The story I chose was titled “Operation Kill”. It occurred in Manila, Philippines on October 11th 2017. It presents the brutal execution of three men by the Philippine police anti-drug unit. The executions were done as part of an anti-drug operation and disguised as an act of self-defense by the police unit. However, camera footage caught the entire occurrence and showed that these men were unarmed but were still murdered by these operatives.

I chose the story as it caught my attention through its use of camera footage which managed to record the entire operation in action. The idea of such inhumane killings made me intrigued as to why the police had such audacity to take another person’s right to life. The story engages me on a personal level, as I am not just watching a re-enactment but the real incident itself. I feel a sense of disgust and anger towards the senseless killings that were done by the operatives and even backed up by the state.

Moreover, the story presents itself in a timeline format and the short videos, taken from camera footage, are accompanied by a short description of the whole incident. The timeline gives a step-by-step replay of how the police started by clearing the area from potential witnesses and then executing the ‘armed criminals’.

The story has the characteristic of interactivity, as it expands while the reader scrolls through the story. The story starts off with showing images of the police officers involved. It then moves on to showing a map of the neighborhood, Barangay 19, where the shooting took place. From there, it shows the layout of the location and where the cameras were placed. As I scroll through, the story unfolds and debunks the cover story claimed by the authorities of a ‘shoot-out’. The use of multimedia is shown through the various videos placed throughout the story to present the scenario.

2 months before the incident, on August 16th 2017, 17 year old Kian Loyd delos Santos was brutally tortured then shot by 3 police officers who claimed that he opened fire on them. The incident is the first case since the start of the anti-campaigns where police officers were arrested and charged for the murder. Based on an article by The Guardian taken in December 2018, the Philippines drug enforcement agency claimed that the police had only taken 5050 lives since the start of the drug war. However, human rights groups and campaigners for the victims put the death toll at around 12,000 to 20,000. The additional undocumented killings were supposedly committed by “death squads” and unofficial militias under the orders of the Philippine government.

Singapore Airlines to reveal longest commercial flight in the world.

Singapore airlines will launch a flight with a travelling time of about 19 hours, making it the longest commercial flight globally.

The first flight will commence on 11 October 2018 and travel from Singapore to Newark Liberty Airport in New York. Singapore Airlines acquired a new Airbus model, A350-900ULR, meant for ultra-long-range flights on 22 September 2018. This aircraft model will be used for the current route between New York and Singapore, as well as a future route planned from Singapore to Los Angeles. The aircraft will only offer 2 classes, Business and Premium economy.

ITAS canteens, Flavours, to replace management and will be temporarily closed.

On 31 May 2019, ITAS canteen, Flavours, closed its doors as the management team in charge was changed. Mr Ang, owner of Snack and Pastries, cited declining sales as a reason why “the management does not want to renew” its tenancy. As a result of this replacement, all staff, including cleaners and stall owners, will be replaced as well. Many of them felt resigned to their fate and stated that their only future plan was to “just work elsewhere”.

Students from ITAS were also upset, although they were still quite understanding about the change. Sabrina, a Muslim student taking the Diploma of Pharmaceutical Science, stated that “if [Temasek Polytechnic] thinks it is for the better than it is okay”. However, she still felt reluctant and worried about the change, as she mentioned that Flavours was “one of [the canteens with the most] halal stores”. 

• Who?

Neo Gim Huah

• What?

Arrested and sentenced to three weeks in jail

• When?

His court proceedings occurred on May 23,2017

• Where?

State court

• How?

On April 11, 2017 , Neo Gim Huah slapped Amos Yee ,who had been walking towards the State Court for a hearing.

• Why?

He had decided to take matters into his own hands and teach Yee a lesson.

I feel that ‘why’ and ‘what’ is the most important as it provides the reason for Neo Gim Huah’s arrest and the consequences of trying to take justice into your own hands.

The story is newsworthy as it happened in Singapore and hence, fulfils the criteria of Proximity. Furthermore, Amos Yee is an infamous teen blogger who was despised by most of Singapore for his degrading and insensitive comments on the late Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew. As such, the story also fulfils the criteria of Eminence and Prominence. Another news criteria that the story displays is Action. Neo Gim Huah had publicly and intentionally harmed Amos Yee so as to “teach him a lesson”.

