Singapore's only English broadsheet, The Straits Times, has invited all of its former staff to the company's year-end party on Dec. 10 at Grand Copthorne.

According to ST editor Warren Fernandez, the rationale to open up the invitation to all and sundry who worked for ST is obvious: "Over the years, we have had many talented and capable individuals as part of the team, and some have gone on to play other important roles in society, or branched out into new areas".

In other words, ST hopes that the ex-staff can get reconnected through an informal (subscription) network, because ST's been experiencing a bit of a falling readership.

Regardless, some talented alumni have gone on to play important roles in the society (entering politics), while others have branched out into new areas and new homes.

And then there are others.

Below are 10 talented alumni who in all likelihood will not be attending ST's year-end party due to various reasons:

1. Cheong Yip Seng, former editor-in-chief of the Straits Times group and author of OB Markers: My Straits Times Story

Cheong had previously emailed PM Lee to persuade him not to select Warren Fernandez as a PAP MP. Cheong argued that Warren would make a bigger contribution to Singapore playing a key role in The Straits Times than as an MP.

“I can only hope that Warren (ST's current editor) has forgiven me if I had been wrong in my intervention”. (OB Markers: My Straits Times Story, 2013, p.84)

2. Cherian George, Nanyang Technology University academic and author of Freedom from The Press

"Of course, most of the time, it requires almost superhuman effort to muster sympathy for SPH. It luxuriates over a market protected by the government's press licensing regime. Even when its papers do good work, many Singaporeans resent the lack of choice." (George in "SPH vs Yahoo! was about content vs tech, not old media vs new", Journalism.sg, Oct 2013)

3. Bertha Henson, editor of defunct blog Breakfast Network

Source

Bertha had a very public spat with Singapore Press Holdings last year.

Bertha: My old company is pissed at the obituary I wrote for Chong Chee Kin. (See earlier entry Goodbye Cheeks). Journalists and management are upset that I said that Chee Kin felt like a pariah in his last week at work in SPH. Here’s the letter, emailed by SPHCORP “for and on behalf of SPH’’:

Highlights from the letter: "Your former colleagues in the ST newsroom, and SPH management too, are most aggrieved by what you said about your former employer...You have been wholly unfair to SPH to put this out in your blog without checking whether it is true. You have in fact failed to practise what you have been preaching so piously in your blog."

4. Eisen Teo

Source

Google "Eisen Teo". Go. Now.

5. Peter Khoo Chong Meng, former senior vice president of SPH's English and Malay newspapers division and head of its editorial projects unit

Source: Youtube

Khoo pleaded guilty to one count of criminal breach of trust and two counts of corruption in August 2012.

He allegedly received bribes in exchange for business deals. He also misappropriated Capita vouchers worth more than S$23,000 on two occasions.

6. Janadas Devan, Director of the Institute of Policy Studies

Source

He is also THE CHIEF of Government Communications.

7. Seng Han Thong, Member of Parliament and former General Manager, Chinese Newspaper Division, Singapore Press Holdings

Source: Seng Han Thong Facebook

Remember Straits Times' coverage of his remarks about the lack of English proficiency amongst Malay and Indian train drivers?

8. Raymond Lim, MP, former Transport Minister and author of Straight Talk

Source: Raymond Lim Facebook Page

“There is no point clamouring for more freedom (press freedom) if that which is already given is not used effectively".

“At present, only the prejudiced would deny that it is in the country’s interest to have the PAP at the helm. But that does not mean that the press should be Petir (PAP magazine) by another name. Nor is it the business of the press to make the PAP look good”. (28 June 1992, Straight Talk in pg.42-43).

9. Ex-sub editor who wrote about his experience in Asia Sentinel

He wrote: "I recently finished a three-year stint as a sub-editor at The Straits Times, Singapore's flagship daily newspaper. There I witnessed first-hand the close relationship between media and government, and the impact those ties have on the presentation of local news."

"Control at the paper is exercised both overtly and through more subtle means. Self-censorship, meanwhile, is ubiquitous. I've worked for newspapers in five different countries and, like most foreign staff at The Straits Times, found the working practices in the newsroom there incredibly frustrating."

10. Stomp reporter who got fired for writing fake article about MRT train door

This Stomp reporter went one step beyond writing sensational news: Fake sensational news.

Top photo from here.

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