A few church members consisting of both students and working professionals have been quietly taking notes and shooting videos at the Subordinate Courts since the City Harvest trial started last Wednesday (May 15).
According to a Straits Times report, they are part of a core group of about 15 volunteer journalists working for City News, the church’s media outfit which aims to give its own perspective on the ongoing trial of its six leaders.
Pastor Kong Hee and five other senior aides are currently being tried for criminal breach of trust.
The team produces video news segments which are uploaded to its channel on YouTube, as well as online stories on the court proceedings. So far they tend to heavily feature comments from defence lawyers and church pastors.
A church spokesman said: “While we understand the mainstream media’s perspective, we hope to plug possible gaps for our members.”
She added: “Our media coverage will also help them to stop thinking that City Harvest Church is being ‘victimised’. Doing our own reporting helps to let members see that the church is part of society and we must let the judicial process run its course.”
While it is not uncommon for churches to have internal newsletters and online video channels, City Harvest is believed to be among the very few in Singapore with a dedicated news outlet covering stories from a Christian point of view.
The Catholic Church also has its own site and newspaper, both called Catholic News.
About five stories a week are usually published on City Harvest’s portal Citynews.sg but coverage during the trial may be more extensive, said the church’s spokesman.
The portal, originally started in 2008, covers a spectrum of topics such as parenthood, health and education. It added a Chinese section in 2010. Four issues are printed every year on special occasions such as Easter and Christmas.
City News declined to give details on how much money the church gives it for operations, but said it is not a large amount as volunteers are given compensation for only taxi rides and meals.
They have received in-house journalism training and have been taking turns to cover the trial. Several of them have media experience.
When the six leaders were first arrested last year, some church members went online to voice unhappiness at what they perceived as biased reporting by the mainstream media.
