TODAY clinches top feature prize at Mediacorp News Awards
Winners of the MediaCorp News Awards 2016 posing for a group photo. Photo: Robin Choo
SINGAPORE — TODAY’s news team on Thursday (July 28) clinched the Documentary/Special of the Year at the Mediacorp News Awards, which honours the best work from journalists in the various Mediacorp newsrooms.
The winning special, titled Mr Lee, One Year On, was a 20-page report marking the first death anniversary of Singapore’s founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew. It featured a survey of 500 Singaporeans and permanent residents interviewed face-to-face, to find out their views on Mr Lee’s legacy, as well as the qualities and values he stood for that could be useful for current and future leaders.
The annual awards ceremony, now into its 10th year, was held at the Conrad Centennial Singapore hotel last night. It was attended by about 150 people including 100 journalists, as well as newsmakers and judges.
Mr Mugilan Rajasegeran, visual editor at TODAY, said that one of the challenges in producing the anniversary special was getting newer visuals, because the team wanted fresher content regarding public opinion on Mr Lee’s legacy.
“It’s something very different from what the rest of the other media did,” he said. “We asked the tougher, bigger questions of what lies ahead, while at the same time added a lot of colour.”
He added that the award is a “great reaffirmation” of the hard work, thought process, and teamwork by the entire newsroom across all platforms to produce the special.
At the awards, Mr Shaun Seow, chief executive officer of the media company, talked about “the great digital disruption” which has lowered the barriers of entry into the media business, where people “behave like journalists on their social media accounts” and “journalism as a trade is under siege”.
However, he said that is “not the end of the world for journalism, and certainly not for the brand of journalism we practise at Mediacorp”, because its employees keep up with digital tools and trends and “many” journalists possess traits necessary to be the best: “Intelligence, determination, an unwavering moral and ethical compass, a relentless drive to best the competition, and perhaps, most importantly, the ability to work tirelessly.”
THE WINNERS
Documentary / Special of the Year
1. Mr Lee, One Year On (TODAY)
2. Get Real: Heart of the Haze (English Current Affairs)
Feature Story of the Year
1. Sabah Quake: Heart of the Courage (English Current Affairs)
2. Undercover Asia 3: Kasur’s Lost Children (Programme Production and International Production)
News Story of the Year
1. Nepal Quake: Singapore Gurkha Confronts Destruction at Home Village of Barpak (Digital News)
2. Channel NewsAsia Exclusive: Interview with President of the United States Barack Obama (English Current Affairs)
Young Journalist of the Year
Jackson Board, senior correspondent (Digital News)
Journalist of the Year
1. May Wong, correspondent (International News)
2. Leong Wai Kit, senior reporter (Singapore News)
