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Straits Times
19 minutes ago
- Entertainment
- Straits Times
The Fantastic Four: A legacy of first steps
SINGAPORE – The First Family of comics finally arrives in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) with The Fantastic Four: First Steps, which opens in Singapore cinemas on July 24. The Straits Times' executive artist Billy Ker and correspondent Yamini Chinnuswamy venture into the many 'firsts' of this ground-breaking superhero team. First Marvel superhero team Legendary American comic book creators Jack Kirby and Stan Lee introduced scientist Reed Richards (Mister Fantastic), pilot Ben Grimm (The Thing) and siblings Sue and Johnny Storm (Invisible Woman and Human Torch) in Fantastic Four #1, published in 1961. The Avengers and X-Men followed in 1963. First superhero family ST ILLUSTRATION: BILLY KER The Fantastic Four are not just a team, but also a family with strong interpersonal dynamics: Reed and Sue: romantic partners Sue and Johnny: siblings Reed and Ben: best friends from college Johnny and Ben: antagonistic bros Reed and Johnny: surrogate father and son Ben and Sue: protective friendship First superheroes with extraterrestrial powers ST ILLUSTRATION: BILLY KER The Fantastic Four were the first superheroes to gain their powers directly from a cosmic event, during an experimental space mission gone wrong. Mysterious cosmic rays penetrated their spacecraft's shield, but instead of killing them, the radiation bestowed them with superpowers: extreme elasticity (Mister Fantastic), invisibility and force field generation (Invisible Woman), rock-like body armour (The Thing) and pyrokinesis (Human Torch). First Marvel wedding The wedding between Reed and Sue, portrayed in Fantastic Four Annual #3 in 1965, is considered to be the first to appear in Marvel comics. Nearly every major Marvel hero of the time pops up in that comic – the Avengers, X-Men and Spider-Man, to name a few. First introduction to the Marvel Cosmic Universe The Fantastic Four were the first Marvel property to introduce the 'cosmic universe' within the wider world of the comic book line. Seeds were planted with their space-based origin story, before expanding into full galactic mythology with the introduction of Galactus and the Silver Surfer in Fantastic Four #48 (1966). First unreleased Marvel movie In 1994, a low-budget film titled The Fantastic Four was completed on a shoestring budget of about US$1 million. It was allegedly never intended for public release. Instead, it was produced primarily to help German film producer Bernd Eichinger retain the film rights to the First Family, which he had optioned from Marvel in 1986. The rights eventually went to American movie studio 20th Century Fox, which was later bought by The Walt Disney Company in 2019. First MCU film taking place in another universe ST ILLUSTRATION: BILLY KER The Fantastic Four: First Steps is reportedly the first film in the MCU to be set primarily on Earth-828, rather than the franchise's main continuity of Earth-616, where the preceding 36 MCU films have taken place. First Marvel radio special Debuting in 1975, The Fantastic Four Radio Series was a dramatic adaptation of early storylines from the eponymous comic book series. The 13-episode production featured narration by Marvel icon Stan Lee and voice work by American actor Bill Murray. First superhero team to inspire an animated movie franchise ST ILLUSTRATION: BILLY KER The concept behind Pixar's hit film The Incredibles (2004) and its sequel The Incredibles 2 (2018) is an unofficial homage to The Fantastic Four. The Incredibles movies are also about a superpowered family whose members have super-strength, pyrokinesis, hyper-elasticity, invisibility and force field generation. First appearances ST ILLUSTRATION: BILLY KER The Fantastic Four comics introduced multiple Marvel heroes and villains who would later play big and small roles in both the comics and the MCU. Here are some of them. Franklin Richards: Marvel's first superhero baby and the son of Reed and Sue. He will appear in First Steps. Black Panther: The heroic king of the fictional African country of Wakanda. He was played by late American actor Chadwick Boseman in the MCU movies. Kang The Conqueror: A time-travelling megalomaniac. He was last seen in Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania (2023) and was played by American actor Jonathan Majors. Doctor Doom: A sorcerer-scientist and ruler of the fictional nation of Latveria. One of Marvel's most enduring villains, he is slated to appear in Avengers: Doomsday (2026) and will be played by Iron Man (2008 to 2013) actor Robert Downey Jr. Honorary Fantastic Four members ST ILLUSTRATION: BILLY KER The Fantastic Four's 'core four' will always be family, but the team's roster has seen personnel rotations over the years. Here are some of the quirkiest.
