Former Straits Times editor-in-chief Cheong Yip Seng tells us about how he negotiated OB markers with the government during his tenure (1987–2006), how he juggled the interests of the paper’s stakeholders, and which news story he nearly went to jail for.

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What Cheong Talked About

About the Guest

Cheong Yip Seng is a veteran journalist. He was editor-in-chief of The Straits Times from 1987 to 2006 and editorial adviser to the South China Morning Post from 2012 to 2020. He has written OB Markers: My Straits Times Story and Ink and Influence: An OB Markers Sequel.

Resources

Cheong Yip Seng, OB Markers: My Straits Times Story (Singapore: Straits Times Press, 2013).

Cheong Yip Seng, Ink and Influence: An OB Markers Sequel (Singapore: World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., 2025).

Credits

This episode of BiblioAsia+ was hosted by Jimmy Yap and produced by Soh Gek Han. Sound engineering was done by Nookcha Films. The background music "Di Tanjong Katong" was composed by Ahmad Patek and performed by Chords Haven. Special thanks to Cheong Yip Seng for coming on the show.

About the Podcast

BiblioAsia+ is a podcast about Singapore history by the National Library Singapore.

Transcript