Media
The mellowing of Lee Kuan Yew
As seen by a TV journalist who covered the Senior Minister over the years By CNA's Debra Soon. TODAY
Nov 11, 2003

I recently interviewed Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew to mark 40 years of TV.

The programme, The Other Side of the Tube, focuses on the relationship between politicians and TV. It's given me the opportunity to reflect on my 11 years as a TV journalist.

I started reporting after Mr Lee stepped down as Prime Minister.

As a rookie, you can sometimes be intimidated by PR "minders" or by the reputation of the person you are reporting on. So at my first assignment covering Mr Lee, I actually believed the person who said: "Don't ask any questions, he is not going to take any."

So I stayed in the background, together with a bunch of other reporters, trying to look inconspicuous when Mr Lee arrived.

To our collective horror, a print journalist who was not among our "pack" went up to the Senior Minister. We were all too far away to hear the question and answer.

The lessons learnt were:

1) Always ask questions, no matter what PR professionals and other "minders" tell you.

2) Mr Lee does not bark at, bite or eat journalists.

The reporter didn't get a scoop and we kept our jobs. It also served as an example of how the "mystique" surrounding the Senior Minister and his image can cloud thinking.

Several years later, Mr Lee called for a media briefing for a very small, select group of editors and journalists at the Istana.

I can't remember what the briefing was about, but I remember that when it was time to take questions, I prefaced my question with: "Senior Minister, Debra from TV News ..." At which point Mr Lee interjected and said "Debra? Debra who?"

He asked what my surname was and then embarked on a five-minute discourse about young people calling themselves fancy names and forgetting their heritage.

I discovered later that the print media, who had sent their tapes to transcribers, had circulated the transcript to senior editors, who, apparently, had a good chuckle over the "Debra who?" incident. Lesson learnt: Always introduce yourself properly at a media conference.

I have covered Mr Lee at events, travelled overseas with him and interviewed him at length several times. He has certainly mellowed over the years.

I have heard stories from journalists who have covered Mr Lee since the 1960s. Most were about how he never hesitated to put a journalist in his or her place, his legendary stamina and energy and how he would speak off the cuff and seldom stick to the text of speeches he had to deliver.

Looking at the TV footage of him from the 60s, 70s and 80s, one is struck by the raw power, energy and conviction with which he spoke.

Mr Lee knew how to use TV to present his case, to sway people and to bring them along with him. In my mind, he remains the best persuader, orator and mobiliser in government.

Television, which started as a department under the Ministry of Culture, was a tool with which he argued the Government's case.

Over the years, it has evolved from Radio Television Singapore into a statutory board, the Singapore Broadcasting Corporation and then into a private entity, the Media Corporation of Singapore.

The relationship between TV and politicians evolved with these developments. The Government loosened its reins along the way and there have been tremendous changes in the way politics is covered.

It's most obvious when one compares TV coverage of the General Elections over the years.

Today, Singapore's dominant broadcaster, MediaCorp, is a totally commercial entity. Audiences are more educated and demanding, with access to many different information sources, including cable and the Internet.

Channel NewsAsia, a regional new channel, serves not only a local but regional audience. It has to draw audiences and advertising revenue. It cannot do so if it's a tool of the government, and it certainly is not.
Today, politicians, including Mr Lee, do not expect the broadcaster to put out every speech they make or cover every event they attend.

Politicians realise they need to present themselves in a more TV friendly manner if they want airtime and if they want to reach their audience.

They know that what they wear, how they look and how they sound matter a great deal as it can either enhance the message or distract from it.

Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong may not hold his audience as well as the Senior Minister, but he has a people's touch and his sincerity and warmth comes across on television.

Deputy Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong is fluent, sharp and has a clarity of thought which comes across whenever he speaks.

Some have said that he can look aloof, though when he appeared in a long sleeved, red t-shirt for a TV forum with young Singaporeans about a year ago, he looked relaxed, hip and in touch with the young.

Television may not have the depth of the print media. But it certainly has a power which no other medium has.

Take Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew's recent comments on his experience in London after Mrs Lee suffered a stroke. However his words appeared in print, they could not carry the same impact as watching and hearing Mr Lee as his voice cracked with emotion.

Perhaps, that is why to this day, a television interview with him offers insights no other medium can.
TODAY