Straits Times
19 hours ago
- Lifestyle
- Straits Times
ST Headstart: Matcha making and mindful living
Welcome to the latest edition of ST Headstart, bringing you the best of The Straits Times' career, personal finance and lifestyle coverage every Tuesday noon. Sign up here to get weekly tips right into your inbox. Hello again. The hot leaf juice known as matcha is one of the core pillars of millennial civilisation, and I'm only half joking. In the latest Young and Savvy column, my colleague Sharon Salim relates her effort in brewing the tea to the world we live in now. It's a soul-nourishing read for these unsettling times. On the career front, if you struggle with putting off tasks you need to complete, the latest Headstart On Record podcast might help. In it, I speak to a researcher who studies how people work. She lays out the psychological quirks we bring to work, especially why we procrastinate and how to tackle it. A young prison visit centre officer also takes us through the ups and downs of her job in the second instalment of our new series On The Job. These officers hold a sense of quiet purpose in themselves as they make each visit meaningful within prison rules. Scroll on for more stories chosen just for you and have a great day ahead!
Straits Times
14-07-2025
- General
- Straits Times
In moments of crisis, ST has stepped up to support, not just report
On Oct 12, 1978, an explosion on the Greek tanker Spyros at Jurong Shipyard killed 76 and injured 69 others. It was Singapore's worst post-war industrial disaster. On the afternoon of Oct 12, 1978, a thunderous blast tore through Jurong Shipyard. An explosion had occurred on board the Greek tanker Spyros, unleashing an inferno that would claim 76 lives and injure 69 others. Ambulances and helicopters ferried the severely burnt victims to Singapore General Hospital and Alexandra Hospital as police hearses moved in. It was Singapore's worst post-war industrial disaster. The Straits Times' reporters covering the accident bore witness not only to the horror but also the outpouring of compassion from Singaporeans. Amid the shock and despair, people flocked to the hospitals to donate blood. Various organisations set up relief funds, hawkers emptied their tills, unions and businesses wrote big cheques and even schoolchildren organised collections for families of affected classmates. SBS employees taking part in a fund-raising drive for victims of the Spyros and other industrial accidents in November 1978. The Straits Times donated $100,000 to the Singapore Labour Foundation's Special Relief Fund for the Spyros victims. ST PHOTO: YOW YUN WOH Any thought that Singaporeans might be an uncaring lot was convincingly shattered by the hundreds who showed up at hospitals to give blood for the victims, noted an article in the Oct 14, 1978, edition of The Straits Times. Within two weeks, nearly $4 million had been raised for the Spyros victims and their families. The Straits Times also donated $100,000 to the Singapore Labour Foundation's Special Relief Fund for the victims. Nationwide, there was much concern and anger over safety standards at the shipyards. In a statement, Mr Lyn Holloway, then managing director of The Straits Times Press, shared the company's sentiments when he said: 'Industrial safety must be of prime concern to everyone engaged in industry and regulations must not only be adhered to but should also be enforced to ensure Singapore does not have a repetition of what has taken place.' The Straits Times' reporters covering the Spyros accident in October 1978 bore witness not only to the horror but also the outpouring of compassion from Singaporeans. PHOTO: ST FILE The newspaper has had a long history of lending its reach and platform to those in need in the community. The earliest known efforts date back to the first half of the 20th century, a period dominated by the two world wars and the Great Depression. When World War I broke out in 1914, the paper's British editor, Mr Alexander William Still, led its efforts to raise money and recruit volunteers for forces overseas. Singapore, then part of British Malaya, had joined the Allied war effort, fielding a Malayan contingent of several thousand soldiers. An article dated Nov 24, 1914, documents the paper's efforts to support the Malayan contingent being sent to England to join the war: 'We have been able to supply warm clothing to several men, and have put parcels on board for others who may join the ships. 