comm2gether
Journalism
1981
岑倚蘭：無懼社會變遷 謹記毋忘初衷SHAM Yee Lan: No fear of social changes, Never forget why you started
傳理系新聞主修 1981 年畢業生COMM Journalism major graduate, 1981
八十年代出道，由前線記者到香港記者協會主席，岑倚蘭經歷過香港回歸前後的變遷。 面對社會的各種衝擊，本著那份在傳理學院所培養對真相的渴求，讓她多年來也堅守「唯真為善」。Debuting in the 1980s, from a front-line reporter to the Chairman of the Hong Kong Journalists Association, SHAM Yee-lan has experienced the changes of Hong Kong before and after its reunification. In the face of social turmoil, she always upholds the value, “Truth is virtue”, all because of her hunger for the truth cultivated by the School of Communication.
文 / 周裕欣、李凱瑤、廖天納、陸文倩、王建欣、楊靜怡
編 / 伍頴賢
有人認為：「興趣不可以當飯吃！」，岑倚蘭（岑倚）偏偏就以興趣作爲自己最主要的選科準則。她自小關心時事，喜愛歷史，有一顆鋤強扶弱的心。「當年看新聞見到約翰甘迺迪被人刺殺，就有股衝動祈禱想他平安無事。」在衡量興趣及成績後，她在社工系和新聞系中二擇其一，選擇了後者——浸會大學的「皇牌學科」，成就了今天的「岑倚」。
讀書三件事
談到大學生活，岑倚說當年只有「三件事」，就是上課、做專題研習和幫別人補習湊學費 。而讀新聞系的更是份外辛勞，要負責編輯「新報人」，出外採訪，更要閱讀很多課外書， 難怪她直言：「廿四小時都不夠用！」當中令她最難忘的便是張國興老師（老爺）的課堂。「 老爺好嚴，好像軍訓，一定要我們考英文能力試，還將我們的成績貼出來！」但正正因為老爺的嚴厲教導，讓她清楚明白到成為記者應有的道德觀和原則，尤其是記者的使命和職責中「四不」主義：不黨、不賣、不私、不盲，為日後走出「大染缸」打好穩固的基礎。
堅守正道 摒除滋擾聲音
畢業後，岑倚順理成章加入新聞行業。面對這份極具挑戰性的工作，岑倚也多次為尋求真相，而身陷險境：「還記得當年在東歐採訪時，因為沒帶簽證而被人打；剛剛改革開放時，我們為採訪其他國家大使，闖入了他們居住的釣魚台國賓館。事後回想也感到膽顫心驚！」雖然如此，但這些經歷讓岑倚接近真相、見證歷史，成為她堅守崗位的一大推動力。
從事新聞工作三十載，岑倚也不免遇過不少難關挑戰，並感嘆道：「讀書是天堂，出來工作很殘酷，從我做記者到管理層，社會都是複雜的。」她曾試過被上司要求不以「六四」新聞作頭條，又試過被要求不報導有關某機構的新聞。面對種種困難，岑倚依然堅守原則，以大眾利益為前題：「若然有新聞但不報導，是剝削市民的知情權。正因如此，記者的筆可以是武器，決定很多人的命運，所以必須小心。」
毋忘初衷
多年的經驗，讓岑倚坦言記者工作是危險的，加上現今社會環境惡劣，新聞自由下滑，記者的工作將越趨艱巨，但正因如此，社會更需要記者報導真相。岑倚認為，作為記者，保持好奇及擁有獨立思考能力至關重要，必需多看、多寫、多聽，以宏觀理性的角度理解社會和世界。岑倚亦寄語一眾師弟妹：「縱然這行收入低、前景未明，但能夠影響社會的滿足感比任何事都要大！謹記那團讓你燃燒的火焰，毋忘初衷，便問心無愧。」Written by: Charis Chau, Yoyo Lee, Samuel Liu, Janice Luk, Cathy Wong, Emily Yeung
Edited and translated by: Natalie Ng
Some believe we shouldn’t turn our passions into a career while Sham Yee Lan (Sham Yee) chose her major based on her interests. She cares about society, loves history and helping the weak, “When I saw John F. Kennedy was assassinated in the news, I wish to send him my prayer.” After considering her interests and academic results, she struggled to make a choice between programs of Social Work and Journalism. Eventually, she chose the latter, becoming an expert in the news industry today.
