To Ma Huaqing, quality journalism is increasingly being regarded as an essential service, especially during a pandemic when the public needs accurate information.
As a digital platform specialist at zaobao.sg, Huaqing is a firm believer in remaining agile amid changing times. Fortunately, it did not take a disruptive pandemic to teach him adaptability. He acquired this crucial skill back in 2013 after clinching a journalism scholarship from SPH Media to study at the National University of Singapore.
Huaqing interned at various newsrooms in SPH Media’s Chinese Media Group — Lianhe Zaobao, Shin Min Daily News and zaobao.sg — and these stints helped him learn to be agile and adaptable.
“Gaining experience in various journalism formats (print, online and video), I learnt the importance of adapting well to changes,” he says. “I find that the saying ‘the only constant is change’ makes a lot of sense.”
3 memorable moments in Huaqing’s career
Covering the US-North Korea summit in Singapore in 2018 and interacting with media professionals from around the world
Being in charge of planning and coordinating the 2019 National Day pre-parade live show as co-producer for zaobao.sg
Joining the police and Central Narcotics Bureau on anti-vice and anti-drug raids when he was part of the Crime and Court Desk at Chinese Media Group NewsHub, and experiencing police training first-hand with the In-Situ Reaction Team
Working amid a pandemic
When the Covid-19 pandemic hit, Huaqing had to think on his feet to navigate work-related obstacles. His team had been working on a multimedia project titled 70 Years Of Waiting, which showcases the recovery of remains and artefacts from the Korean War, and includes interviews with bereaved family members.
Although filming and interviews were conducted by Huaqing in South Korea before the Covid-19 travel bans, production timelines coincided with the circuit breaker period in April. This meant that his team had to put together their project via remote communication — a task that proved challenging.
“My colleague, who is a video editor, did not understand Korean so it was difficult to explain where each video segment should start and end,” explains Huaqing.
Fortunately, Huaqing was fluent in Korean, having studied it at an advanced level in university. After identifying each section’s start and end point, he used his own video-editing software to obtain detailed time codes. This helped his colleague stitch together the various segments.
70 Years Of Waiting went on to clinch the Silver Award in the Best News Website or Mobile Service category at the Wan-Ifra Asian Digital Media Awards 2020, and was a finalist in the EPPY Awards 2020.
The critical relevance of journalism
For Huaqing, adaptability also means staying informed at a time when the journalist’s role is particularly crucial.
Quality journalism is increasingly being regarded as an essential service, with news website traffic growing exponentially since the pandemic began. The proliferation of fake news has made it more difficult for the public to access accurate information, which raises the need for reliable sources of news.
Huaqing says, “By covering new genres and constantly acquiring knowledge in various fields, I hope to contribute to quality journalism — especially in the post-Covid future.”
From uncovering an environmental misstep to the challenges of autism or mental health, Ang Qing, our SPH Media journalism scholar is ready to tackle any topic.