'We have sent a big stock of cigars, cigarettes, tobacco, chocolate, biscuits, tinned fruit and other comforts, and we have entrusted… in each case a substantial sum of money to meet expenses en route and to help men who would otherwise land practically penniless.' These endeavours continued after the war in different ways. During the Great Depression, when many lost their livelihoods and more, the paper provided free advertising space for those seeking employment. One report estimates that Singapore's gross domestic product fell by half between 1929 and 1932. Historian C.M. Turnbull notes in her 1995 book, Dateline Singapore: 150 Years Of The Straits Times, that the paper created a 'Victims of the slump' column in 1930, which grew longer over the next couple of years as people such as planters, miners and commercial assistants became more desperate for work. In the early years of World War II, The Straits Times set up a war fund, which raised over $6 million by 1941 to support the Allied powers in the war. Small and substantial contributions were regularly reported, even as the paper did its part to remind people to stay calm and follow orders. All charitable efforts came to an end, of course, during the Japanese Occupation between 1942 and 1945 when The Straits Times ceased publication and was replaced by a Japanese-controlled English-language paper, The Syonan Times, later renamed The Syonan Shimbun. In 1960, The Straits Times set up a Cheer Fund to support a 600-strong Malayan Special Force sent to the Congo, which was experiencing political upheaval and violence after gaining independence from Belgium. The period after Singapore's independence in 1965 came with its challenges, including social unrest. In 1969, the Straits Times Group set up a National Relief Fund for the victims of racial riots that had broken out in Kuala Lumpur and elsewhere in Malaysia. By mid-May, the fund had raised nearly $600,000 for the victims. Fast forward to 1990. As Singapore's economy grew rapidly and the country prepared to mark its 25th anniversary, the needs of the less well-off became increasingly an issue of concern. A national 25th Anniversary Charity Fund was set up to raise $50 million for Singaporeans in need. The Straits Times signed up to raise funds with its own Spirit of Singapore Appeal, in which it set up a dedicated phone line to receive phone-in pledges. Journalists were also sent to visit schools, offices and other organisations to raise awareness and support. By the end of the year, the charity fund had crossed the $68 million mark, with the Government matching pledges dollar for dollar. Of this, more than $1.4 million had been pledged through the phone calls made to The Straits Times. Mr S. Chandra Das, chairman of the 25th Anniversary Charity Fund Committee, commended the news organisation for its efforts. A Spirit of Singapore appeal asking readers to phone in their pledges, big or small, through The Straits Times' Newsline. This was published on Feb 15, 1990. PHOTO: ST FILE Caring for community Over the years, readers have often called in with offers of help in response to stories that moved them. Collections would then be taken. In March 1991, for instance, The Straits Times published a story about an ice cream seller whose heart and kidneys were donated by his family after his untimely death from a brain haemorrhage. Mr Chionh Chai Lum left a wife, who was a part-time cleaner, and two teenage sons. Their savings amounted to $1,000. In response to a flood of calls, the paper set up the Chionh Fund, which raised $160,000 for the family within days. An article dated March 12, 1991, noted: 'Singaporeans have not only demonstrated resoundingly that they do care for their less fortunate fellow citizens – but that they care a lot, too. And because of their big hearts, The Straits Times is able to wrap up the Chionh Fund a week ahead of schedule.' But the paper's support also sparked some questions on how far it should champion causes for individuals. By the end of the decade, the editors had decided to play a bigger role in meeting the needs of the community through charitable efforts. An article on Sept 21, 2000, noted that while the newspaper had done its social duty quietly before, its editor, Mr Leslie Fong, had decided the time had come for it to take a higher profile. The Straits Times Million Dollar Duck Race 2000 was announced to raise money for Touch Community Services, a not-for-profit organisation. 'We all have to do a little bit more. Everyone in ST should feel the need to make himself a useful member of Singapore and the civil society we all say we want,' Mr Fong said. 'We cannot just stand on the sidelines and comment. We should set an example.' The Straits Times' first Million Dollar Duck Race, held at the Singapore River on Nov 12, 2000, raised more than $1 million for charity. ST PHOTO: ALBERT SIM A total of 100,000 rubber ducks were available for 'adoption' by members of the public at $10 each. On a breezy Sunday morning on Nov 12, 2000, they then 'raced' on the Singapore River. The winner – physical education teacher Abdul Razak – got a $10,000 cash prize. The Singapore race was heralded as the Best International Duck Race of the Year, smashing the world record for the most number of ducks 'adopted' in a single race. The charity drive raised more than $1 million. In 2001 when another duck race was held, another $1 million was raised. School pocket money fund Amid the continuing national conversation about the widening wealth gap in Singapore, Straits Times journalist Braema Mathi wrote a special report on Dec 6, 1998, on the plight of children from struggling families. The report headlined 'The