The three things
Sham Yee shared her university life was filled with only three things, attending classes, conducting projects, and giving private tutorials to make up tuition fees. Studying journalism was much more arduous as they needed to write for San Po Yan, conduct interviews, and read many books, which she felt 24 hours were not enough to finish them! Talking about the most unforgettable moments, she mentioned lessons taught by Mr Chang Kuo-sin, “Mr Chang was very strict. He must test our English ability and post up our results.” Nonetheless, his teaching enabled Sham Yee to clearly understand the four NOs of journalists: not to follow any parties, not to sell, not to have evil intentions, not to be blind, which built a solid foundation for her future career.
Stick to the right path
After graduation, Sham Yee joined the news industry. The challenging job has put Sham Yee in danger when she was seeking truth, “I was beaten on a train as I forgot to bring my visa when I was in Eastern Europe for interviews. Back to the early days of Chinese economic reform, I broke into the Diaoyutai Guesthouse in order to interview ambassadors of other countries. It was really terrifying.“ Nevertheless, these experiences made Sham Yee close to truth, and witness history, which motivated her to commit to her work.
Sham Yee has also encountered many difficulties in her 30-year journalistic career, “It’s always good when we are in schools. There are lots of challenges and cruelty at work. Working from a reporter to management, society is complex to me.” Her boss once demanded her not to use the Tiananmen Square Protests as the news headline. She was also asked not to report news of an organization. Facing all kinds of obstacles, Sham Yee adhered to her principles, putting public interest in the first place, “If we try to avoid certain news, it exploits the public’s right to know. Hence, we must be very careful as what we write would affect different stakeholders.”
Never forget why you started
Equipped with years of experience, Sham Yee admits that the work of a journalist is dangerous. Moreover, the social turmoil and the decline of press freedom would make the situation even worse. However, journalists are more important to current society to tell the truth. As a journalist, Sham Yee believes that it is essential to keep curious and independent thinking. We must read more, write more, and listen more to understand society and the world from a macro-perspective rationally. She addresses, “Even though the job income is low and with uncertainties in prospect, it is really satisfying when my news stories can influence society! Keep your passion and never forget why you started!”
編 / 伍頴賢
有人認為：「興趣不可以當飯吃！」，岑倚蘭（岑倚）偏偏就以興趣作爲自己最主要的選科準則。她自小關心時事，喜愛歷史，有一顆鋤強扶弱的心。「當年看新聞見到約翰甘迺迪被人刺殺，就有股衝動祈禱想他平安無事。」在衡量興趣及成績後，她在社工系和新聞系中二擇其一，選擇了後者——浸會大學的「皇牌學科」，成就了今天的「岑倚」。
讀書三件事
談到大學生活，岑倚說當年只有「三件事」，就是上課、做專題研習和幫別人補習湊學費 。而讀新聞系的更是份外辛勞，要負責編輯「新報人」，出外採訪，更要閱讀很多課外書， 難怪她直言：「廿四小時都不夠用！」當中令她最難忘的便是張國興老師（老爺）的課堂。「 老爺好嚴，好像軍訓，一定要我們考英文能力試，還將我們的成績貼出來！」但正正因為老爺的嚴厲教導，讓她清楚明白到成為記者應有的道德觀和原則，尤其是記者的使命和職責中「四不」主義：不黨、不賣、不私、不盲，為日後走出「大染缸」打好穩固的基礎。
堅守正道 摒除滋擾聲音
畢業後，岑倚順理成章加入新聞行業。面對這份極具挑戰性的工作，岑倚也多次為尋求真相，而身陷險境：「還記得當年在東歐採訪時，因為沒帶簽證而被人打；剛剛改革開放時，我們為採訪其他國家大使，闖入了他們居住的釣魚台國賓館。事後回想也感到膽顫心驚！」雖然如此，但這些經歷讓岑倚接近真相、見證歷史，成為她堅守崗位的一大推動力。
從事新聞工作三十載，岑倚也不免遇過不少難關挑戰，並感嘆道：「讀書是天堂，出來工作很殘酷，從我做記者到管理層，社會都是複雜的。」她曾試過被上司要求不以「六四」新聞作頭條，又試過被要求不報導有關某機構的新聞。面對種種困難，岑倚依然堅守原則，以大眾利益為前題：「若然有新聞但不報導，是剝削市民的知情權。正因如此，記者的筆可以是武器，決定很多人的命運，所以必須小心。」
毋忘初衷
