SPEECH BY DR LEE BOON YANG, CHAIRMAN, SPH AND SPH FOUNDATION AT THE SPH AND SPH FOUNDATION SCHOLARSHIP AWARDS CEREMONY 2018 HELD ON MONDAY, 16 JULY 2018 AT 3.00 PM AT THE SPH NEWS CENTRE AUDITORIUM

Ladies and Gentlemen

A very good afternoon to all.

Welcome to the annual SPH and SPH Foundation Scholarship Awards Ceremony 2018.

Let me begin by congratulating all scholarship recipients. This year, we have 4 journalism scholars. We will also be presenting 14 scholarships to the children of SPH staff and newspaper vendors, as well as 11 Lim Kim San Memorial Scholarships.

I would like to congratulate the proud parents, family members and loved ones who are here today.

Quality journalism and transformation are key

The global media industry continues to face volatility and disruption.

Today, platforms such as Facebook and Google are changing the way people access the news. The emergence of new technologies driven by powerful algorithms, artificial intelligence and data analytics are shaping the types of content that gets wider circulation.

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We have also experienced the emergence of fake news. This is in part owing to deceptive advertising, deliberate falsehoods or lack of fact-checking arising from unprofessional journalism.

Faced with such volatility and challenges, journalists have a more important role to restore trust and confidence in media companies. Journalists should always ensure accurate and objective presentation and delivery of news that readers would want to turn to, and can rely on.

SPH will always uphold the highest standard of quality journalism. At the same time, we will also continue to innovate and transform our business operations.

We recently launched our first ever SPH Innovation Day to encourage an innovative and entrepreneurial culture in the organisation. Some of our staff went through an accelerated innovation training programme in design thinking, customer-centricity and digital proficiency. They were then encouraged to present and pitch their new product ideas to the senior management. Some of these will be taken up for further development. Such initiatives will enable SPH to explore new opportunities for customer engagement and growth in our media business.

Spotlight on past SPH scholars

The day of a journalist is never dull or predictable. Our past SPH journalism scholars have enjoyed a rewarding and memorable career path.

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Let me highlight two of them this afternoon.

Ms Toh Wen Li,

Toh Wen Li is a journalist with The Straits Times Life! team. She spent five years in the

United Kingdom where she pursued a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in English at the

University of Cambridge, followed by a Masters of Philosophy in American Literature.

Since 2016, she has served in the Straits Times handling sub-editing to digital to local news beats, covering the Causes Week community series, the ST Singaporean of the

Year award and the National Day parades. She also had the opportunity to accompany

Minister for Culture, Community and Youth, Ms , during her trip to Beijing in

2017.

Some of her memorable stories included scoring a cover story on fenceless condominiums in ; Singapore companies and employees who allegedly abuse medical leave policies and benefits; and the impact of the #MeToo movement in

Singapore.

There was a poignant moment for Wen Li when she wrote the breaking news story on the incident of a Tembusu tree at Botanic Gardens which fell and killed a woman in

February 2017. It reminded her of the need for journalism that is fast and accurate but also to be responsible and compassionate to the victims.

Wen Li is now based in ST Life! where she writes art and design stories, book and theatre reviews and helms columns on the arts and culture scenes.

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Ms Yeo Chun Hing, Lianhe Zaobao

Chun Hing did a double-degree in Chinese Language & Literature and International

Relations at the Peking University.

She started with Lianhe Wanbao in August 2014 before joining Lianhe Zaobao in

August 2017 where she covers the manpower and political beats.

Some of the events she covered included the 2017 Presidential Election, the 2016 Bukit

Batok by-election, the 2015 General Election, the state funeral of former Prime Minister

Lee Kuan Yew and the crash of Air Asia QZ8501.

Her most memorable career milestone was being one of the four journalists allowed inside Capella Singapore at Sentosa to report on the historic peace summit between

Chairman Kim Jong-un and President Donald Trump in June.

It was a rare opportunity for her to witness such a historic event up close and personal and she recalled the excitement and trepidation working alongside some of the world’s most experienced journalists. Chun Hing was able to demonstrate her versatility and dexterity writing her stories, doing live cross-feeds, as well as taking photos and videos of the summit.

Both Wen Li and Chun Hing have combined their love for writing and engaging with people to present important issues of the day that matter to readers. Besides their proficiency in print media, they are also committed to producing meaningful content in today’s fast paced world of digital journalism.

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I understand that Wen Li is here today while Chun Hing is currently travelling with Prime

Minister Lee’s entourage in France. Will Wen Li please stand up to be acknowledged?

Thank you and well done.

Scholarships to children of SPH staff and news vendors

This afternoon, SPH is also presenting scholarship awards to the children of SPH staff and newspaper vendors.

These scholarship awards recognise their academic achievements. They also acknowledge the contributions of their parents - our staff and news vendors who have been behind SPH’s success all these years.

This year, we are giving out 5 junior college, 4 polytechnic and 5 university scholarship awards to the children of SPH staff and newspaper vendors.

Congratulations to the parents and their children!

Lim Kim San Memorial Scholarships

This is the 13th year that we are presenting the Lim Kim San Memorial Scholarships, sponsored by the Foundation.

Today, we are giving out 11 Lim Kim San Memorial scholarships. These deserving recipients were chosen for their academic excellence as well as sterling records in extra-curricular activities and community service work.

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They have also demonstrated strength, determination and resourcefulness to overcome challenging circumstances in their personal lives.

While the scholarships do not come with any bond, I hope and trust that they will contribute to society and help others in need.

Well done to all of you!

Conclusion

On behalf of SPH and SPH Foundation, I would like to congratulate all parents and family members.

And to all scholarship recipients, I wish you every success.

Thank you.

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