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The first day of my internship with the South China Morning Post’s business news desk in the 1990s was intimidating. It was a quiet office with a couple of editors around and everyone I came across was an expat.
An editor glanced at me for a second, turned back to the black-and-white monitor of his desktop computer and continued typing on a keyboard. When the phone rang, he answered it and said: “Grave diggers!” and hung up.
This was the newsroom.
During my six-week internship, I learned about the reporters’ work routine. They generally did not come into the office until noon at the earliest as they finished late in the day, and readers only saw the stories in the next day’s paper.
So who got the morning assignments?
As a newcomer, I was given those unpopular jobs. But I did not mind. My objective was to write as many stories as I could to build up a portfolio to bargain for a full-time contract and absorb as much as I could. I wanted to join the league of experienced reporters as soon as possible.
That internship was over soon but the good news was that I secured a contract. I was still assigned the jobs senior reporters would not touch, however.
A story that spans 120 years: the history of the South China Morning Post
A story that spans 120 years: the history of the South China Morning Post
This turned out to be a blessing in disguise. It sowed the seeds of my news sense. And increasing competition and the Post’s expansion overseas in recent years means the newsroom operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
My passion for journalism has kept me at the Post and I have grown with the newspaper which today celebrates its 120th anniversary.
The Post is still dedicated to journalism, 120 years later
The Post is still dedicated to journalism, 120 years later
The ways of reporting each crisis varied, but common factors were teamwork and professionalism to give readers the truth and the facts. While exciting and intimidating, the work required setting aside all emotions for impartial reporting.
Why the South China Morning Post is one great melting pot
Why the South China Morning Post is one great melting pot
But I have decided to stay. Wherever I go, I will not stop reading Hong Kong news. I love Hong Kong, my home, so much.
Staying is not easy – first one must brace for ongoing political, economic and technological challenges. In terms of technology, for example, I would not have foreseen more than 20 years ago that today I would use a handset to film a video clip at a crime scene and add it to an article to tell a better story about a gruesome murder case.
Delivering live coverage of news was also unimaginable decades ago without the help of technology. Breaking stories has become a daily routine, which I, as an news editor, enjoy by working closely with reporters.
Journalism in Hong Kong has been on a roller coaster. My career has come a long way, from writing business news and analysis in an elegant setting to rolling up my sleeves to cover breaking crime stories.
I hope the industry will continue to keep the light on.
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