多年的經驗，讓岑倚坦言記者工作是危險的，加上現今社會環境惡劣，新聞自由下滑，記者的工作將越趨艱巨，但正因如此，社會更需要記者報導真相。岑倚認為，作為記者，保持好奇及擁有獨立思考能力至關重要，必需多看、多寫、多聽，以宏觀理性的角度理解社會和世界。岑倚亦寄語一眾師弟妹：「縱然這行收入低、前景未明，但能夠影響社會的滿足感比任何事都要大！謹記那團讓你燃燒的火焰，毋忘初衷，便問心無愧。」Written by: Charis Chau, Yoyo Lee, Samuel Liu, Janice Luk, Cathy Wong, Emily Yeung
Edited and translated by: Natalie Ng
Some believe we shouldn’t turn our passions into a career while Sham Yee Lan (Sham Yee) chose her major based on her interests. She cares about society, loves history and helping the weak, “When I saw John F. Kennedy was assassinated in the news, I wish to send him my prayer.” After considering her interests and academic results, she struggled to make a choice between programs of Social Work and Journalism. Eventually, she chose the latter, becoming an expert in the news industry today.
The three things
Sham Yee shared her university life was filled with only three things, attending classes, conducting projects, and giving private tutorials to make up tuition fees. Studying journalism was much more arduous as they needed to write for San Po Yan, conduct interviews, and read many books, which she felt 24 hours were not enough to finish them! Talking about the most unforgettable moments, she mentioned lessons taught by Mr Chang Kuo-sin, “Mr Chang was very strict. He must test our English ability and post up our results.” Nonetheless, his teaching enabled Sham Yee to clearly understand the four NOs of journalists: not to follow any parties, not to sell, not to have evil intentions, not to be blind, which built a solid foundation for her future career.
Stick to the right path
After graduation, Sham Yee joined the news industry. The challenging job has put Sham Yee in danger when she was seeking truth, “I was beaten on a train as I forgot to bring my visa when I was in Eastern Europe for interviews. Back to the early days of Chinese economic reform, I broke into the Diaoyutai Guesthouse in order to interview ambassadors of other countries. It was really terrifying.“ Nevertheless, these experiences made Sham Yee close to truth, and witness history, which motivated her to commit to her work.
Sham Yee has also encountered many difficulties in her 30-year journalistic career, “It’s always good when we are in schools. There are lots of challenges and cruelty at work. Working from a reporter to management, society is complex to me.” Her boss once demanded her not to use the Tiananmen Square Protests as the news headline. She was also asked not to report news of an organization. Facing all kinds of obstacles, Sham Yee adhered to her principles, putting public interest in the first place, “If we try to avoid certain news, it exploits the public’s right to know. Hence, we must be very careful as what we write would affect different stakeholders.”
Never forget why you started
Equipped with years of experience, Sham Yee admits that the work of a journalist is dangerous. Moreover, the social turmoil and the decline of press freedom would make the situation even worse. However, journalists are more important to current society to tell the truth. As a journalist, Sham Yee believes that it is essential to keep curious and independent thinking. We must read more, write more, and listen more to understand society and the world from a macro-perspective rationally. She addresses, “Even though the job income is low and with uncertainties in prospect, it is really satisfying when my news stories can influence society! Keep your passion and never forget why you started!”
