Singapore

ANITA Gabriel, a senior correspondent of The Business Times (BT), on Thursday (Feb 10) won the Story of the Year award for her report, "Singapore's largest independent electricity retailer iSwitch powers down" at the SPH Media Trust (SMT) annual journalism awards for its English / Malay / Tamil Media Group.

The report on the closure of Singapore's largest independent electricity retailer had generated buzz in various news outlets and online forums when it was published on Oct 13 last year.

It also gained traction because it was reported right before the global gas crunch and energy crisis hit.

Gabriel began covering the volatility of Singapore's electricity market as early as July last year, months before iSwitch's exit. She was able to break the story based on a tip-off and after confirmation with multiple sources.

"It was such an adrenaline rush for me to want to be the first to get this story out for BT's readers in this 24/7 news cycle," she said.

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"I felt the same rush in the ensuing days to cover the stories on more exits among hard-hit electricity retailers, and at times, it was pretty intense."

BT editor Wong Wei Kong said: "Anita was the first to break this story about the shock exit of iSwitch, which was a watershed event in the development of Singapore's open electricity market."

He added: "Clearly, this was a piece of news that had repercussions across all segments of Singapore, from the big manufacturers to the SME owner, to the man on the street. We hope her doggedness in chasing leads can inspire more young reporters."

There were 2 other big awards handed out at the annual Newscom Awards.

The Straits Times' Malaysia bureau chief Shannon Teoh was recognised as Journalist of the Year, and Jean Iau, also from ST, was named Young Journalist of the Year.