How I Became Young Journalist of the Year

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Shushan Lam was 24 when she joined Channel NewsAsia as a journalist and just 27 when she was recognised as Mediacorp’s Young Journalist of the Year—an award given to journalists under 30 for impressive or outstanding work. She tells LUCK-IT how she did it.

Q: When did you first start wanting to be a journalist, and why? What were the steps you took to move towards becoming one after you decided so?

A: It happened by chance. I missed business school by one point so I enrolled in the school of Media and Communications at RMIT in Melbourne. It was such a creative, hands-on and collaborative course, it just got me very excited about all things media. When I came back to Singapore, I was looking for a job and the digital team at CNA [Channel NewsAsia] was expanding—this was in 2014 when digital and social media was just on the cusp of exploding. I happened to be trained specifically in digital media, so it was the perfect match. They provided me with a platform to apply everything I had learnt, and it was fun working with them to push the boundaries of digital storytelling.

How did you get yourself a job as a journalist and what were your early days of being a journalist like? Did you think you would succeed as a journalist or did you have no idea what to expect?

So I got a job as a video journalist, producing short, human-interest, digestible type of video content. The early days were very experimental. In fact there was a bit of disillusion when I got the job and realised that we were part of a small team that didn’t have much weight in the company. But I believed in the digital platform, and social media sites like Facebook, Instagram and video-streaming sites like YouTube were really taking off.

Then the company really started pumping resources into growing their digital team. We went from a small scattered bunch of producers who shot and edited everything on our own with handheld DSLR cameras and a crappy laptop, to a full-fledged team of about 50 people within a few years. It was a wonderful experience—because everything was so experimental, no one really set frameworks to follow. We were setting our own rules and discovering new things as we went along, using all the social media tools like FB live, Insta live, we used social media to crowdsource our stories, and the engagement and response that the audience had with the stories on the digital platform were unlike anything that people have experienced in the TV realm.

How long did it take for you to go from being a newbie journalist to becoming Young Journalist of the Year? What was the process like? Did you have any big setbacks or wins along the way?

It was in my second year on the job that I received the award. I had no idea that I was in the running for Young Journo of the year—and I didn’t care much for it either. I just wanted to do what I loved and I guess it showed in my work.

Why do you think you were selected to receive the Young Journalist of the Year Award over others? Was there something you did in particular that your peers did not do?

What I was doing as a digital journalist was quite new and novel then. There are a lot of other people who can do what I do now, so to win Young Journo of the year based solely on being able to use a DSLR and editing software to tell a story may be a bit tougher now!

What did you routinely do in the years/months/weeks leading to you being selected for the Young Journalist of the Year award?

Work and work and work and seize all opportunities given to me. In my first week on the job, the QZ8501 AirAsia crash happened, and I was catapulted onto a navy ship in the middle of the stormy Java sea for ten days. Shortly after there was the Sabah earthquake, and then the 2015 Myanmar elections, and so on. On top of that we have to manage our weekly assignments. One of the stories that got me nominated was an investigative piece about the elderly poor in South Korea. I had to stake out at rubbish dumps in sub-zero weather to find people willing to talk. All this requires a certain amount of ‘drop everything and go get the story’, and I never said ‘no’. This was the point of the digital team—to have journalists that you can send out in a heartbeat with minimal equipment and to be able to come back with a good story.

After receiving the award, did your routine change in any way? If so, how?

No, routine didn’t change. But I guess I felt like I had a reputation to uphold, and I put a lot of pressure on myself, and that’s when the process became a little less enjoyable.

How did you spend your weekends before you received the Young Journalist of the Year award and after?

Before, I didn’t set such high standards for myself so my weekends were quite alright, non-work stuff. Would hang out with friends, watch a movie, recuperate and get inspired to do the next story. But after I won the award, I put a lot of pressure on myself to give more to the job. I was working weekends a lot—but most people on the team were too.

Can you map out a recommended path for people who want to receive the Young Journalist of the Year award to follow?

Don’t do it for the awards—that’s the worse advice to give. Do it because you want it, and because you love it. Before you do any story, it helps so much to have your heart in it. Don’t do it for the awards.

What are the key things/people/situations that enabled you to win the Young Journalist of the Year award, in your opinion? Who/What do you believe you never would have succeeded without?

Editors who recognise your work—they are the ones who will nominate you. You need to get your editors excited about your story. Your pitch is so important. That is why I say, before setting out on any story, it’s important that you know why YOU want to do the story. Not to win an award, but because it’s a great story to tell! I wouldn’t have succeeded without the guidance of my editors who managed to elevate the stories, who forced me to dig deeper, to question more. And also the editors who helped polish my skills in video-editing and filming.

If you could go back and replay your journalism career all over again, what would you do differently?

Would not have said ‘no’ to a Japan earthquake assignment. They wanted me to do live PTCs [pieces-to-camera—a journalism term used to refer to a person speaking directly to the audience through the camera] for TV on top of the digital work and I felt like I wasn’t able to handle that. But when I saw the reporter they sent on TV, I was full of regret for not taking up the job.

What were you like as a child? What about as a teenager and young adult? How did you change at every decade? Or did you not change

Friendly and curious, but actually a bit shy in crowds. Preferred having deep conversations with one person. Perhaps why journalism suits me.

Which major event in your life has made you who you are, in your opinion? Why do you think so?

My dad was a traveling businessman, so we travelled a lot when we were kids and met a lot of people from around the world. It made me realise that there are so many things out there in the world, and so many things you can do with your life. So I never wanted a desk job.

Which 3 objects/people in your life can you presently not live without and why?

My cat—she gives me comfort after a stressful day. Social media—depend on it for work, sometimes to get leads. My gym membership—exercise helps to balance my mood. Gives me a good appetite too.

Of all the objects you bought in the past year, which has most positively impacted your life? Why?

Gym membership. I’m a lot less grumpy when I get regular exercise—endorphins.

Shushan is presently a freelance video content producer who’s also busy getting married and figuring out her next moves. You can find her on Instagram @loulapod or ask her questions about journalism by dropping them into the comment box below.

The above interview is sponsored by:

Photographs courtesy and copyright of Shushan Lam. Interviewer: Sy
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