The Inquirer- 25 Questions with Benjamin Cheung
Source: http://thetypewriter.org/2015/12/the-inquirer-25-questions-with-benjamin-cheung/?utm_source=Tumblr&utm_medium=Tumblr_feed&utm_campaign=autopost
The Inquirer asks the Editor-in-Chief of the typewriter- Benjamin Cheung 25 questions about his inspirations, passions, views and thoughts of life to politics. So how does it be like to be the head of a young team trying to reshape news media? Let’s find out.
For those who don’t know Benjamin Cheung, he previously worked as a political speech writer for a British politician, studied and lived aboard for a year in England attending the University of Birmingham and was formerly a political commentator for an English newspaper. Although he has accomplished many things in life, he is particularly proud of the establishment of The Typewriter- a media organisation that provides daily news and current affairs that is aimed at a global audience and are told from local perspectives.
Source: Benjamin Cheung
How are you feeling these days?
To be honest, you know how cliche it is to say that you’re constantly running out of time because you have so much on your plate and you just want to find some time to chill if possible? Exactly that.
What’s the most exciting thing that happened to you this year?
I guess it is also the most challenging thing that happened to me this year as well. Last August we decided to move our head office from Sydney to Hong Kong. We were also shortlisted to a Start-up Entrepreneur competition in Hong Kong and the fact that we ended up in the semi-finalists beating over 300 tech startups in Asia, was indeed very exciting.
What’s the most exciting thing that happened to you this month?
The Typewriter moved its website content from one website to another one. I know it doesn’t sound glamorous, but the figurative process of ‘packing boxes’ and ‘unpacking them’ was a lot of fun and at times a bit challenging.
What inspired you to start up The Typewriter?
My frustration which built up across the years watching the news misrepresenting the truth and politicians claiming to know what’s best for others without actually knowing what is happening on the ground.
What’s the one thing you’ve learnt so far as the Editor in Chief of The Typewriter?
That one must always remain humble, and the more articles I read and edited the more humble I have become. Reading articles from real people from all around the world allows me to appreciate how little I know about the world, but it also allowed me to learn to be respectful of perspectives and differences.
Which book has positively shaped you?
George Orwell, “Politics and the English Language,” 1946 – it is a good read, but a book, but a good read.
What’s your definition of YOLO?
You only love once…. ?
If you could make a documentary, what would it be about?
The world’s youth being split into two: the Apathetic and the extremely passionate
If you ran the world, what law would you enact?
Pretty much everything in ICCPR and the Refugee Convention combined.
What’s the best article you’ve read so far on The Typewriter?
Come on Rachel, you know I cannot possibly comment on a question like this. Haha!
If you could give advice to your 15 year old self, what would it be?
Don’t buy the first generation iPhone, the best is yet to come!
What’s the one advice that you would give to other inspired entrepreneurs that wanted to start up an organisation/start up?
Prepare to fail and be ready to suck in the awful feeling of failure. If you are a person who cannot handle failures, go find a desk job. The odds are stacked against entrepreneurs so its the least realistic to think that you’ll be the next creator of Facebook or Uber. Your starting point should be ‘no one likes your idea right now, its worthless, how are you going to get everything attention?’
Can you sum up The Typewriter in one word?
Communication
Who’s a person dead or alive that you want to share a coffee with?
Bill O’Reily before he became famous.
How are you enjoying this interview?
That’s fine, I had more probing questions from others before.
Letters or Email?
Samsung or Apple?
HAHA, I use a Blackberry now.
Tea or Coffee?
Coffee for work, tea for leisure
Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “A right delayed is a right denied”. What do you think about it?
Dr. King is right.
What’s the best thing about working at The Typewriter?
To witness the potential of humanity. To understand how little you are and how insignificant your ideas and insights are when compared to the experience of others. To ‘hear’ the voices of those being affected and to feel what they feel.
If you didn’t start The Typewriter, what would you have done?
I was going to join politics (in fact I did meddle with political ambitions during the time I started The Typewriter, but I changed my mind). Or I was going to be a lawyer in rural Australia.
How do you feel about Salim Mehajer announcing his intention for running the country in the future?
I’ll quote from US Vice-President Joe Biden, one should only run for office if he or she is confident that he is then eat person to do it. If you’re not, but you’re just doing it for personal ambitions, then you should stay away from public office.
What have you learnt from being a political assistant at the Afghanistan Embassy?
That no matter how an expert I might have been in politics in Afghanistan or the region, no one can truly understand what’s going on in that country. You will never be able to see the problems in that country in the same way as local Afghans do.
What have you learnt about politics being a former speechwriter to a British politician?
Glamour and grandiose words can only get you so far, but that being said, eloquence is still better than being offensive and impolite. The most important thing of all political speeches, is that, behind all the nicely constructed sentences and phrases, there is genuine empathy and feelings to the words spoken. A speech will only touch the hearts of the people if they truly mean something. And politicians should stop hiding behind the facade of a caring politician during elections. Honesty has an effect more powerful than packaging.
What’s the one thing most people don’t know about you?
I used to be a competitive swimmer in my youth.
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