Singapore's 'Straits Times' celebrates 150 years
Singapore's 'Straits Times' celebrates 150 years
By Lenah Susianty
SINGAPORE (JP): No one would think that a newspaper published
by an Armenian merchant to carry commercial news on cargo ships
to the port of Singapore 150 years ago could survive and become
one of the oldest and richest newspapers in the world.
The Straits Times, with a current print run of 370,000 copies
a day, is not only Singapore's leading daily but also a living
witness to Singaporean history since 1845.
Outliving the English newspapers Singapore Chronicle,
Singapore Free Press and the Singapore Journal of Commerce, the
newspaper was handled by British managers and served British
interests from 1850 to the day the country gained independence.
"Only later, after the country's Independence in 1957, did we
become a public company and the newspaper began to reflect more
and more the interests of Singaporeans. Now it's 100 percent a
local newspaper, the management is local, so are the key
journalists," Cheong Yip Seng, editor in chief of the paper, told
The Jakarta Post recently.
However, like Singapore, the newspaper is very cosmopolitan
and has always had foreign staff members. They now comprise about
15 to 17 percent of the editorial staff.
"We have here people who come from Australia, India, America,
England, Malaysia and even South Africa," Cheong said, adding
that it would be difficult for the paper if there were no foreign
journalists.
"There is a big shortage of journalists in Singapore. Not only
don't we have the skill because the journalism school did not
start until recently, but also, like in other fields, Singapore
lacks human resources," Cheong explained.
The book Facts and Pictures 1994 reports that the unemployment
rate in the country only reached 1.9 percent in 1993. The
Singapore government also urges its citizens to have larger
families by offering incentives to meet the demand for more human
resources because of its rapid economic growth, which was 8.5
percent last year.
To solve the personnel shortage, The Straits Times has set up
two offshore bureaus, one in Sydney that employs 12 people as
sub-editors, and one in Manila which produces artwork for the
newspaper.
Today, 220 people, including photographers, correspondents,
artists and journalists, produce the 100 page daily which sells
for 60 Singapore cents.
To limit its reliance on news agencies, the newspaper, of
which a few thousand copies are sold in Brunei, Hong Kong, China,
South Korea, Japan, Taiwan and Indonesia, also has bureaus in
Hong Kong, Tokyo, Manila, Jakarta and Bangkok. It is planning to
open a bureau in China.
"Our priority is to emphasize news in Asia and economics. With
the growing economic situation in this eastern part of the world,
the demand for information is increasing as well. But we cannot
depend on news agencies because they interpret stories in
accordance with the need of their markets, not of our market,"
Cheong, who has been working for the daily since 1963, said.
Straits Times group
The prosperous newspaper has given birth to subsidiaries and
now operates under the conglomerate Singapore Press Holdings
Limited. Last year the daily's 2.8 percent increase in trading
profit contributed to the group's 28.7 percent increase in
trading profit, for an improvement of S$77.4 million compared to
S$270.1 million in 1993.
The group, which has subsidiaries and joint ventures from Oman
to New Zealand, deals in commercial printing, book distribution,
music cassette production, film production, film distribution as
well as property and real estate. It recorded a total profit,
before tax, of S$403.1 million, an increase of S$94.4 million or
30.6 percent over 1993.
The group currently publishes seven newspaper including the
Business times, Berita Harian (in Malay) and The New Paper, three
Chinese newspapers including Lianhe Zaopao, and several magazines
including Her World, Citta Bella and Home and Decor.
It is also a share holder in a Thai company which publishes
Business Day, and other regional papers such as The Borneo
Bulletin, The Asia Magazine, New Straits Times, The Bangkok Post
and The Asian Wall Street Journal.
Training
What is the secret of the paper's successful 150 years?
"We make sure that our staff are professional so they can
provide information which is valuable and give thoughtful views
to our readers," Cheong revealed.
Since human resources are the most important part of all
newspapers, The Straits Times continually invests money in
training and education to raise its staff's professionalism and
ability.
In-house training, seminars as well as sending staff abroad to
improve their knowledge or to experience new techniques and new
social and cultural ambiences, are organized regularly.
"From top managers to the lowest ones, everybody is given the
opportunity to improve themselves," Cheong explained, "Senior
journalists, for example, are provided with management training
so they know how to guide and motivate their juniors. For others,
there is training to improve their interviewing skills, picture
selecting skills, layout skills, and other things."
"To have quality staff is very crucial, therefore we must
constantly invest money in training."
Success secret number two is to make sure that editors are
also conscious of the bottom line and of the business aspect of a
newspaper.
"Editors should not only care about editorials, they should be
aware of the business side as well," Cheong told the Post.
Another survival secret, which is tightly related to the
multiracial aspect of Singapore, is being especially careful when
carrying such sensitive issues as race and religion.
As an English newspaper, The Straits Times is widely read by
people from all linguistic groups. To give a touch to Singapore's
multiracial society, it also carries bilingual pages; in English
and Chinese five days a week; as well as in English and Tamil
(Indian) and English and Malay once a week.
Responsible freedom
The Singaporean media is often seen as the Singapore
government's partner in development, as an institution to change
Singapore: to save water, to be courteous and to stop smoking.
"Well, we have democracy and freedom. We can for instance
cover the election debates of the parliament," Cheong said, "But,
freedom of the press depends on your newspaper's policy. How much
freedom you want, how much you want to exercise it. In our case,
we exercise our freedom responsibly because freedom and
responsibility is interrelated.
"We don't wish for freedom only for the sake of freedom. But
at the same time we must be sure that we have enough freedom so
our readers will have enough information to judge what is best
for themselves and for the country," he added.
The advent of the information superhighway has led to more
freedom, "But again, the question is not how much we have the
freedom, but how responsible we use the freedom," Cheong
insisted.
"And, if people say that we are on the side of the government,
yes, we are on the side of the government. It's a right thing to
do because this government is clean, honest and efficient. They
deserve our support. But, if the government becomes corrupt and
inefficient, it doesn't deserve the support anymore," said
Cheong, who is also editor in chief of other English and Malay
newspapers of the Straits Times group.
To mark its anniversary, the paper will hold various sports
events and exhibitions. It has also organized the Singapore run
of the world renowned Phantom of the Opera. A book on the history
of The Straits Times will be launched on July 15. On the same
day, Singapore Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong will attend an
anniversary dinner and give a speech on the future challenges
faced by the Singaporean media. The celebrations will last the
whole year.
"To survive another 150 years and to continue to be a good
newspaper for the whole family," are Cheong's aspirations for the
paper. "I want The Straits Times to be a newspaper where people
look for reliable and valuable information and thoughtful views.
A newspaper that provides information that makes life different."