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In the thick of action

Mr Nadarajan says that there is a sense of purpose in his profession when reporting stories which touch lives or influence the reader.
PHOTO: CHONG JUN LIANG

A stint as an intern with The Straits Times sports desk in 1998 made Mr Ben Nadarajan go against his grain and embrace a career he never thought about — journalism.

Being an introvert, he had, as a National Junior College student, already given up his boyhood dream of being a trial lawyer because the thought of holding forth in a courtroom deterred him.

"I was quiet and shy but as a boy, I had been enthusiastic about law after having read books such as John Grisham's legal thrillers and seen television shows featuring lawyers like Perry Mason," says Mr Nadarajan, 31.

His next influence came in the form of his elder sister, who was doing a mass communications course at the National University of Singapore.

"I was curious about the subject she was studying and so after I completed schooling in NJC in 1995 and was in national service from 1996 to 1998, I successfully ap-plied for a Singapore Press Holdings Scholarship to study mass communications at Nanyang Technological University."

"At that time, I was a regular Straits Times (ST) reader. One day, I was impressed by two features which discussed legalising gay and lesbian relationships in Singapore."

"One piece was for it and the other against it. Both writers argued their case objectively on this sensitive subject. I appreciated that the newspaper gave this topic public airing. It showed me that newspapers do have an important role to play in providing a forum for issues of public interest."

That piqued his interest in journalism.

But it was during his three-month internship at the ST sports desk in 1998 that he finally decided what he really wanted to do.

He recalls: "One day, I was told to cover a seven-a-side soccer match at the Singapore Cricket Club. The game featured former EPL stars. I found the game a little boring.

"But things changed in the next match between two teams of kids. It was exciting as both sides played their hearts out and won over the spectators."

"Back in the office, I suggested to the editor that I should write about how the kids stole the thunder from the adults."

His editor agreed.

Mr Nadarajan says that sports editor, Godfrey Robert later complimented him on his ability to recognise the better story over the one he had been assigned to cover.

Today, Mr Nadarajan is the assistant news editor and head of the ST crime and court desk. He joined the newspaper full-time after he graduated with an honours degree in mass communications in 2002.

In 2005, he won SPH's EMND (English and Malay Newspapers Division), Young Journalist of the Year Award for his slew of crime stories, one of which was about Mr Steve Chia, then a Non-Constituency MP, who had stored in his computer photographs of his maid who had appeared topless.

After Mr Chia's wife discovered this, she made a police report. Police said later that the maid had not been forced to pose and so no offence was committed.

Mr Nadarajan says he started investigations into this story from a tip-off.

"Contacts are vital and if reporters can nurture 10 such reliable people, it would help their work a lot."

Of his work, he says: "I can't think of anything else that I would want to do."

"The process of gathering news is challenging. You've got to track down the newsmaker, persuade the person to talk, sieve through the data gathered, verify the facts, and think of how to tell a balanced and interesting story."

"There can be a sense of purpose in this profession when you report stories which are meaningful and which touch lives or influence the reader in one way or another."

To journalism aspirants, Mr Nadarajan says: "The journalist is usually the first to know about an event and the first to be there."

"To be a reporter, you must first be a kay poh (busy body). You must also persevere in your investigations. But it is also important to relate to people."

But is his shyness a hindrance?

"When I am working, my shyness takes a backseat. I think only about getting the job done," he says.

"Some of my colleagues say that my shyness could be why some newsmakers open up more to me. So, you see, it can also be an asset."