“There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self.” - Ernest Hemingway
Well, there is definitely nothing remotely noble or courageous in the undertaking of NM4211 Online Journalism.
And yet, I cannot deny that the lessons and skills learnt in these past 13 weeks have not only given us the necessary training to pursue journalism as a full-time career, but have also made us better writers and, dare I say, better people.
For starters, the rigour and assessments in this course have drilled us in three of the most important factors in journalism: accuracy, brevity and clarity. Easy reading is damn hard writing — we get that now. Nevertheless, we approached every assignment with the aim to always do better than our previous attempt and meet our high personal standards for our writing.
More than good writing, however, I believe the fundamental hallmark of a good journalist is an undying passion and curiosity for people and their stories. It is in seeking out truths about our community and its people that we learn the most about ourselves — as students, as journalists and as people. These mini realisations are especially thanks to our sources, who have been undeniably helpful in allowing us a peek into their thoughts, no matter how brief.
That said, these valuable takeaways would not have been possible without the constant guidance of Aaron Ng, our tutor and mentor. His approachability and honest feedback have been essential in our learning process, and we are grateful for the opportunity to work with him.
We have come away from this module with better writing skills, a broader perspective of the NUS community, and a deeper appreciation for the human condition. It has been a great journey and we only hope our words have done your stories justice.
Cheers,
Grace Yeoh
(Executive Editor)
And yet, I cannot deny that the lessons and skills learnt in these past 13 weeks have not only given us the necessary training to pursue journalism as a full-time career, but have also made us better writers and, dare I say, better people.
For starters, the rigour and assessments in this course have drilled us in three of the most important factors in journalism: accuracy, brevity and clarity. Easy reading is damn hard writing — we get that now. Nevertheless, we approached every assignment with the aim to always do better than our previous attempt and meet our high personal standards for our writing.
More than good writing, however, I believe the fundamental hallmark of a good journalist is an undying passion and curiosity for people and their stories. It is in seeking out truths about our community and its people that we learn the most about ourselves — as students, as journalists and as people. These mini realisations are especially thanks to our sources, who have been undeniably helpful in allowing us a peek into their thoughts, no matter how brief.
That said, these valuable takeaways would not have been possible without the constant guidance of Aaron Ng, our tutor and mentor. His approachability and honest feedback have been essential in our learning process, and we are grateful for the opportunity to work with him.
We have come away from this module with better writing skills, a broader perspective of the NUS community, and a deeper appreciation for the human condition. It has been a great journey and we only hope our words have done your stories justice.
Cheers,
Grace Yeoh
(Executive Editor)