~ By Bertha Henson ~
Speculation is rife over Berita Harian's agenda. I have been receiving a slew of signals that is making me (a little) irate. I am no stranger to controversy, but little did I expect that the blog would raise so many eyebrows in Singapore newsrooms. I assure/re-assure/give the assurance that I do not intend this blog to be a hub of dissent. That's because I do not want tragedy to strike, and me lying in a (metaphorical) pool of blood waiting for an ambulance to rush to the scene.
Okay, enough of the resurrection of dead bodies in the cemetery.
Writing in cliches is pretty hard, so I will resort to good old English-speak.
Why am I blogging?
Since this is NOT a news story, but a blog, I will break some rules and tell you what it ISN"T.
It's not a check on the media, on the PAP/Opposition or the Government.
It's not to get "my own back'' on my old employer. I gather the phrase Bitter Harian has been coined. Wrong! It should be Better Harian!
It's not an attempt at re-capturing fame (or notoriety), now that I am no longer in the high-profile business of journalism.
What it is: It's about an ex-journalist who has developed the habit of "post-morteming'' what she reads over the years. It's about using that habit to help keep journalism standards up, by pointing out holes in stories that editors themselves may have missed. It is to praise to good writing and yes, to keep my cemetery, ahhh, alive. It is about someone who has been in the news business for so long, she can't help having an opinion and writing about it. It's about a citizen's hope that the media will communicate in the best way possible with its readers, arming them with information and views to lead meaningful lives.
Don't believe? Never mind.
I will remain unfazed.
TOC thanks Bertha Henson for her contribution, this article first appeared on her blog. Bertha Henson is a former Associate Editor of 'The Straits Times'.