comeback kids' told the stories of a 12-year-old girl from a broken home, another 12-year-old girl whose family had to get by on $700 a month after her father was bedridden with a stroke, a 15-year-old boy who was his family's sole breadwinner, and an 11-year-old boy who had been picked up by the authorities for begging. The stories weren't just widely read but also provoked an outpouring of support from readers. Ms Mathi recalls readers calling in, asking to donate money. As the numbers increased, she realised that the paper had to find a way to handle the contributions and disburse the funds. Initially, four individual trusts were set up for the children featured which were co-managed by their schools. But a wider discussion was also taking place about the plight of other similar children, amid a public desire to help. Ms Mathi mooted the idea of a fund to provide money for underprivileged children. It won widespread support from the newsroom. On Oct 1, 2000, The Straits Times School Pocket Money Fund (STSPMF) was launched to help with the recess meals and transport expenses of underprivileged students. 'The way people were wanting to give, it was exhilarating and also overwhelming,' says Ms Mathi, 66, who was with the paper for about nine years and was a Nominated MP from 2001 to 2004. Ten-year-old Farah, the poster girl for The Straits Times School Pocket Money Fund when it was launched, in an Oct 2, 2000, article on the fund. PHOTO: ST FILE The fund has helped students, especially during economic downturns and crises. When the severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) hit in 2003, more than 10,000 students received aid from the fund, almost three times the number it had helped in the first year of its operation. The year 2009 was also challenging with the global financial crisis. Companies slashed their charity budgets as the economic slump impacted their businesses. But the fund persisted with its efforts to raise contributions. Mr Han Fook Kwang, then editor of The Straits Times, wrote in the fund's 10th-anniversary book: 'We are only the facilitator and organiser of this effort. The real heroes are the thousands of Singaporeans who have stepped forward with their donations and who have volunteered their services. They have made this fund-raising project – now in its 10th year – one of the most successful in Singapore.' In a report to mark The Straits Times' 175th anniversary , then editor Warren Fernandez, noted: 'We started with a simple mission. We wanted kids not to go hungry in school so they could concentrate on their studies, and not fall behind. We have stayed true to that over the years, raising the amounts we give to each child, and also extending our reach to more and more children and families in need.' As at July 2025, STSPMF has helped more than 220,000 children and youth and disbursed more than $100 million. Students come from families whose per capita gross monthly household income does not exceed $750. The charity now operates through a network of more than 300 schools, 60 social service agencies as well as thousands of generous corporate and individual donors and fund-raisers, to support 10,000 children a year. Its biggest fund-raising event is the annual ChildAid concert. Since its inception in 2005, the event has raised $33 million for the pocket money fund as well as The Business Times Budding Artists Fund, which helps artistically talented youth showcase their talents. ChildAid 2024, held at the Esplanade on Nov 29, 2024 , featured more than 80 young talents, including visually impaired singer Nur Anisah Daaniys Sufian, 12. In the fund's 2023 annual report, Straits Times editor Jaime Ho, who took over the chairmanship of the fund in 2023, said: 'We need to look out for the less privileged amongst us. The national Forward Singapore agenda seeks to refresh our social compact for the road ahead, such as having individuals and community organisations care for those in need. Visually impaired singer Nur Anisah Daaniys Sufian, 12, at ChildAid 2024. Since 2005, the event has raised $33 million for The Straits Times School Pocket Money Fund and The Business Times Budding Artists Fund. ST PHOTO: JASON QUAH 'The fund's mission – to reach out to every child in need and provide them with the resources to do well in school and beyond – is even more relevant now. No child should be deprived of an opportunity for a more positive future.' Student Emmanuel Thevanesan K. 17, whose parents suffer from illness and mobility issues, says the fund has helped his family with necessities. Student Ray Koh, 17, whose mother is the sole breadwinner of the family, says the support from the fund means he doesn't have to ask his mum for pocket money. It has also changed his impression of what a news organisation is all about. 'At first, I thought that The Straits Times was just another news source that reports local and foreign affairs. However, after hearing that the fund was started by journalists, it completely changed my view,' he says. 'I never knew that we had such caring communities out there.'
