Haroun logs out for the last time after 14 years in The Borneo Post.
KUCHING (April 9): The Borneo Post yesterday bade farewell to its senior news editor, Haroun Abdullah, 65, who retired after 46 years in the media industry.
He joined The Borneo Post 14 years ago as a news editor and in that time, he has proven to be a valuable member of the team with his attention to detail and efficiency.
Well-liked by his colleagues and peers for his positive disposition and sense of humour, the old boy of St Joseph’s School recalled that he joined the media industry as a broadcast journalist on Feb 2, 1975, with a pay of RM440.
“I remember one of my first assignments was covering a Datuk Richard Ho, who was then the transport minister. I was the only one at the Kuching Airport to cover him and I was just two weeks into the job, obviously a greenhorn.
“But I managed to impress my chief reporter,” he said after a small farewell party.
Haroun felt that reporters in the past had a more challenging time, pointing out that editors then did not mince their words and tend to be very strict.
“You have to be able to take being scolded but you learn from it and move on. You don’t bear grudges, you don’t quit.
“I think the difference between reporters today and back then is passion. If you want to do well as a journalist, you cannot look at the job as just a place to earn an income. You must have passion. If you have passion, you will be able to put up with a lot,” he said.
Haroun shifted to the print media after 18 years as a broadcast journalist. Before The Borneo Post, he was with the defunct The People’s Mirror as a sub editor followed by Malaysian Today where he rose to become chief sub-editor.
He has seen many changes in the media industry since he started, not least of which is how news is being consumed today via the internet.
“My hope is that the print media will continue to thrive. The Borneo Post as a newspaper must set itself apart from its website. It must continue to have content that stands out. I hope The Borneo Post will continue to grow to new heights,” he said.
As the senior news editor, Haroun was responsible for putting together the newspaper before it hits the streets.
The Borneo Post thanks him for his many years of service and wishes him all the best in his next chapter in life.
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