By Gladys Koh (26A01B) and Kunchur Bharat (26A01B)

In 2025, Pressing Ahead marks its ninth year. Similar to 2024’s edition, we kicked off our Saturday bright and early at 8.30 am. This year, we were fortunate to have with us guests from Victoria Junior College, Eunoia Junior College, River Valley High School, Hwa Chong Institution, Catholic Junior College, Dunman High School, and NUS High School of Mathematics and Science, who brought with them a shared spirit of collaboration and passion for journalism. 

However, that’s where the similarities end this year. Unlike previous editions, this year’s theme, “Elevating and Amplifying Student Journalism”, was not about preparing students for a career in professional journalism. Instead, it focused on providing opportunities to strengthen student publications as platforms for showcasing unique perspectives and uncovering stories that go unnoticed. 

To this end, we had the great pleasure of welcoming Ms Kimberly Lim, Associate Editor at RICE Media, to conduct a workshop on the art of writing effective Op-eds. We also had the honour of hosting Ms Lee Yu En, Head of Video at Our Grandfather Story (OGS) and Ms Stephanie Thong, Video Journalist at OGS, to conduct a workshop on crafting compelling narratives through video. 

These sessions got to the heart of what makes student journalism unique; whether through making commentary on issues that concern the student body or capturing unique perspectives through a medium that holds great promise. A unique feature of this year’s Pressing Ahead was the second half of the day, during which members of the publications of NUSH, EJC, DHS, (and of course RI), shared how they ran their CCAs through short presentations, following which there was a Q&A. 

Workshop 1: How to Craft Compelling Narratives Through Video

Starting off with the workshops, Ms Lee Yu En and Ms Stephanie Thong shared the vision behind Our Grandfather’s Story (OGS): to cover timeless, authentic and often overlooked human stories. Unlike traditional journalism, OGS embraces a ‘modern social media’ approach of going down to communities, connecting with others and sharing their narratives with a signature heartfelt and candid touch. 

The focus of their sharing was video journalism. Ms Lee and Ms Thong eagerly presented on how to craft a compelling narrative through video, guiding us using examples of effective and ineffective pitches and titles to illustrate their points. The two emphasised the importance of identifying contrasts and conflicts within a story. Using their piece on Harris Harun as an example, they demonstrated how these elements bring depth and intrigue to a narrative. 

Further reaching into their own body of work, Ms Lee and Ms Thong shared videos such as, “Why I Chose Dishwashing Over Getting A Degree” and “The Nurse Who Can’t Hear” to emphasise how emotional engagement and narrative tension can be conveyed through striking juxtapositions. These titles were more than just catchy. They were carefully crafted to spark curiosity and empathy, using contradiction, irony and superlatives to pique the interest of viewers. Each story was rooted in authenticity and humanity, spotlighting the extraordinary in the ordinary. 

In the quiet, air-conditioned RDS Lite, the small group of students listened intently. To say the least, Ms Lee and Ms Thong’s sharing was nothing short of compelling, and had captivated all of our attention. Their content sharing was followed by a hands-on activity in which students, in small groups, reimagined written articles as video pitches. In the process, we were able to put our newfound knowledge to the test, and glean insights from other groups.

The ideas that flowed forth from the groups blew us away with their uniqueness. Suggestions ranged from reimagining an article about school pets into a poignant video montage capturing the journeys of adoption and farewell of these animals, to the envisioning of a feature delving into the behind-the-scenes world of performing arts performances. Just like that, there was a stark shift of mood in the room: from hazy yawns to the sudden chatter and excitement. We had gleaned a deeper understanding as to how everyday school moments of quiet determination and passing, heartfelt moments, could be transformed into emotionally resonant, visually compelling narratives through a curious lens. 

Speaking to a crowd of eager students, Ms Lee and Ms Thong shared that story gathering, especially for student journalism, can truly start anywhere. It starts with curiosity and anything that you feel deeply for. Such a message deeply resonated with us all, serving as a powerful reminder that every great media piece begins with an open mind and a willingness to explore the world around us.

