'Doing the same thing over and over is the worst outcome we can get to,' ST editor Jaime Ho

With 180 years under its belt, The Straits Times has its work cut out for the brand when it comes to reinvention of how news is told. ST’s audiences today have come across a myriad of new formats from podcasts to reels, as that the national newspaper embraces new ways of reaching audiences.

Editor Jaime Ho shares that this comes as the national daily reframes how one might think of journalism today. In his note on LinkedIn, Ho shared that “journalism can and must bring communities together”.

“It's a fundamental addition to the heavy responsibilities that we already bear as journalists. But we have no choice,” he said.

Don't miss: The Straits Times marks 180 with digital revamp and shift in news reporting

Much of the bringing communities together also lies in the ability to reach a wide demographic of audiences based on their user behaviour, and experimenting in new formats of storytelling – some of which might feel unfamiliar to those growing up with the brand.

This unfamiliarity, explains Ho, is something the team “grapples with every single day” but isn’t necessarily bad.

“ST is 180 years old. It is three times the age of Singapore. Newsroom cultures, newsroom sensibilities, our audience and our country's perceptions of us, I fully accept, are deeply entrenched, and that's a good thing,” he said.

He added, “We want to keep that perception of us intact and sound, but at the same time, our brands now exist in very separate and sometimes distinct audiences and ecosystems.”

Further elaborating on the point, Ho added that audience behaviour on web, app, print, podcast, Instagram, messenger channels are all distinctly different and that requires the brand to “unleash a little bit of creativity and a bit of accessibility and relatability”.

While there will always be a certain degree of baseline, the team will continue to test the sensibilities of different audiences, he added. "And yes, this might mean that some content fails to meet the mark but that’s just how experimentation goes."

If you're just doing the same thing over and over, then I think that's the worst outcome that we can get to.

While experimentation of content is one crucial aspect to finding success in new mediums, the second is probably being able to commercialise it. Ho acknowledges the balancing act required between engagement and commercialisation, but his eye remains on the overall impact to the community.

“I'll be honest the most important bottom line for us, for me, at least for the long term and the big picture, is truly the sense of public service that we have. That's the thing that is, you know, in an unfortunate way, unmeasurable. But we know what it is, and I think our audiences know what it is,” he added.

Netizen journalism existing with evolving newsrooms

Addressing the audience’s questions at PR Asia on speed versus accuracy, Ho shares that accuracy will always come first because journalism is in the business of credibility.

“When it comes to stories that originate from UGC, I'll admit it quite readily that the Straits Times may be half a step slower than others because we have that extra one or two steps of verification,’ he said. Misinformation, he adds is often a result of the need for speed.

Ho added that over time, as overall media literacy in population rises, audiences will come to appreciate a slightly longer wait for a fuller picture.

When asked if the content created by ST today also competes with those in content creation and netizen journalism, Ho says the two can coexist.

“I'm a firm believer that this is a free marketplace of ideas, and competition only makes us all better - whether or not we're competing directly. I think the only thing we are all competing against is time, and who is best able to make the value proposition for you out there to spend a little bit of time with us when you need it,” he said.

Related articles:  
SPH Media taps TSL Media Group’s X10 to boost influencer-led performance marketing  
PR Newswire partners SPH Media to expand SG reach     
SPH Media spends SG$3m in subsidies to support newspaper delivery