Straits Times
14-07-2025
- Business
- Straits Times
‘We now start each day looking at data'
Ms Ong Hwee Hwee, who oversees ST's visualisation cluster, says it is about 'going back to good old basics: Know who you are writing for – but with more than gut feel to rely on'. Ong Hwee Hwee, 49 Portrait Ms Ong Hwee Hwee joined The Straits Times in 1999 as a translator. Over the years, she took on editing roles at the foreign and Singapore desks, as well as an overseas posting as the paper's Taiwan correspondent from 2005 to 2008. In 2014, she made the leap from print to digital journalism, at a time when the media industry was undergoing a transformation from print to online. She was the digital editor from 2016 to 2023, and also led The Straits Times' audience growth strategy. In this capacity, Ms Ong was involved in the online coverage of major news events, from the death of Singapore's founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew in 2015, to the Covid-19 pandemic, and Singapore's general elections. Ms Ong, 49, now oversees the visualisation cluster, comprising the digital graphics, video, photo and art desks, as well as the product and tech teams who build and develop The Straits Times' website and apps. Recollections 'It was March 23, 2015, just after 4am. I was woken up by a call from my editor, who said: 'He has passed; let's get down to work.' Within minutes, I was in the next room sitting in front of my laptop, which had been left switched on so I could start work quickly. My colleagues were up and working from home too, and we were communicating online. I was then working at The Straits Times' digital desk, which was responsible for putting out breaking news. We were on the alert after Singapore's founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew was hospitalised for severe pneumonia on Feb 5. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore HSA intensifies crackdown on vapes; young suspected Kpod peddlers nabbed in Bishan, Yishun Singapore Man charged over distributing nearly 3 tonnes of vapes in one day in Bishan, Ubi Avenue 3 Singapore Public healthcare institutions to record all Kpod cases, confiscate vapes: MOH, HSA Singapore Man allegedly attacks woman with knife at Kallang Wave Mall, to be charged with attempted murder Singapore Singapore boosts support for Timor-Leste as it prepares to join Asean Singapore UN aviation and maritime agencies pledge to collaborate to boost safety, tackle challenges Singapore High Court dismisses appeal of drink driver who killed one after treating Tampines road like racetrack Singapore 18 years' jail for woman who hacked adoptive father to death after tussle over Sengkang flat The official announcement of Mr Lee's passing came at 4.07am. By 4.21am, we had published the news and sent out the news alert. In the hours that followed, there was a live stream which showed then Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announcing the death of his father: 'The first of our founding fathers is no more.' Condolences and tributes poured in, and we put up a microsite in remembrance of the late Mr Lee. In the week that followed, a live blog captured the outpouring of grief and gratitude, as Singaporeans lined up in the sun for hours to pay their last respects, and stood in the rain to bid a final farewell to Mr Lee during the funeral procession. It was an emotional week for Singaporeans. For us in the newsroom, it was also one of the biggest moments in the early days of our digital journey. Through live blogs, videos, almost round-the-clock updates and also an e-book, Lee Kuan Yew: The Final Journey, we captured the mood of a country in mourning, and the life of a great man who built an unlikely nation. In particular, our live blogging of the week-long mourning period was something that readers followed day after day. Till this day, I remember blogging and reading the heart-warming anecdotes and poignant moments of volunteers distributing food and drinks, or people looking out for one another as they stood in quiet solidarity. Live blogging was just one of many new things we explored in the course of our digital transformation. We tried marrying storytelling with new technology, with augmented reality, virtual reality (VR) and generative artificial intelligence being the latest. One memorable project for me was using VR to visualise the Merlion statue being submerged by rising sea levels to highlight the threat of climate change. We challenged ourselves to tell an 800-word story in a two -minute video. We crunched numbers into graphics that users could share with others on social media. But the most significant change for me has been in the way we inform and interact with our audiences. We now start each day looking at data to understand what resonates with them. It's about going back to good old basics: Know who you are writing for – but with more than gut feel to rely on.'
