stories.
Yesterday, while taking a hard-earned break overseas, he was alerted to another piece of news - this time, he was the news.
He had won the Young Journalist of the Year award at Singapore Press Holdings' (SPH) annual awards ceremony for the English, Malay and Tamil Media group.
The awards showcased the best work of journalists from The Straits Times, The New Paper, Berita Harian, Tamil Murasu, The Business Times and tabla! for last year.
Fifteen awards for good work in news and feature stories, as well as visuals, page layouts and digital packages were given out.
"I did not expect to win at all, I was in the running with a talented peer who I knew from school and who I recognise as a formidable journalist," said Mr Hariz, a Nanyang Technological University Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information graduate, referring to Straits Times journalist Seow Bei Yi, 25.
One of his biggest scoops was a report about controversial content found in Malay language children's books available in the public libraries.
It led to the National Library Board removing the books from the shelves and reviewing its vetting process for such content.
Another notable package was Living In Oxley Road, a look at what life was like on the well-known street. The news feature came in the wake of the public dispute between Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and his two siblings over the fate of the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew's home at 38, Oxley Road. To complete the package, Mr Hariz also created an interactive infographic map highlighting landmarks and facts about the area.
"I think it was a 'colour piece' that managed to fill in the blank spaces in people's understanding when it came to the whole Oxley saga.
"I am honoured that I had a hand in telling it," Mr Hariz said.
Both stories were among the nominees for Excellence in Journalism yesterday.
TNP editor Eugene Wee, 43, said: "We are all proud of Hariz. He is a great example of the kind of journalist we need going forward - one who is equally proficient at telling stories in print, video and interactive graphics."
Ms Jamie Lee, 33, bagged the award for Journalist of the Year for her coverage of fintech and banking in The Business Times.
ST journalist Melody Zaccheus, 29, picked up the Story of the Year award for her report on Syonan Gallery, a controversial name given to the revamped World War II exhibition space at the former Ford Factory.
Her report reflected much public debate and eventually spurred the Government to rename the space to Surviving the Japanese Occupation: War and its Legacies.
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