On the Singapore media’s run-ins with Lee Kuan Yew, and the newsroom calamity waiting to happen: veteran newsman PN Balji tells all in new book
- ‘Reluctant Editor: the Singapore Media as Seen through the Eyes of a Veteran Newspaper Journalist’ recounts the highs and lows of veteran newsman PN Balji’s 40-year career in Singapore’s tightly controlled media
Balji spent 40 years working in five newsrooms and oversaw the coverage of some of Singapore’s most significant events. This book also recounts the highs and lows of his career and the behind-the-scenes drama surrounding editorial decisions, amid changes in the country’s media landscape.
The book is available for S$23 (US$17) in major bookstores, and there are plans for an online edition. Here are excerpts of the book:
Chapter 3 – Living dangerously: Who is that practising western-style journalism?
In 1991, I was involved in another tangle with the government, again over sources. The New Paper’s ace crime reporter, Suresh Nair, had gotten hold of a report that detailed a Super Puma crash at Sembawang Air Base, which took the lives of four crew members. The statement issued by the Ministry of Defence (Mindef) was brief, as usual. It offered scant details, such as the name of the aircraft, where and when the accident happened and how many died. Through his sources, Suresh dug up more information, including the likely cause of the crash (malfunction of the rear rotor blades) and the pilot losing control of the chopper after it suddenly spun mid-flight. The report quoted sources as saying: “The pilot informed the control tower that he was facing some mechanical problems when cruising between 250 and 350 metres.”
We did not realise that we were contravening Mindef secrecy laws. Many months later, Suresh learnt that an investigation had been ordered to find out who had leaked the story.
