Journalism Portfolio

Hi! My name is Christy. I am a keen storyteller — and a work in progress at that. I produce multimedia stories with an interest in profile-driven pieces. This journey began with a love for photography, which later led to opportunities to write and produce videos. Behind it all, is a passion to know people deeply.

Multimedia Articles

PROFILE PIECES

Alien language? Shoutcasters like Daryl Lim are the voices behind e-sports tournaments (14 December 2019)

Daryl Lim, one of over a dozen shoutcasters in Singapore, talks about how he’s forging a career in this unconventional role in e-sports.

Alien language? Shoutcasters like Daryl Lim are the voices of e-sports tournaments

They used to race for money. Now, man and horse help heal the human spirit (17 Nov 2019)

Horses can live up to 25–30 years old, but most of them age out of their ‘purpose’ years before that. Shamri Samsudin once lived for the thrills of racehorse-riding. Now, he’s helping retired racehorses, polo ponies, riding school horses — to name a few — find a new lease of life as therapy aides.

Creature Comfort: The volunteers helping premature babies with octopus toys (1 April 2018)

Michelle Neo is a mother-of-one who kickstarted the use of crocheted octopus toys in Singapore to calm premature babies down. When one of her “preemie” beneficiaries passed on before she could complete a toy, she vowed to work harder and faster to produce more octopuses — even roping in a community of mothers to lend a hand.

Creature comfort: The volunteers helping premature babies with octopus toys

Threading the path less travelled: ‘Teeteeheehee’ Teresa Lim (28 May 2018)

Teresa Lim ditched her parents’ advice and societal pressures to focus on her passion for sewing. Along the way, she found a way to make money out of it.

Threading the path less travelled: ‘Teeteeheehee’ Teresa Lim

INVESTIGATIVE PIECES

Want lovelier fins? Pet fish get cosmetic fixes, as owners angle for perfection (26 May 2018) (714,185 views on CNA Insider’s Facebook page)

Inspired by an anecdote in Kevin Kwan’s Crazy Rich Asians, I spoke to two arowana fish farmers who perform cosmetic surgery for these ornamental fishes. While such beauty enhancements are in demand among owners, some are questioning the ethics and legality of such procedures.

Want lovelier fins? Pet fish get cosmetic fixes, as owners angle for perfection

All Roads Lead To Home — a final-year journalism package on foster care in Singapore

www.allroadsleadtohome.info

This year-long project saw my team and I producing stories on how the foster care system came to be and what more needs to be done; the hard truths of being foster parents; teens who fall through the crack, and the rising wave of community efforts to bolster the entire system. We spoke to various stakeholders in the system — parents, children, the Ministry of Social and Family Affairs, fostering agencies and homes as well as volunteers.

In particular, my team surfaced the issue of homeless teenagers, which was published in the national broadsheet:

Teens with no place to go home to

Our website was built from scratch through wix.com. To navigate the privacy concerns regarding the visuals for this piece, we commissioned a graphic designer for illustrations and conceptualised a photo series to best conceal our young newsmakers’ identities.

By Christy Yip:

Love is a Decision | All Roads Lead To Home

Pain of Separation | All Roads Lead To Home

Photojournalism

CNA Digital — SCDF personnel arrive at RWS where parts of the roof of the casino had collapsed, injuring four.

CNA Digital — Chinatown light up for year of the dog.

CNA Digital — Robert Downey Junior surprises children from the Make-A-Wish Foundation during world wish day, concurrent with the Avengers: Infinity War press conference.

CNA Digital — Chingay Parade 2018.

CNA Insider — Every weekend, Chinatown’s Smith Street comes alive when a group of spontaneous oldies boogie to busker Jack Tan’s music on the electronic flute. For the full story: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/cnainsider/boogie-memory-lane-street-jam-seniors-dancers-chinatown-10191604

The Nanyang Chronicle — NTU students Pek Jia Wei and Pek Jia Xuan perform during the hungry ghost festival ge tai season.

For the full story: http://www.nanyangchronicle.ntu.edu.sg/2017/09/25/growing-up-with-getai/

Eye on Estonia — a book published as part of a capstone overseas journalism module.

I was part of a team of final-year student journalists selected to travel to Estonia and uncover stories there. All stories, photographs and layouts were done by the students.

For the full e-book, visit:

https://issuu.com/gofar2018-eyeonestonia/docs/go-far_2018_-_eye_on_estonia_v2k

Go-Far 2018: Eye on Estonia — Photo story on Triin Rostfeldt, founder of Estonian Women Hunters’ Society, and her cause to help more women rise up to hunt in the forested country of Viljandi.

Go-Far 2018: Eye on Estonia — An article on the dwindling number of teachers in Estonia due to the profession’s bad rap.

Go-Far 2018: Eye on Estonia — Ms Anneli Lonks explains the history of the clock tower, the main attraction at Tallinn’s medieval Old Town, to tourists from Belgium. An English teacher during the rest of the year, the 53-year-old is amongst a group of teachers who work extra jobs to supplement their low income. She has been a teacher for 25 years and a city guide for ten. “The summer vacation was long and I was short on money, so this was the main reason I started working,” Ms Lonks said.

Go-Far 2018: Eye on Estonia — Ms Anneli Lonks, 53, directs a Belgian tourist in her group to an attraction in Tallinn’s renown Old Town. She has been working as a city guide for the past ten summers to supplement her income as an English teacher, her full-time job during the rest of the year. Despite the extra hours she has to put in, she still enjoys her work, Ms Lonks said. “I started mainly because I wanted to earn extra money. But it’s definitely also a good chance to practice my English and learn some history.”

Street Photography

I thrive on capturing moments of impact. Photos that I am proud of do not come easy but when I get them, that instance stays with me forever. Here are my proudest moments.

Shot for Horses That Heal, a story about an ex-jockey who retrains retired horses as therapy aides.

Mexico, 2017

Quebec City, 2017

Central Park, New York City, 2017

Hungary, 2016

Reinventing Storytelling: Jolt Bot

User journey of JoltBot