Workshop 2: The Art of Writing Effective Op-eds 

On the other hand, in the Stanford Training Room, Ms Kimberly Lim distilled years of experience writing Op-eds for RICE Media into a two-hour workshop—diving deep into pitching Op-eds, bringing interviewees to life in your writing, and being true to your personal writing voice when writing a piece. The workshop began with an introduction to RICE Media as well as life in the media sector at large. Ms Lim shared how her small team of only 15 people (including administrative staff and publicity!) looked up to publications like the Atlantic when they first started out, hoping not only to “feed your mind”, as stated in their website, but also to be a part of readers’ daily dinner time discussions (presumably around bowls of rice)—hence the name, RICE Media. 

Every Op-ed starts in its infancy as a mere pitch before it eventually blossoms into a full-fledged article. Nailing the pitch is half the battle, as emphasised by Ms Lim in the first half of the workshop.  The four considerations that make the difference between a pitch that turns into an article and one that is condemned to an abandoned Google Doc are as follows: is the story relevant? What is the writer’s prime takeaway? How is it unique? How will it emotionally resonate with an audience? 

There’s also the further distinction that a writer needs to make between a topic and a story, which was something that interns at RICE particularly struggled with initially, Ms Lim remarked. While a topic is a general and broad subject or theme, a story brings an additional level of precision and engagement with the reader, bringing this topic to life. This was particularly eye-opening and marked a clear departure from the writing style that most students are used to, having been conditioned to write in a more balanced manner in school. 

The 10-minute pitching exercise that followed got everyone’s brains working as they scoured their thoughts for issues in their school lives worth commenting on. Some of the pitches that stood out were the ones on the USC Ice Bucket Challenge and why MOE teachers were favouring teaching at tuition centres rather than at schools. Ms Lim was visibly impressed by the sheer amount of creativity that came out of such a short exercise, and the buzz in the Stamford Training Room was an indication that the morning dreariness had finally been dispelled. 

We moved on, then, to writing advice. So, what exactly defines an Op-ed? For RICE, it’s a short, 800-word piece that, most critically, makes a strong, focused, and informed opinion. Ms Lim joked that it’s often an exercise for writers to determine if their piece is better suited to be an Op-ed or a longer commentary piece or even a documentary (which is something that we can personally attest to). 

At RICE, where writers are expected to pitch a new article every week, ideation can be a struggle. But, breaking out of creative ruts can be just as simple as observing cultural trends and paying attention to conversations with friends (as silly as they may be at times). Complaints about teaching, observations about current affairs, and even brainrot can be turned into compelling stories that speak directly to the concerns of the student population. 

Above all, to write a good piece, you must know thy audience. Put succinctly by Ms Lim, “just because something matters to you, doesn’t mean it matters to your reader.” Echoing the theme of this year’s Pressing Ahead, elevating student journalism goes hand-in-hand with elevating student voices as a whole. The Op-ed becomes a particularly powerful tool for this, creating art from where there is presumably mundanity. 

We ended the workshop with a Q&A, and our attendees did not shy away from asking incisive questions. The one that really struck a chord with every writer in the room was on dealing with disappointment when an article flops—when the views, likes, and shares don’t gratify the months of effort that have been put into it. Framing it as essentially an inevitability, Ms Lim encouraged us, budding writers, to avoid an obsession with extrinsic motivations such as viewer metrics and never lose sight of the purpose of an Op-ed. One can find satisfaction just by doing an interviewee justice for sharing their story with the world, or touching the heart of even a single person by articulating a struggle that has been haunting them all their life, which was a refreshing change of perspective to impart to a group of young writers. 

After a brief intermission for refreshments and engaging with our peers, we reconvened to continue with insightful presentations shared by the various schools. 

School Publication Presentation 1: Eunoia Junior College (The Origin) & Dunman High School (DHS Publications)

Dunman High School shared about their press: DHS publications. Unlike the typical press we often see, theirs took a creative twist: setting up hands-on booths teaching blackout poetry, zine making and others! Instead of continuously producing articles throughout the year, they focused on two main publications: a biannual magazine titled How We Run The Hour, and a newsletter, dhour publications, which is hosted on a Substack-powered website. 

