Who am I?

Susan Tam is my name, ironically enough, I was unknowingly named after a veteran business journalist and often get mistaken for her during the course of my work. I've been a print journalist with The Star, an English daily based in Kuala Lumpur, for six years now.

I started my career in the political and general newsdesk covering politics, health and social issues, environment concerns and occasionally the off-beat issues. During the five years on the general desk, I had the chance to produce and present video reports for webcast on the newspaper's website and recently, did voice reports for Red FM, the daily's sister radio station. I do not write for the online version, but our print reports are reproduced in the website, which is popular among Malaysians abroad, so we are told.

After five years of covering the political and social beats, I decided that it was time for a change and moved to the business desk, venturing into what many have termed it as a “dry and boring desk.” I agree that the business topics are somewhat technical and less colourful than political scandals, but learning financial terms and reading the trends of the stock market is challenging in itself. With the experiences at the political and business desk, I hope to learn all the traits as a well-rounded journalist, as well as improve my skills with emergence of new mediums and adapt to the different ways of how journalists have to work in this changing environment.

I have not the chance to fully explore my skills as a multi-medium journalist, I hope to do with with the guidance of this course, Dr. Quinn and also through sharing of experiences of my colleagues in the industry.

If not spending time chasing after corporates and ordinary folk for stories, I spend my weekends volunteering for a charity portal, orphanages, and meeting the disabled. I love latin dances, it is my dream, which I claim as my only sporting activity.

I'd like to be able to teach one day, perhaps to some (poor) unknowing journalism students, but am more inclined to volunteer for underpriviledged communities, not my dancing skills, I hope.:)