Balji, the editor with a double distinction – by Abhijit Nag
PN Balji occupies a unique place in Singapore journalism. The Straits Times has produced eminent editors like Peter Lim, Cheong Yip Seng, Leslie Fong and Han Fook Kwang. The Business Times has been edited by doyens like Mano Sabnani and Patrick Daniel. Warren Fernandez, the current editor-in-chief of The Straits Times, is no less impressive with degrees from Oxford and Harvard. But Balji alone has the distinction of being involved in the launch of two daily newspapers in Singapore. Starting as deputy editor of The New Paper when it debuted in 1988, he soon succeeded Peter Lim as editor and edited the paper for more than a decade, making it a successful, popular daily, before he went on to launch Today in the year 2000. All that’s history now. Today has ceased to be a printed newspaper and exists online only. The New Paper has become a freesheet. Neither bears any resemblance to the papers Balji edited and popularised. Recalling his unique role in Singapore journalism is going int