I thought they were the young reporters trained by the MSM?
Those interviewed are all youths and foreigners.
One common view from all those interviewed is 2008 has been a great year.

No one commented on Transport hike, electricity hike, MSK, Mini bon bons and TC fiasco as well as the flyer that stalled for 6 hours or more.

But it is still good to see that TOC reporting team are as good as MSM reporters if not better, younger and more refreshing.

happy 2008, the last day of it.

#1) Chen Chong Lee on December 31st, 2008 10.52 am I thought they were the

No one commented on Transport hike, electricity hike, MSK, Mini bon bons and TC fiasco as well as the flyer that stalled for 6 hours or more.

This represents a different segment of the population who have different interests and focus compared with the regular readers of social / political blogs. Hence, the challenge to social / political blogs is how to attract and engage them.

This also reflected the other Reality in singapore.
As you can see, those interviewed youths are either oblivous to the issues of public interest or not aware of these issues or never heard/read of these issues or know these issues but do not put them in their minds or choose to ignore or are honestly apathetic or apathetic by choice or these comments were not included in the video?

well, 2008 has been DISASTROUS TO say the least :
1. MSK unfound – safety of the nation at risk in some ways. maybe people are just not able to imagine the risk involved due to lack of experience or comfort zone. this is unwise. we need to be vigilant and on alert.

2. Financial Meltdown – so many lost their life savings. the bigger implication is what are all the Toxic products that exist and investors who still not aware what they bought and these products not yet in trouble. The bigger implication is how this will affect people invest in future and is there room for improvement in the system so that all of us can invest more safely in future?

3. 80% or more are leasing from HDB paying huge amounts of their savings into their flat. TC investment fiasco taught us that there are some questions that need to be answered. anyone got the answer? hello? it affects you leh. you mean u no care?

If these young reporters get hired by MSM, does it mean no more such reporting?

hip hop hurray 2009!

We have become so materialistic that our main concern is to get more money.Would it be through any means? Now with the recession and deflation expected and loss of jobs. Are we going to be a dissapointed lot with no more or less money comming in? Not for the lady from Norway, whose priority for the New Year is HEALTH, as shown on the vedio. She is sure to survive mentally and physically through the hard times ahead. ‘Unhappy New Year’!!

Well I guess the stories would be quite different when TOC moves into the heartlands, then we can see the concerns of a very different segment of the population.

I understand that it is forbidden to show the url here.
if u interested about grassroots comments, search google for
such videos that interview the commoners for their comments.

regards
Kang Ah Loo

Nice to see some optimism on the ground. Good job with the reporting!

Would be nice if the same questions could be fielded to heartlanders in Malay, Mandarin and Hokkien. Would be interesting to hear their answers.

Kids interviewing kids..

When top students care only about te latest bikini or shoe how do you expect them to care about politics?

future will unfolds itself, and I hope these youngsters are very much ready for what that is coming. We all come a long way to be aware.

Hi TOC,
Well done. Thanks for the hard work put in by the interviewers.
Obviously there is a role for civil society activists to play in Singapore’s future.
Don’t be discouraged by people who pour cold-water.
Some people want change without having to work for it.
There is no such thing.
Happy New Year and may TOC build up solid credibility as an alternative ( but not necessarily anti-establishment) media.

my friend & i got interviewed but ur faces aren’t there!!! lol

ridiculous answers, i fear for the future of singapore’s youths.

Very MSM…..erm…. I mean like very well trained reporters.
wow, one of them even won the best debater award.

The effort put in by the team cannot be undermined. It was not only difficult but takes quite abit of effort to get people to speak to the crew! Good job, keep it up and keep on improving! :)

I am very very impressed by the video. Good jobs, guys, and keep it up.

Only sad thing was most Singaporeans say they want to earn more money. Can you compare that with the Westerner girl who said, “Good health”.

What’s the use of having money but no health to enjoy it? Money is lousy master but a good servant. Guessed it’s just a very Asian mentality. In Australia, most people will say ‘good health’ or ’spend more time with family’. Quite a big contrast I must say. Of course the best is to have good health, family and lots of money.

Perhaps it’s time to re-evaluate our priorities in the financial crisis. Perhaps that’s why we are having this financial crisis – chasing after money (aka greed).

To all readers, wishing you health and prosperity in 2009 to you and your loved ones.

Kaffein

Hi Tirta,

Erm… not sure which ones were your friends and you. The team interviewed both locals and foreigners and we had to choose which ones to include. We decided to have more locals (for obvious reasons) than foreigners.

My apologies for not having included you and your friends.

Andrew

TOC should conduct this type of meaningful activity or street’s survey, interview more regularly (provides TOC has the resources) and spread out the planned interviews in targetted zone, islandwide.

Further, TOC should target their interviewees by wider age group in order to gather wider spectrum of opinions, comments and feedback regarding social and other important issues that affecting the daily life of Singaporeans.

Kueh Liang ,

Yes, we hope to do more. This video was a learning experience for the young – and inexperienced – team. We’re all learning as we go along. Hopefully, we won’t take too long to learn the ropes and will be able to do more in 2009.

Andrew

17) Kaffein on January 1st, 2009 9.19 am
I am very very impressed by the video. Good jobs, guys, and keep it up.
——————-

erm….the reporters are all gals. zero guys.

I hope TOC will interview different segments of the population in the future to get a broader feedback from the population at large. Most interviewed are the younger generations who are not affected by the many crisis that had happened. Their main concerns are education, NS, relationship, to name a few. These youths usually frequent places like Orchard and Clarke Quay . I hope TOC will visit places like Toa Payoh, Ang Mo Kio , Choa Chu Kang where the heartlanders can be also interviewed. Then we will be able to get a broader feedbacks on what the population really teel about year 2008. However, TOC reporters have been working hard and done a good job.

21) bong bong lee on January 1st, 2009 1.10 pm wrote:
“erm….the reporters are all gals. zero guys.”

—–
Look clearer at the article which stated:
“The team consisted of videographer Mervin Lee, reporters Teng Jingwei, Koh Yi Na, Deborah Choo, Vicki Yang, and head of the team, Roderick Chia.”

Hope you don’t just see things put in front of you. There are always those behind the scene too.

Also “guys” is a collective term for “team”, just like “cool off, man” may not pertain to an actual “man”.

I stand by my statement. *wink*

Cheers,
Kaffein

The singaporeans interviewed in the clip are morons. They don’t seem to be aware of anything important(piracy in the african seas, the escape of the terrorist locally, the financial crisis, fuel crisis, global warming etc.) This is simply pathetic. Good luck Singapore. You’ll need it for 2009 and beyond.

I notice that most of the people onlly interested in them self. It seem like what has happen has min impact on them. I just wish that people will be more aware on what is happen to the world and especially in your nation.

Has a good year 2009 .

i think PAP has done their jobs well….
by making our next generation mindset to
wishing for more money for the new year:D

Would be nice to have male reporters; is there gender discrimination at TOC?

And, the place where you interview people has influence on the response, doesnt it?

24) Mig29 on January 2nd, 2009 10.28 am
The singaporeans interviewed in the clip are morons. They don’t seem to be aware of anything important(piracy in the african seas, the escape of the terrorist locally, the financial crisis, fuel crisis, global warming etc.) This is simply pathetic. Good luck Singapore. You’ll need it for 2009 and beyond.

They are not morons just that they are being made into believing whatever is published on the shitty time and local MSM, where they hear and read only the good stuff. Only if TOC can create wider coverage of its existance to these people, then much of these people will come to know what are the baddies news that are being camouflaged from them.