| Topic: Consequence and impact(Punishment and talking about the incident) Do you know prior punishment for the harasser? What do you think NUS did wrong regarding the punishment? Do you think NUS should have had a set of rules for sexual assault cases in the first place? Now, NUS has a new set of laws. What do you think of the current punishment? Do you think the current status quo has allowed us to talk about sexual harassment cases (ie. People telling their stories about being sexually assaulted) Do you think Monica should not have posted it on instagram? Does this incident pave the way for more people to tell their stories? | Name/age/occupation/school of interviewee: | Date/time/location of interview |
| 1.Yeah 2.They only suspended him for a while and it was because they wanted to bury the issue. They are a lot of sexual harrasment cases that are hidden and they wanted to bury it They were very lenient with him because he could have done worse, like rape her. They should have at least blacklisted him and expel him 3. They should have taken it straight to the police. Having their own set of laws or rules would only make them give leniecy. 4.This is what NUS should have done but it should have been stricter. 5. Singapore is a judgemental society so people who tell their stories would be looked down upon because everyone in Singapore wants to a perfect citizens. These victims are afraid to be judged and degraded. Singapore does not actually give them a platform to talk about these cases and stories. 6. Yes she should have posted it and was justified. But i also think she should have done more. 7. Yes, I feel like it will pave the way more as one person has come out and now people can be able to come out. They will not be scared because Monica has done it and Singapore would be more aware about issues like these happening in universities and workplaces. Follow-up questions: What do you think will happen when more stories come out in places like Instagram? There might be more fake news but it would not be major. But people can still be able to share these stories without being shamed by their friends. Why do you think that fake news would not be major issue? Fake news can be easily identified and nobody really believes whatever is said on social media. So I think there will be a positive effect. | Serena Chong, 17, Student | 17/07/2019 |
| 1. Yes 2. I feel like they didnt take this matter seriously and only after Monica publicised it, they just changed so that they can preserve their reputation. 3. They should have just taken cases like this straight to the police. 4. I’m happy that they changed the laws but they should have done it sooner. In the case of Monica, the guy would have probably done worse if she had not publicised it. It’s sad that it only took this to change it. 5. No, people are shamed for telling their sexual harrasment cases which makes other people fear talking about their cases 6. Yes it was justified as it made NUS take her case more seriously. 7. Yeah, they would be brave and comfortable to speak up about their experience and will not shamed for it. Follow up question: So, do you think social media is a good platform for people to talk about their cases if it was not taken seriously? Yes, because people will be more aware about stories of sexual harrassment and the victims would get the support he/she needed. | Gladys Tan, 18, Student | 17/07/2019 |
| 1. Yes 2. I get why they did not expel him at first because they probably did not want him to be ostracised in society but they have breached the trust of the students and this leniecy would not deter potential harraser. From there, the victim did not get justice and felt fear for her life. 3. No, as it does not deliver justice for the victims 4. In cases like this, the victim should go to the police and the school should aid her with the proces and help her figure out the process instead of keeping it in-campus. I get the system because we should be able to rehabilitate harrasers who are remorseful. 5. I have had friends who have been sexually harrased/assaulted. They are afraid of bringing it to their families because they feel like they will not understand and be blamed . One of my friends was actually blamed when she told her family about it. Some have had bad experiences with the police as they did not have support and the process was hard to handle, especially as a teenage girl. A guy friend went through this as well and they do not speak about it. There is just an element of shame in these victims. I honestly thought people knew where to go when cases like this happen. Yet, it seems some don’t really know. This girl had been sexually assaulted repeatedly and yet her friends did not help her at all. Victims don’t normally go to the police because it is a long process. Also the fact that there is victim blaming in Singapore. 6. Yeah, it reminded me of the MeToo movement and i like that she was brave enough to put it out there. 7. Yeah, it appears that people have shared stories with her and are encouraged to take action which is truly awesome | Sobikun Nahar, 20, Community worker | 19/07/2019 |
Tutorial 8: Vox Pop Reflections
What challenges did you face when interviewing people?
People don’t know the background story and sometimes, they don’t give proper answers as well
How did you overcome them?
We reiterate the story and when they don’t give proper answers, we will either rephrase and repeat the question for them to get back on topic
Were the concepts learnt applicable, how?
Yes. We knew how to listen to their answers carefully. However, we did ask one leading question so we have to keep in mind to not let our bias get through
Was it difficult to listen, understand, and formulate follow-up questions?
No, it wasn’t as we listened to their answers and knew what points to expand on and ask them to elaborate them.
Charmin's Fundamentals of Journalism Blog 