By Anamika Ragu (Chairperson)
What defines the student journalist?
Such a question is intentionally complex. It is one to be contemplated pensively and poetically on a Bukit Timah hillside, or more practically, on a bench next to the school bookshop. One to pop up unexpectedly in the post-coverage high, when you are breathless from the rush of yet another school victory or interviewing fascinating people.
One to be asking your co-writer over Google Meet after the exhilaration of submitting the first draft of an article you’d wanted to write for months.
I suggest that evolution defines the student journalist.
Perhaps it is the biennial refreshing of Rafflesian minds, or simply the rapidity with which the world seems to advance: what has kept this humble journalistic society alive is change. We have come a long way since 2006, migrating entirely to the digital workspace, building bridges between other student presses, employing different media platforms and, most impressively, staying afloat amid the changing tastes and concerns of our readers.
Regardless, consistency lies in the margins of such intrepid progress.
The bread and butter of any school paper is covering school events, of which RI has plenty. Be it the annual National School Games, a live fashion show, or a week of literature, you’re sure to find a green lanyard amid the crowd, donned by an eager journalist penning down crucial notes mid-interview.
And though being a student journalist may seem a frivolous job to the untrained eye, each batch of writers has sought to make Raffles Press the heartbeat of the student body. Throughout the year, student performers, athletes, and leaders alike turn to www.rafflespress.com to see how their work has been received, and we do our best to feature the culmination of their efforts.
Being at the centre of documenting our time here, our writers also bring to life the aspects of school that we often fail to truly value. Be it a deep-dive into our teachers’ lives, conversations with RI’s deaf community, or an exploration of the Raffles Guidance Centre, we strive to shed light on these meaningful stories.
These are small ways in which we give back to the community that keeps us going, but our service does not end there! Indeed, our search bar has been likened to that of Google’s by many visitors, as we answer questions pertaining to subject combinations, uniform guidelines, and, of course, choosing a CCA.
Surrounded by constant excitement and change, and part of an organisation so richly intertwined with Rafflesian history, student journalists inevitably change themselves, growing more mindful of the happenings around them. It is no wonder that we constantly find our JC experience so much more enriched by the stories we are able to share.
In Raffles Press, you are preceded by nearly two decades’ worth of incredible work for inspiration and given the freedom to explore nearly any topic under the sun, as long as what you cover resonates with that other crucial half of the equation: our readers who call 1 Raffles Institution Lane home (we do spend so much our time here).
This year was an especially exciting one as Raffles Institution celebrated its bicentennial. On top of covering a wonderful selection of events, Raffles Press offered a physical special edition with fascinating discoveries about the school’s history to the student body—past, present, and future.
Here at Raffles Press, there is something for everyone. In exploring the inner workings of the RI student’s psyche, you could meditate on pieces such as this Opinion Editorial on envy or a headline exploring the nuances of hustle culture.
Our CCA has spent the last few years fine-tuning a harmony between the written word and multimedia formats. You, too, could help orient your batch with videos on compelling stories to catch the student populace’s attention or contribute to our beloved Press Podcasts.
In recent video stories, we’ve zoomed into little-known, yet nevertheless exciting, experiences of both peers and staff, such as a piece diving into the core Rafflesian experience of buying waffles at Chill, as well as one delving into the significance of fasting during the month of Ramadan. If you have a talent with the camera, or are simply intrigued by the possibility of exploring journalism through a new lens (pun intended!), then we’d love for you to put your skills to the test!
Or maybe you’ll find your calling in our newly remastered advice column— do you believe you have what it takes to be the next Aunt Agony or Uncle Upset? Or perhaps you’ll be more suited to humour or satire, tricking the whole school for a day with our annual April Fool’s pranks, offering well-intentioned romantic advice on Valentine’s Day, or investigating the Rafflesian Finance Bro.
Along with the general perks of journalism that include special entry to events and opportunities to interview a diverse range of individuals, you could also stand a chance to receive books to review as part of our Raffles Reads series, a partnership with Times Reads. We also regularly attend prexcursions to review a variety of things, including the hottest spots to visit around town, previews on the annual Singapore Writer’s Festival, and exciting concert reviews.
As you can see, the student journalist is anything but sedentary. There is always a story to be found if one is bold enough to venture beyond familiar ground.
Last but certainly not least, each batch of writers has our annual flagship event to look forward to: Pressing Ahead, an inter-JC press conference, is organised as part of Cross Island Impressions, an initiative where student publications across Singapore write and network with one another amidst explore this nebulous concept of student journalism.
In 2023, we hosted the first live Pressing Ahead since 2019, with eight schools in total, after a six-week CII program, where writers worked on two tasks for the first time as well—a video and a photojournalistic hybrid article, to explore the evolving scene of multimedia journalism.
This is because we value community in Raffles Press. Writers rarely start out alone, publishing articles in pairs or groups before branching out to their individual interests. We rely on one another for good ideas and resources, making true friends along the way.
We meet at 4.15-6.15pm every Tuesday to hone our journalism skills, and we welcome the ideas and energy of all “Pressies”. All you have to do is pitch a piece, and get to writing! There are no prerequisites: we only ask that you come with a passion for what we do at Press and that anything you create here be relevant, interesting, and life-giving to Rafflesians.
Ultimately, the question of what makes a student journalist can be answered from so many fascinating angles—everything on this very site is a testament to that.
And so, if you find yourself intrigued to join us in this wonderful endeavour, we hope to see you at CCA trials!