DHS publications was refreshingly inventive. Starkly different from Raffles Press, they prioritised creativity and emphasised the importance of exploration. Open to new ideas and avenues, they utilised a multitude of platforms including Substack, to reach their audience in innovative ways. Their interactive elements and an experimental format definitely served as a reminder that press is fluid and constantly adapting to different mediums, formats, to engage with a wide audience.  

Meanwhile, two of Eunoia Press EXCO members shared about their press, named The Origin. They had a multitude of columns, including SickBeats Music (for music features), Periscope (for current affairs), and Kaleidoscope Fiction (for creative writing). An initiative that particularly stood out to us was the 12 Days of Christmas series, in which the press members of EJC would publish a piece of writing for each day of the Christmas season! Beyond this, The Origin also contributes to school-centred articles, such as the Yearbook, playing a vital role in documenting and shaping campus life. As such, Eunoia Press’s dedication to creating a multi-faceted platform with great outreach, engaging both the Eunoia community and beyond, was clearly evident.

With Eunoia Press’ goal to publish an article a week and an article from every community every month, it was clear that consistency was central to their ethos. This structured, yet ambitious approach ensured both a steady stream of content and diverse voices from all around the school to be heard. Their efforts reflected a publication that was not simply content-driven, but community-focused, culminating in a vibrant platform celebrating the breadth and depth of student experiences and a strong sense of shared identity within Eunoia Junior College.

School Publication Presentation 2: NUS High Press & Raffles Press

At the RDS Lite, attendees had the opportunity to hear presentations from NUSH Press and, of course, our very own Raffles Press. Unlike the conventional format of publishing individual articles by writers, NUSH Press operates by publishing termly newsletters that compile various articles written on a common theme. Themes are voted on by all members from a pool of 10 possible words, ensuring that the process is kept democratic. 

While unconventional, the newsletter format allows writers to fully explore a theme by approaching it from various angles and through differing genres. Their most recent newsletter, on the theme of “Lore”, includes works of prose and poetry, investigative deep-dives, and personal stories, which lend a unique richness and diversity of content to their publication. On a more practical level, they mentioned that members would gravitate towards easier and lower-effort content if they were expected to produce individual, discrete pieces, not necessarily due to a lack of dedication but simply because of their workloads. 

This unique format came with its own unique challenges. For one, releasing many articles at once rather than a consistent stream of them results in ebbs and flows in readership. To ensure sustained relevance with the student body, they engage with them through various means on Instagram. TwiNUSH (This Week in NUSH) provides regular summaries of recent school developments, and they also do ad-hoc promotions for school events. Furthermore, their podcast also provides a steady stream of more casual content that is readily accessible by the student body. Attendees, however, were curious about how they deal with weeks where there aren’t any significant developments, such as when the NSG and SYF season ends. Their workaround was simply to combine news from multiple weeks and in general to remain cognisant about periods where there’s a dip in the number of school events so that they can plan ahead for it. 

Last, but certainly not least, it was time for Raffles Press. It was our pleasure to share our strong focus on human interest that sits at the heart of all our pieces. Our philosophy behind NSG coverage proved to be particularly intriguing as we shared how our focus was rarely ever on the score itself, but rather on the unique stories that accompany every result. Attendees were also captivated by our Prexcursion to Rainforest Wild Asia, where, as Mr Wong shared proudly, all Pressies were encouraged to step out of their comfort zones and approach any of the park rangers with questions that they had. The highlight of the sharing was, without a doubt, this gem from Mr Wong that is perfectly in tune with this year’s theme: 

Final Thoughts

The sharings by the various schools’ journalism clubs not only gave us a glimpse into each publication’s unique features, but also challenged our understanding of what student publications could truly be. It reminded us to continually push boundaries and to think beyond conventional formats. 

After all, that is what press is truly about: a relentless pursuit of innovating and adapting, finding fresh avenues and angles to amplify the stories that matter. Inspired by both seasoned professionals and student publications, we were reminded that student journalism is not merely about reporting, but about resonating deeply with the audience. 

All too soon, the clock struck 1.30pm and this year’s edition of Pressing Ahead drew to a close. As we returned to our respective publications, we did so not just with new insights, but with a newfound sense of curiosity and a strengthened commitment to raise the bar every day. 

Now, this just about sums up Pressing Ahead 2025; here’s to another year of pushing boundaries and making every word count. Until next year!