Straits Times
14-07-2025
- Straits Times
Pressing on
Celebrating The Straits Times' legacy while embracing change will keep us relevant. Yishun Innova Junior College students taking part in the What's The News? quiz competition – organised by ST as part of its 180th anniversary outreach – at Our Tampines Hub on May 21. I was youngish once, and back in 2003 when I was 39, an editor asked me to write a paper on how The Straits Times could attract young readers in a new mobile age. At the time, I was the editor of Life!, the section that covered arts, entertainment and lifestyle topics like fashion and food. It drew a younger readership. That September, I had attended a conference in Helsinki organised by the World Association of Newspapers. The theme: attracting and retaining young readers. Some presentations stood out. The Toronto Star in Canada had launched a free weekly tabloid for tweens, and El Mundo in Spain had one for teens. A French company created four tabloids for children aged five to 14, designed to be read in 10 minutes. But the most memorable idea came from Finland's Helsingin Sanomat. Every Sunday to Thursday, eight students came to the newsroom to help produce one page in the paper. They worked in a glass atrium lobby in full public view, wore cool T-shirts and used what I described in my report as 'nice PCs'. 'There's a piano,' I wrote, 'and on the day I was there, one student took time out to play the piano while another played the violin.' (I still have that report). The media industry in 2003 had already seen major upheavals, the impact of which – looking back from 2025 – we in the traditional newspaper world didn't fully grasp, or didn't want to. Many ideas at the conference were distinctly print-centric. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore HSA intensifies crackdown on vapes; young suspected Kpod peddlers nabbed in Bishan, Yishun Singapore Man charged over distributing nearly 3 tonnes of vapes in one day in Bishan, Ubi Avenue 3 Singapore Public healthcare institutions to record all Kpod cases, confiscate vapes: MOH, HSA Singapore Man allegedly attacks woman with knife at Kallang Wave Mall, to be charged with attempted murder Singapore Singapore boosts support for Timor-Leste as it prepares to join Asean Singapore UN aviation and maritime agencies pledge to collaborate to boost safety, tackle challenges Singapore High Court dismisses appeal of drink driver who killed one after treating Tampines road like racetrack Singapore 18 years' jail for woman who hacked adoptive father to death after tussle over Sengkang flat Still, even though we didn't know then what a digital future would look like, we didn't want to be left behind by technology. By the mid-1990s, the internet was truly upon us and newspapers around the world rushed to set up websites. The Straits Times Interactive launched in 1995. For years after that, management time was spent wrestling with a key question: Should we charge for online content, or give it for free? If free, would print sales plunge? But if we charged, how could we compete with titles without paywalls? At the heart of the dilemma was revenue. Print advertisements brought in far more money than digital ones. So, for a long time, the major concern was how to grow digitally without pulling too many readers from print. The edict 'don't cannibalise print' became muscle memory for many of us. At the turn of the century, with 24-hour cable news and growing demand for visuals, newspapers also tried building broadcast arms. Reporters were told to become 'amphibious', equally adept at writing a story and presenting it on camera. I was even roped in to host a TV show, World Life, for a thankfully short few months. The broadcast experiment was short-lived. TV production was costly and complex. Singapore Press Holdings' (SPH) foray lasted four years, ending in 2004. But video didn't die. It evolved. With the rise of the internet, smartphones, YouTube and social media, video returned in nimbler forms – shot on phones, made quickly for online viewers with short attention spans, and far more forgiving about production and delivery. Around that time came another trend: free commuter sheets packed with short stories and ads. The idea was to meet young, urban readers where they were – on the move, at train stations. So from SPH came Streats (2000 to 2004) and the English-Chinese My Paper (2006 to 2016). Hard to imagine now, but people still read newspapers on their commutes in those days. By 2003, when I wrote that paper on young readers, mobile technology was already changing habits, though the smartphone revolution was still four years away. (The iPhone was launched in 2007.) 