‘A shadow of its old self’: TODAY merger with CNA is no surprise, say ex-editor & former staff

Former employees of TODAY say the paper has been facing great challenges in recent years

The announcement that news outlet TODAY will be merging with Channel NewsAsia (CNA) to become a digital long-form weekend magazine has come as no surprise to its founding editor-in-chief and former staff. 

They said the writing had been on the wall ever since TODAY went fully digital in October 2017, which precipitated an increasing overlap in content and cross-promotions between TODAY and CNA Digital.

They also expressed hopes that its sharp, edgy reporting and angling of stories would survive in the new entity. 

Small paper punching above its weight

Launched in November 2000 as part of what authorities called a liberalisation of Singapore media, TODAY began life as a free morning tabloid distributed to commuters.

It found itself in competition with the Streats free newspaper, which came under the Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) stable. Streats eventually merged with TODAY in 2004. 

TODAY’s founding editor-in-chief PN Balji said the very fact that it has survived for 24 years is a “great achievement” by the paper.

“No newspaper that went against the might of SPH and The Straits Times (ST), such as Singapore Monitor or Singapore Herald, stayed for so long,” said Mr Balji, who had two stints at the paper from 2000 to 2003 and 2006 to 2008. 

“We all know that digital is a very harsh and cruel world. Once you have allowed Google and Facebook and other big names to entrench themselves in the digital arena, it’s difficult to get them out.”

Mediacorp announces TODAY merger on 28 Aug

Indeed, the merger comes amid increasing challenges facing the media industry, such as an over-saturated media environment.

In an internal memo seen by MS News, Mediacorp editor-in-chief Walter Fernandez called the move, which will commence from 1 October,  a “structural change within the newsroom”.

Mr Fernandez explained that there has been a post-pandemic surge in news fatigue and unfavourable social media algorithms. The latter in particular, has led to selected platforms de-emphasising news, he said.

The weekend magazine would additionally include news features, human interest interviews, opinion pieces, and the possibility of interactive photo essays. All TODAY staff will be offered roles in CNA after the merger, either within the magazine or in other teams fitting their skills.

‘A spirit of pushing things’

“Over the years, TODAY has become a shadow of its old self. It did away with the sports and lifestyle sections, and people were let go,” said a reporter who began her career at the paper, noting the commercial pressures it was under.

Being part of a small team made it a good training ground for young reporters, but also meant it could not produce stories on the scale of ST or CNA. It also lacked the resources to properly produce visuals such as infographics, she said.  

“It represented what local mass media could be, with editors who were willing to push back when government agencies came knocking. We were trained to push back as well, even against the editors,” she added.

Another former TODAY journalist told MS News that it was a “sad day” for Singapore media.

Singaporeans are going to be losing out on what TODAY used to deliver (on a daily basis). TODAY is not the main paper of record that is being scrutinised, so it has the ability to push a bit further than ST and CNA.

She added that things had become harder for the paper in recent years, with lesser resources being put into it and “a lot of good people” leaving. “It is still pushing, but to a lesser extent. Maybe it’s because the Ministry of Digital Development and Information has become more sensitive to reporting on political and social issues.”

“I always admired TODAY for its bold coverage and exacting standards,” said a former TODAY journalist who was there from 2014 to 2017 and witnessed the cessation of its print edition. “The editors had a never-say-die attitude, always encouraging its reporters to find alternative angles and to do the necessary legwork to get what’s needed.”

While disappointing, the move was somewhat expected, given that TODAY has been moving towards long form features, with less focus on daily news. The merger also speaks of the landscape today, where few outlets can stand a chance in a highly competitive climate, she noted.

What of the future?

Asked whether there would be more consolidation in the local media scene, Mr Balji noted that the biggest player in the media market is the Government.

This is down to laws such as the Newspaper and Printing Presses Act, which regulates media and  ensures no foreign control of Singaporean newspapers, while the SPH chief executive and chairman are typically former ministers or officials. 

Given all this, Mr Balji said: “It may not happen in my lifetime, but I won’t be surprised if SPH and Mediacorp merge in the end.”

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Featured image adapted from Google Maps and MS News.