Neo Gim Huah had intentionally slapped Amos Yee as the latter was making his way towards the State court for his hearing. He had done so in front of journalists and the public, so that “the incident would gain maximum publicity” as stated by District Judge Ronald Gwee. The clips and photos taken were then spread on social media and gained a lot of attention.

The story is prominent as it informs the public that justice is best served by the court and that they should avoid taking justice into their own hands. Regardless of whether an infamous person like Amos Yee deserved it or not, harming someone intentionally would warrant a punishment. This information is important to act as it acts as a deterrence against people trying to serve their own brand of justice.

Press release by Singapore Airlines

The angle that I have chosen to pursue would be “Singapore Airlines to reveal longest commercial flight in the world.” This story is newsworthy because it involves Singapore, hence fulfilling the criteria of Proximity. This news story would interest frequent fliers who may have to travel between New York and Singapore. The story is also interesting as it shows the development of flight technology and how the plane is able travel a long distance from Singapore to America.

The ‘who’ of the story would be Singapore Airlines (SIA) and ‘where’ is Singapore. The article shows that on 11 October 2018 (When), SIA will launch a new commercial flight between Singapore and Newark Liberty Airport in New York. (What) This flight has a travelling time of about 19 hours, which makes it the longest commercial flight in the world. (Why). Singapore Airlines will be using the A350-900ULR that they acquired from Airbus. The new airbus has only two classes offered, Business and Premium Economy. (How)

I would prioritize “Why” because it is essentially the angle that I have chosen and shows what makes the flight the longest one in the world.

Other information that I would require would be the pricing of the flight and previous plane models that SIA has bought from, as well as flight routes that SIA currently operate.

Questions that I would ask Frequent Fliers and potential passengers include “Would you take this flight? Why?” and “What do you think about the flight?”. I would also like to ask company representatives, “Why did the company launch this flight?” and “Do you foresee any potential problems that may stem from the flight?”

Executive summary by Select Committee

The angle that I have chosen to pursue for this story would be “The consequences of online falsehood and countermeasures that can be taken.” This story is newsworthy due to increasing occurrences of online falsehoods globally. This story fulfills the criteria of Consequences and Impact as it shows the consequences of spreading online falsehood or fake news and the impacts of such false information on the world. The public has to be informed of such information as it is important for them to know what they can do to stop the spread of such falsehoods.

The ‘who’ of the article would be the Select committee and the ‘where’ would be Singapore. The article is a report on online falsehoods and its spread in the world as well as its impacts on Singapore. (What) The report shows causes of online falsehoods and its impacts when such falsehoods are spread. (Why) It also presents solutions and action that can be taken to counter online falsehoods and its proliferation globally. (How) I find that ‘How’ is the most important as it shows what can be done by both individuals and the government in curbing the spread of online falsehoods.

Information that I require would be statistics on the growth of online falsehoods, studies on the topic done by local and international universities, as well as examples of online falsehoods.

Some questions I would ask government officials would be “is there a contingency plan in place for dealing with widespread falsehood?” and “does the government plan to improve on any current laws in place?’

I would also interview the public with questions like “have you accidentally spread fake news before? What was it about?” and “If not, have you heard of such incidents from others?”. I would also ask “How did you react after realizing your mistake?” and “Did you attempt to make a correction after realizing your mistake?”

Speech by Minister Ong Ye Kung

The angle that I have selected for this story would be “Universities to begin focusing on holistic development”. This story is newsworthy as it fulfills the criteria of Eminence and Prominence since the speaker is the Minister of Education in Singapore. The story also consists of Consequences and Impact as this speech shows what the education system is focusing on and will eventually shift towards.

The speaker is Ong Ye Kung, the Minister of Education (Who), and he was speaking at the Times Higher Education World Academic Summit 2018, held at National University of Singapore (Where) on September 26, 2018. (When) The speech was on the changing roles of universities. (What) The speech also states that the educational structure has to change to fit with changing work environments. (Why) The speech states that the way to do so would be through collaborations and holistic development of students.(How) I find that ‘why’ is the most important as it shows why changes must happen for universities and the education system.

Some other information required would be current changes in the university system and examples of holistic developments that are currently present in universities or can be incorporated into university systems.

I would like to interview industry partners who currently work with universities. Questions I would like to ask would be “What are your opinions on the speech?” and “How do you think this speech will affect you?”. I would also like to ask current and potential university students questions such as “How helpful do you think these changes will be?” and “How will this affect your education choice/ path?”