'Today, the biggest challenge/threat/buzzword is mobile technology – SMS, MMS, wireless terminals, PDAs,' my report said. 'Like newspapers, mobile phones and other wireless devices allow you to get news headlines and other information. But unlike newspapers, they also give you access to the Net, games, music, messages, corporate data and also serve as diaries, all 24/7.' I added, not without frustration: 'The Young Reader is a most difficult customer to please. He has a very short attention span, is fickle in his taste and lacks loyalty... He can devote hours playing Counter-Strike on his PC and Snake on his Nokia phone, but it would kill him to spend five minutes reading a newspaper. What's wrong with him?' Courting the young I joined The Straits Times in 1985 and for as long as I can remember, the paper has grappled with attracting younger readers. This was not just to grow our audience but to ensure that each new generation sees independent, credible journalism as part of their daily lives. By 2003, we had tried many things: a school holiday programme where children could join activities organised by the paper (in 2000, they got to see Jackie Chan at a screening of Shanghai Noon), education-themed pages, 'Gen Y' pages, school media clubs and a Life! This Weekend section. The re-invention hasn't stopped. We have since launched student publications, upgraded our website, launched mobile apps, produced streaming videos, hosted live blogs, built interactive graphics and produced podcasts. We have explored new storytelling formats to engage on-the-go digital natives. We embraced social media early on, from Facebook to Instagram to TikTok. We have deepened our community outreach, all the while staying focused on journalism and being a credible source of regional and international news. Actor Jackie Chan at GV Grand in 2000. Children got to see the Hong Kong star at a screening of Shanghai Noon through a school holiday programme where they could join activities organised by The Straits Times. ST PHOTO: STEPHANIE YEOW But media habits shift constantly, and the competition for attention is relentless. A brand that isn't constantly building new relationships – not only with the young but also with readers of all ages embracing technology – risks losing its place. There's a lesson in the 2003 report I wrote. The most compelling speaker at the Helsinki conference wasn't from a paper but from Nokia. The Finnish phone-maker then had 420 million users, 300 million of whom played Snake. Addressing the newspaper audience, the top executive from Nokia warned: Any information that could be digitised would be digitised. New media – from e-mail to digital cameras and even TV – will 'have mobility'. Some industries have embraced 'e-technology', but newspapers were resistant. To survive, we must go mobile. The irony? Nokia itself missed the mobile internet revolution. When Apple launched the iPhone in 2007 and Google followed with Android, Nokia was stuck with an outdated operating system. Its 2011 partnership with Microsoft couldn't turn things around. It sold its mobile phone division to Microsoft in 2014 . Microsoft later exited the space entirely. It is a cautionary tale. For a long time, the major concern was how to grow digitally without pulling too many readers from print. ST ILLUSTRATION: MANNY FRANCISCO The Straits Times turns 180 this year. This legacy anchors us and reminds us that we are part of a long, meaningful and continuing story. Others came before us, and we are just one chapter, holding the baton before passing it on. But heritage alone isn't enough. The Nokia story reminds us that past success is no defence against being overtaken by change. Of course, we're in a different space. Nokia was primarily a hardware maker caught off guard by a software revolution. The Straits Times is more than a platform. We are a brand with purpose and identity, built on trusted journalism and a deep understanding of Singapore's evolving story. Whether in print, online, on video, podcast or social media post, we tell stories that reflect the heart and soul of Singapore. This is what keeps us relevant. The ability to keep listening, adapting and building trust with our readers is what will help us continue evolving – and remaining a part of your lives for years to come.
