26 things you should know about the media in Southeast Asia

A-Z Startup to Media

Tuesday, 19 August, 14

Who am I?

Elaine Huang

Previously, an intern with Inter Press Service, studied Mass Communication at Ngee Ann Polytechnic spec. Journalism

Correspondent (Southeast Asia) at e27

Beats I’m interested in: dating, travel and fashion


A = Accuracy

How does a journalist fact-check their work? - Calling up sources, web analytics tools, making sure claims are substantiated- Evolving as online publications prefer “fastest fingers first”; however, that does not mean facts should not be double-checked


B = Beat

Area of coverage- Geographical? e.g. Singapore, Malaysia, Southeast Asia, Silicon Valley, India, Middle East etc- Genre specific? e.g. Gaming, E-commerce, Government, Wearables, Education, Travel, IPOs etc

Remember sources


C = Content

Media landscape- Traditional: Newspapers, Magazines, Radio, Television- New: Online articles, podcasts, videos, e-books

Ways of monetisation for new media:- Paywall per article- Advertising- Subscription fee- Content marketing- Events


D = Deadlines

On average, optimistically: - News (1 source, max 500 words): < 3 hours to complete*- Feature (4 sources, max 2000 words): a week to complete- Profile: (1 source, max 1000 words): < 2 days to complete

Average journalist in Southeast Asia (new media) = 2-3 stories a day consisting of news, features and profiles.

* breaking news usually take about 30 minutes


E = Embargo

Purpose:- From your perspective: ensure uniformity, to get maximum exposure- From the journo’s perspective: get in-depth insights, fact-check claims

Breaking an embargo


F = Finding news

Where do journalists find news?- Google News- Facebook- Twitter- Company blogs/pressrooms- Sources


G = Gift of the gabLearn to give good quotes- be clear, elicit an emotional response and grab attention

What’s a bad quote then?- unclear, filled with jargon, factual data

“Our new app will help stray cats find a good home,” said ABC, CEO, XYZ.com.

“It’s cold outside and these poor stray cats have no where to go. We will help them. We will give them a home,” said ABC, CEO, XYZ.com


H = Hierachy

How the organisation works- Editor, Sub-editor, Journalist, Guest writers etc

News rooms


I = Inverted Pyramid


J = Journalist

Main difference between a journalist and a blogger- Objectivity (which is sometimes overrated, according to some)


K = KISS

KISS = Keep It Simple, Stupid

Don’t use a long word if a short word will do the job

Don’t confuse your reader

Don’t confuse the journalist

Don’t confuse anyone


L = Language

Basic rules, courtesy of George Orwell:1. Never use a metaphor, simile, or other figure of speech which you are used to seeing in print2. Never use a long word where a short one will do3. If it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it out4. Never use the passive where you can use the active5. Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word or a jargon word if you can think of an everyday English equivalent6. Break any of these rules sooner than say anything outright barbarous


M = Mistakes

Corrections:- Only for factual errors- Not for vain errors like “I said something the wrong way, but it still makes sense, but I just want to make it sound like I’m more educated!” Sorry, you had your chance.

Amplifications:- When journalists failed to clarify the first time round or when certain nuances were not conveyed through the first writeup


N = Noisy

Don’t shout in a noisy room. Whisper. Or use a loud hailer.

How do you grab a journalist’s attention?- Fantastic email subject line- Straight to the point pitch- Build a relationship without having an agenda- Share knowledge freely


O = Off The Record

What’s OTR?- Not made as an official or attributable statement

Make sure you state it before you share anything, and make sure that journalists will stand by your request to stay anonymous.

How can a journalist bypass this? Going to another source.


P = Press Conference

Purpose?- To be fair to all publications, to ensure commitment, meet journalists and build relationships, save time

Cost?- Venue, manpower, food, materials (paper, files, bags etc)


Q = Questions

What if a journalist has questions?- Follow up deadline- Ask if answers were satisfactory- Help by reinforcing main points

Facilitating a Q&A session between press and company?


R = Release

Elements of a sample press release:- When? IMMEDIATE RELEASE/EMBARGO- Where? Singapore -- or Penang, Malaysia -- - Start with most important points- Provide a good quote - Biography/background information- Way of contacting public relations officers- Include photos


S = Social Media

You can reach me at - Facebook (Elaine Huang)- Twitter (_osculate)- LinkedIn (I seldom check it)- Email ([email protected])


mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

T= Tools

Tools used by a journalist:- WordPress- Hootsuite- Buffer- Slack- Google News- QuickVoice Recorder


U = U and I

U... more like YOU!

You = human, and human stories work really well

What’s a human story?


V = Valuable

What is valuable to a journalist? Exclusives? Time? Knowledge?

Put your feet in a journalist’s shoes


W =Write

Write your company blog

Media mentions are important

Off-tangent note: to be a writer, you just have to write. Guest posting can help in terms of awareness, SEO...


X = X it out

Be your own editor, X-ing the parts that don’t make sense, don’t add value etc

X also stands for X-factor, which might not be a single thing

Give something Xtra!


Y = YouTube

Nope, they’re not paying me but...

YouTube videos are great if you’re building a SEO presence

Especially for writers. But why?


Z = Zzzz

Don’t make people fall asleep with your words (unless you’re a hypnotist/sleep therapist)

Relevance of beat matters a lot here. Why?


26 things you should know about the media in Southeast Asia

Small Business & Entrepreneurship

Transcript of 26 things you should know about the media in Southeast Asia