PLEASE CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY SPEECH BY DR LEE BOON YANG, CHAIRMAN, SINGAPORE PRESS HOLDINGS AND SPH FOUNDATION AT THE SPH AND SPH FOUNDATION SCHOLARSHIP AWARDS CEREMONY 2015 HELD ON MONDAY, 20 JULY 2015 AT 3.00 PM AT THE SPH NEWS CENTRE AUDITORIUM Ladies and Gentlemen A very good afternoon to all. I am pleased to be here for our annual SPH and SPH Foundation Scholarship Awards Ceremony. I would like to congratulate this year s scholarship recipients. Following a lengthy selection process, which included an internship period in our newsrooms, we are offering 5 SPH journalism scholarships. In addition to the journalism scholarships, we will also be giving out scholarships to the children of SPH staff and newspaper vendors, as well as the Lim Kim San Memorial Scholarships. These recipients were chosen based on their academic excellence, involvement in school activities, character and their aptitude. I would like to congratulate all scholarship recipients as well as their proud parents, family members and the loved ones who are present today for this memorable occasion. Thank you for joining us this afternoon. Challenges in today s media industry This is a challenging period in the history of the media industry. SPH intends to confront the challenges and strives to stay ahead of the competition and remain relevant to our key stakeholders. The Digital Division was set up to spearhead our strategy and growth in the digital space. Over the past year, it has worked tirelessly to harness the 1
collective strengths of our print and online media offerings to create innovative products and solutions for our consumers and advertisers. To support our core media initiatives in both print and digital, we set up the Media Strategy and Analytics Division to help us gain new insights, identify opportunities, and ultimately improve performance across SPH. The past year has also seen us grow our adjacent businesses as well as our property portfolio and our events and exhibitions business. The Seletar Mall was officially launched a few months ago with 100 per cent occupancy and 130 shops. It has already proven to be popular with residents nearby. Our events and exhibitions business has expanded beyond Singapore and into the growing markets of Malaysia, Myanmar Sri Lanka and Vietnam. Our growing portfolio of trade and consumer events now spans the aviation, banking and finance, education, construction and hospitality and tourism industries. We have also been making strategic investments, acquisitions and partnerships to enhance our business and secure our future. These developments place SPH in a strong position to tackle the changes that are re-shaping the media landscape. We also continue to redefine our core media business. For example, our flagship English-language newspaper The Straits Times marked its 170 th anniversary this year with a vibrant new look and features across the print newspaper, website, mobile and tablet apps. The celebrations also include many exciting events for readers, business partners and members of the public. Our Tamil-language newspaper Tamil Murasu celebrated 80 years. Her World, the leading women's title published by SPH Magazines, marks its 55th anniversary this year. Coupled with their digital offerings, our print products have built resilience and demonstrated adaptability and relevance. The role of journalists today 2
Although we now lead high-tech lifestyles in a world of mobility and multiple screens, the importance of professional journalism has not changed. There is a proliferation of news and information from various sources, particularly on the internet, in the fast paced environment that we live in today. Some of the facts and details are conflicting and questionable. This has strengthened the need and desire for trustworthy and reliable sources of news put together and verified by quality journalism. Professional journalists with the skills to investigate, report and analyse news that matters to the readers will always be in demand. This is what SPH assures its readers that it is capable of delivering every day. To illustrate this, I would like to share the experiences of two of our past scholars. Charissa Yong, The Straits Times. Charissa Yong has been a political reporter with The Straits Times for the last 18 months. She studied at the London School of Economics and Political Science, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Science in International Relations in 2011 and a Masters in Science in Comparative Politics, specialising in democratisation studies a year later. As an intern reporter, she spent 6 weeks at the Straits Times Beijing bureau. She also had stints covering the local housing beat before moving to her present appointment. One notable story that Charissa covered was the Punggol East by-election. She was part of the team from the Political Desk that clinched a Special Award of the Month for Excellence in January 2013 - for the Punggol East by-election coverage. Charissa also accompanied President Tony Tan s week-long state visit to the United Kingdom in October last year. Her other memorable stories include covering the Parliamentary sittings and the funeral of former Prime 3
Minister Lee Kuan Yew. Lim Zi Heng, Lianhe Zaobao Lim Zi Heng is a Political reporter with Lianhe Zaobao, covering defence and technology matters. Like Charissa, Zi Heng went to The London School of Economics and Political Science, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science (First Class Honours) in International Relations. He received his Masters of Science in Journalism from Columbia University in New York the following year. In July 2013, he was assigned to the Chinese daily s crime desk for a year where he covered cases such as the Kovan double murders (July 2013), the Little India riots (Dec 2013) and the Sheng Siong kidnap case (Jan 2014). Nine months later, he was sent to Perth, Australia, to cover the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370. His reporting earned the Zaobao Online team an award for Best New Media Story last year. In December 2014, Zi Heng was sent to Surabaya, Indonesia, to report on the crash of AirAsia flight QZ8501. Zi Heng has also been roped into a number of Digital and Data teams to look at how our newspapers can ride on the future of digital media. For his performance and contributions, he was given the Zaobao Best Newcomer Award this year. He will be leaving for Beijing later this year as Lianhe Zaobao s China Correspondent. I understand that Charissa and Zi Heng are here among the audience today. Please stand up to be acknowledged. Congratulations on a job well done. I am hopeful their sterling achievements will inspire our latest batch of journalism scholars. 4
Scholarships to children of SPH staff and news vendors Established in 1975, the scholarship awards given to children of SPH staff and news vendors recognise the academic achievements of these young people. This year, SPH is awarding 5 junior college, 4 polytechnic and 5 university scholarship awards to the children of our staff, as well as 1 university scholarship award to one of our newspaper vendors. These awards are SPH s way of recognising the contributions of our staff and news vendors who have been instrumental to our success all these years. Congratulations to the recipients and their parents who are here today. Lim Kim San Memorial Scholarships This is the 10 th year that we are giving out the Lim Kim San Memorial Scholarships, sponsored by the Singapore Press Holdings Foundation. The bond-free scholarships were established in 2006 and aimed at students from modest backgrounds pursuing undergraduate studies in languages, linguistics and humanities at our local universities. As with past years' Lim Kim San Memorial scholars, this year s 11 recipients have demonstrated academic excellence and outstanding records in co-curricular activities. They also showed maturity and a strong sense of responsibility through their active participation in community service. The scholarships will provide financial support and assurance for them to focus on their studies. Congratulations to the Lim Kim San Memorial scholars and their proud parents. Conclusion 5
I would like to conclude my speech this afternoon with this quote from the English sociologist and philosopher Herbert Spencer. The great aim of education is not knowledge but action. Today marks a fresh chapter in your life as you, the scholars, start a new and exciting journey in self-discovery. You will gain new perspectives, as well as valuable life experiences. The education you attain is more than a springboard to a rewarding career. It should spur you to step out of your comfort zones and actively engage the community around you. You can help to shape lives, win hearts and empower the minds of the disadvantaged and the underprivileged. Once again on behalf of SPH and SPH Foundation, congratulations and I wish all scholarship recipients every success. Thank you. 6