Little Reporters Get Taste of Life Before Camera

Eighteen lucky children recently got a taste of what it’s like to be a television reporter as part of the Little Reporters workshop, held in conjunction with the 50 Years of TV Magic exhibition.

Imagine having to do a live report, interview an artiste, and at the end of it, write a script about an exhibition - all with almost no knowledge about broadcast reporting, and within just six hours.

That was what 18 children aged between 8 to 12 got to experience at the National Museum of Singapore at the recently-held Little Reporters workshop.

Specially designed by the Singapore Media Academy, it aims to give children a first-hand experience of what it’s like to be a television reporter - as they learn the art of news presentation and conduct their very own ‘live’ report on the 50 Years of TV Magic: An Exhibition.

After a few rounds of writing and reporting exercises, the children, who were all energetic and eager to learn, were in a frenzy as they ran around the exhibition, gathering information for their scripts.

While it was a nerve-racking experience for some, others were more than happy to take up the challenge.

“My mum found out about this workshop and decided to sign me up as she knows that I like to go to this kind of workshop.

“I like going to this kind of workshop as I can learn a lot of new things and it also help me to be more confident as I am quite a shy person,” said 10 year-old workshop participant Lim Yun Fang.

To top it all off, they had to interview Seraph Sun, a MediaCorp artiste who recently acted in the Chinese drama series, "96°C Café", on Thursday.

However, once the camera started rolling, the kids were calm and managed to conduct the interview smoothly.

Their trainer, Mr Augustine Anthuvan, Editor for International Desk, Channel NewsAsia, explained that the course is not only about letting the children experience what it is like to be a television reporter, but also about giving them the opportunity for self-improvement.

“It is important to give them a chance to explore, so they are able to discover things on their own and learn from the experience.

“My job is to empower them and allow them to enjoy the process and take it one step further,” he added.

While many of the participants said they enjoyed the workshop because it let them learn new things and try their hand at being a journalist, 10-year-old Lisa Chong said she liked it because it was simply a lot of fun.

“This is the best workshop I have ever attended,” said Chong excitedly.

“I had a lot of fun in this workshop as I get to visit a museum exhibition and interview an artist and I don’t mind doing it all over again!”

- Article by Nurfarahhin Jumali for CNA

Little Reporters is a school holiday course for children aged 9 to 12 years old.