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Hot on the beat
Mr Chua has no problem writing articles in Chinese even if the interviews are conducted in English.
PHOTO: CHONG JUN LIANG
FIVE years ago, a tip-off from a newspaper reader sent Mr Chua Eng Wee onto a journalistic adventure into the seedier side of Singapore.
He recalls: "We went, incognito, to various gay venues that included a few spas and saunas. We had received a call about the shady activities that were going on at these places and wanted to take a closer look."
"It was pretty shocking."
His observations into the nefarious activities resulted in a five-part series of articles that was published in Lianhe Wanbao in 2004.
Mr Chua's accomplishments were noteworthy, considering the fact that he had filed the stories while interning at Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) during his semester break after his first year at University College London.
He was on an SPH scholarship, and he graduated in 2006 with a first class honours degree in psychology.
He went on to earn a master's degree in East Asian studies from Stanford University in the United States.
By the time he returned to Singapore last year to begin working full time for SPH, he had already completed internship stints at the company's various publications including Shin Min Daily News, Lianhe Wanbao, Lianhe Zaobao and bilingual daily my paper.
He also had a stint at a Chinese newspaper in Shanghai.
Now a journalist with Lianhe Zaobao and serving a six-year bond, the 26-year-old celebrated his "one-year anniversary" at SPH in January, but his rookie days are well behind him.
Nonetheless, he maintains that he is still learning the ropes.
He says: "Every beat you cover is different. You need to get to know the background and the people. There are always things to learn. That's what I like about this job."
He says that when he was considering his scholarship and career options, his preference was to write for the Chinese newspapers because he has always been "more comfortable" with the language.
He had taken Higher Chinese since he was in Primary 5 and had consistently scored As.
He says it is actually easier to write a story in English because press conferences and interviews are usually conducted in English. So before he files his stories in Chinese, he has to first translate the information.
He admits that it can be challenging when it comes to distilling direct quotes gathered from doorstop interviews with newsmakers such as ministers, as he has to transcribe the quotes and translate them into Chinese.
But he is unfazed, especially with his strong foundation in the language.
He is currently on the national development beat, covering stories related to the Housing and Development Board, Urban Redevelopment Authority and National Parks Board.
"In this job, you meet a whole range of people, from road sweepers to ministers. You get to learn about people from different walks of life."
"It helps you grow, and you learn to appreciate your life more," he says.
His working hours are "flexible" because if he happens to have many stories to cover on a particular day, he might work from 8am to midnight.
The lack of a daily routine goes down well with him, as he thrives on being in the thick of the action.
"I wouldn't like the usual nine-to- five job, where I'm in front of a desk the whole time. I like to go out, to meet people and to find news," he says.
At SPH, journalists like him are rotated every few years to cover different beats so that they are exposed to different challenges and opportunities.
He is thankful to have been given sneak peeks into what being a journalist was like before deciding on his career.
He says: "It may be hard to know for sure what you want to do when you are 18. Preferences can change and there are many distractions."
"That's why I think internships are important. They give you the opportunity to actually do the work and to find out if it is what you want."
"If you are going to be in it for four to six years, you must enjoy the work. If you don't, it will be very tedious, and it will feel like a long time."
"I like the fact that with news, you don't know what's coming. It's exciting."