By CHIN LEE YEN, ST reader
I thank Opinion editor Chua Lee Hoong for providing an insight into her work. I am still an old-school reader who prefers to read the news in print, instead of trawling the blogs and e-papers. I also like the local news and the extensive coverage which is most times missing from the e-papers. For instance, articles in The Straits Times about the changing social landscape informs me that I am not alone in experiencing and dealing with these changes. I have a daughter who is sitting the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) this year. I tried not to be the typical pressure-cooker parent cited by the Prime Minister in his National Day Rally speech last month. I did not take full time leave, nor did I pressure my daughter even though she was struggling. The only time I intervened was to seek the help of the school principal and teachers to improve on motivating the pupils within the school environment to help keep up my daughter's spirits. I reinforced the view to my daughter that the PSLE is not the most critical exam she had to face; that what was vital is that she continued being interested in learning and eventually discover a passion she can pursue. I am thankful that her principal, teachers and my husband shared my opinion. Subsequently, my daughter did extremely well in her preliminary exams. We are already planning for a her to embark on volunteer work at a local school in Cambodia because my husband and I want our children to understand that school is just aspect of learning. So, I thank ST editors like Ms Chua for making the kind of news choices that inform readers like me that we are not alone and for giving ST readers a sense of shared experiences.
REACTIONS FROM ST PRINT READERS
Mr YEOH TENG KWONG
MS CHUA should have no fear that "one day the job of a commentary editor in a newspaper will be taken over by the bots". This is so long as a newspaper holds true to the principle of requiring its editors to exercise "sense and sensibility". There may still be varying views on ST's objectivity - depending on one's affiliation and circumstances. But I spend three-quarters of my newspaper reading time each day on ST's Opinion pages mainly because I believe these have been picked and compiled with a seriousness of purpose as eloquently explained by Ms Chua. I can't imagine being able to gather on my own a representative sample of commentaries each day to satisfy my hunger for news and views - with or without the help of technology.
Mr ACE KINDRED CHEONG
AFTER reading the issue about editorial judgement in Monday's ST Readers' Post page in the print edition of The Straits Times ("Whats fit to print, and what's not?; Sept 2) my view is that there is nothing wrong for The Straits Times (to publish the New York Times article ("Life without sex"). In fact, I am glad ST published the article. By publishing such an article, it does not imply that ST is promoting premarital sex, abortions, teenaged pregnancies and others to name afew. If that is the case, then I have to say that Mediacorp and all other TV channels and movies are promoting violence, terrorism and other immoral and dangerous acts. We should be mature enough to know and decide for ourselves what is good and bad and what is acceptable and what is not. Guiding the young, and youth about what is right and wrong, as well as what is acceptable is the responsibility of the parents and teachers. It is important to read and discuss issues such as sex and not sweep them under the carpet. It is more important that those who watch or read such content are mature enough to decide for themselves what is right and wrong and what is acceptable and what is not.
