First Foray into ST - hesitation and anticipation
Yesterday I was invited to SPH for an interview with ST reporter Jeremy Au regarding TOC, our social work and what we were looking to achieve.
To me it is very simple. My work in TOC has never been about fame, hits or government bashing. Where there is a voice from the ground to be heard, when the people have issues that the government is not addressing, that is when I, as a writer, craft my words in TOC to be heard. Trust me, government people are paying attention to that site. Whether they act upon our words is a story for another day, but they are reading.
Government Bashing?
The TOC team comprises of working professionals, entrepreneurs and tertiary students. We have no time to squander on frivolities for its sheer sake. Where there is a problem, we will address it and on top of that, present a detailed paper outlining solutions. In that sense, we are not interested in being empty vessels who make a lot of noise but offer no solutions. Also, where there is credit to be given, we will acknowledge and take heart that our voices have been heard and acted on.
My words to Jeremy were:
I am neither pro PAP or pro opposition - and I am not interested in being partisan. Essentially, I am pro Singapore.
Fame and Hits
Fellow bloggers will know that I hardly participate in any bloggers’ events or community get togethers. I am not interested to be a celebrity/ famous blogger. To be brutally honest, I am more interested in issues than the popularity game. My writing for TOC has always been centric on important social and political issues at hand. Penning off with my name signals a transparency and my conviction to stand by what I say - that it is backed with facts and research. My purpose and aim in writing for TOC has always been clear upfront - to make sure an alternative voice is heard.
In writing for TOC, the hope is that I reach out to a wider audience whose primary interests (as signified by their reading TOC) are political and social centric. In that aspect, yes, the more hits the better, as it shows that we are reaching out to more people effectively.
A case in point would be my recent article on Melamine. It reached to more people than it would on my personal site alone. And that is what is important - the effective and swift dissemination of important news. And by the way, I don’t think I ever saw a comprehensive list in ST or other media. Do give me a heads up if you did.
Hesitation, Anticipation
Although this is not my first media exposure (previously my articles appeared in magazines like Young Parents and Vanilla), it is my first foray into mainstream media like ST. I was apprehensive, hesitant, excited, anxious, confident and hopeful. A strange myriad of emotions, you might think, but all for different reasons.
I am excited that with this ST exposure, we will be able to reach other to even more people and harness a greater voice. I am confident that I can present my thoughts and opinions succinctly and with articulation. However I am apprehensive, anxious and hesitant that there may be a heavy handed editing.
I hope for our words and objectives to be presented as they were spoken and not edited to suit a certain news pitch or angle. Most of all, I hope that we will not be blatantly misquoted.
The article will be out tomorrow in People and Perspectives. Do let me have your thoughts then.
*update - we got informed that the report has been postponed to next Friday.
[...] Discourse - Yawning Bread: Is engaging the mainstream media pointless? Part 1 - XTRALICIOUS: First Foray into ST - hesitation and anticipation - Endoh’s Dungeon: Maternity Perks For Maids - the grey line between personal & [...]
Good Afternoon Extralicious,
I agree with you. This is an important milestone and certainly a marked improvement from the acrimonious relationship that once typified the relationship between bloggers and the MSM.
I can’t think of anyone who could have done a better job of bridging the minds, than you really.
However, I wish to take exception with one of your statements where you mentioned.
“Penning off with my name signals a transparency and my conviction to stand by what I say - that it is backed with facts and research.”
I would just like to add very quickly. While penning off under ones name, may certainly facilitate trust and transparency. It’s certainly not a precondition for facilitating deep understanding. Neither does it necessary lend what is written more believable or credible either. This hardly requires any elaboration. We can all for example point out endless examples of many people who either write or speak openly. Yet still come across as lacking in transparency, conviction and reason.
Do bear in mind anonymity as a school of thought was an illustrious history. Before Galileo Galilee (the father of astronomy) first penned in 1620, his famous Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems, the main bulk of his formulations accounting for the workings of the solar system was first written under an anonymous capacity; for very good reasons I believe as the church considered it heretical to question the timeless assumptions perpetuated by the Holy see.
My point is Galileo decision to remain anonymous for nearly 10 over years during this research period did not in any way diminish either his influence or conviction in the eyes of the intellectuals of his day. On the contrary, because Galileo specifically adopted an anonymous moniker, he enjoyed an unprecedented quantity and quality of interactions which would not even have been politically possible had he come out openly – not only did this solicited deep discussions amongst intellectuals of that period, who I might add also furthered the discussion through an anonymous capacity. But it also facilitate discussion with fear or favor.
For this reason, I believe anonymity should not be fear, instead it should be understood.
The same can be said about Thomas Paine who once penned the famous pamphlet “common sense,” which made strenuous claims for American independence from Colonial rule – he too wrote anonymously and much of what Paine and his colleagues wrote anonymously was instrumental in laying the capstone of what we term today the American constitution along with the Bill of Rights.
So again, one doesn’t need to come out into the open to be believed, neither does doing so necessary lend one a patina of added credibility. I think that position doesn’t have a very strong foundation, not historically, at least.
I guess what I may be trying to say here obliquely. Is everyone who blogs should have an elemental right to define how they wish to come across to their audience; Molly Meek for example is anonymous, but she has a following that includes me and probably others who believe her insights are compelling to our times; so does Red Bean and characters like Darkness etc.
My point is everyone should be allowed the freedom to crave out their respective identities which best facilitates the whole idea of civil discourse; whether they accomplish this openly or anonymously isn’t important; what’s important is we don’t pigeon hole ourselves into one mould and promote sameness and demote diversity.
Where we expect everyone to look, behave, talk and think in only one acceptable way. If we do that, we may even run the danger of mimicking the MSM.
Where will the fun be, when that happens?
Thank you sharing your interesting encounter with the press. It has certainly a riveting read. We wish you well. (Oh, I am so sorry! I didn’t mean to write an essay!)
The Director General of the FILB
Y2K
Y2K
Wow, thanks for taking the time to craft a detailed comment.
I agree that anonymity does not necessarily denote a surreptitious facade or lack of credibility, just as transparency does not automatically command trust or respect.
If I had unknowingly given the impression that anonymous writers are less credible, I apologize. That is certainly not my intention.
However, just as others are free to be anonymous, it is my personal conviction that I wish to pen off my articles to denote a further commitment and responsibility on my part. It is, of course, a personal choice.
I look forward to your insight in my future articles!
[...] blogosphere - Yawning Bread: Is engaging the mainstream media pointless? Part 1 - XTRALICIOUS: First Foray into ST - hesitation and anticipation - Endoh’s Dungeon: Maternity Perks For Maids - the grey line between personal & professional [...]
Author said: “A case in point would be my recent article on Melamine.”
Goodness is that your std in the context of “issues that the government is not addressing”?
Why don’t you try ISSUES like those with stokes being not as promptly treated as what MM LKY had talked about when he related the tale of his wife who had suffered a massive stroke while in the UK some years ago?
Or the unreasonable salaries paid to LKY etc?
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