THE Singapore Press Club, founded in 1971, has over the years established itself as the essential networking organisation for those working in the media, public relations and media-related areas
here.
Membership is broad-based. We have members from practically all local print and broadcast media as well as a growing number of foreign journalists based in Singapore.
The club organises a variety of functions throughout the year, and members are kept informed of activities through circulars, e-mails and our website: www.pressclub.org.sg
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Members meet regularly for lunch talks under the Eminent Speaker Talk Series at the historic Raffles Hotel. The club invites politicians, media personalities, foreign dignitaries and other VIPs to give talks and take part in forums and round-table discussions.
Notable names who have addressed us include Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew, Home Affairs Minister Wong Kan Seng, Defence Minister Teo Chee Hean, Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts Dr Lee Boon Yang, then Minister for Information and the Arts Brigadier-General George Yeo, MediaCorp Chairman Ho Kwon Ping, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy Dean Kishore Mahbubani, former National Arts Council chairmen Professor Tommy Koh and Mr Liu Thai Ker, and former Singapore High Commissioner in Kuala Lumpur, Mr K. Kesavapany, who is now Director of the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies.
Foreign dignitaries who have spoken at the club include Pakistan Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, former Indonesian Presidents Megawati Sukarnoputri and Abdurrahman Wahid, Japanese Economics Minister Heizo Takenaka, former Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Tyronne Fernando, World Trade Organisation Director-General Renato Ruggiero, Bloomberg News Chief Michael R. Bloomberg, BBC World Television Chief Executive Christopher Irwin, CNN International Vice-President Peter Vesey, International Monetary Fund Director for the Asia-Pacific region David Burton and International Association of Press Clubs' immediate past president Jim Laurie.
A popular innovation is the Ambassadors Speak Series of luncheon talks by ambassadors to Singapore. The most recent speakers were British High Commissioner Alan Collins and United States Ambassador Frank Lavin.
Social evenings, held regularly at our club house and other popular places, enable members to network and keep in touch with each other.
The Foreign Correspondents Association (Singapore) and the Institute of Public Relations of Singapore (IPRS) are often invited to join some of the Press Club activities.
Another highly popular activity is the Annual Goodwill Mission overseas, for which members pay their own way and spend their time visiting other countries in a programme designed for both enrichment and enjoyment. We have sent goodwill missions to India, Sri Lanka, New Zealand, the Philippines, South Africa, Romania, Mauritius, Turkey, Malaysia and China.
Such trips are organised in association with foreign airlines and diplomatic missions in Singapore.
A programme of visits to key local institutions has also been put in place. The programme so far has included visits to The Arts House (Old Parliament House), Changi Naval Base, Singapore Press Holdings' News Centre, the Port of Singapore, the Singapore Turf Club, Singapore Mint, Asian Civilisations Museum and Reuters news agency.
Members of the Singapore Press Club are issued with a credit-card size card which certifies their membership. The newly designed membership card doubles up as an identification tag, and members are encouraged to wear it at all club activities and in the club house.
The late Dr Wee Kim Wee, who was Singapore's fourth President from 1985 to 1993, was the Founder-President of the club. Former Editor-in-Chief of The Straits Times, the late Mr T. S. Khoo, was the second President of the club.
The affairs of the club are managed by a 15-member management committee elected every year. The current President is Leslie Fong, Executive Vice President, Singapore Press Holdings, who was earlier Editor of The Straits Times.
The Singapore Press Club is a founder-member and current President of the International Association of Press Clubs (IAPC), which has its general secretariat in Dubai. The IAPC aims to promote friendly contact among journalists worldwide and offers reciprocal visiting privileges among its member clubs, including those in Paris, London, Geneva, Munich, Milan, Vienna, Malta, Dubai, New Delhi, Hong Kong and Singapore.
Want to find out more about the Singapore Press Club? Come visit our website at www.pressclub.org.sg for more details. If you have any enquiries, please contact us at 63195121.
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