Background
For the purpose of this assignment, I have chosen to propose a commentary about the need to replicate India’s first pet yoga initiative called- PAWGA, in Singapore. PAWGA is an interesting and a highly relevant concept that came into being in the year 2020, but is gaining immense traction lately. It is a great way in which India is dealing with its heavy population of stray dogs which is around 35 million as of 2023. In addition to human welfare, in the sense that they are offered the opportunity to practice yoga amidst dogs- that are known to be therapeutic animals; PAWGA serves to be a foster-care center for these stray animals and encourages people to adopt them. On the other hand, although Singapore has no stray dogs, it has about 50 thousand stray cats. I believe in the potential that the replicability of the PAWGA-concept beholds in Singapore.
News Angle
- Problematize the growing stray cats’ population in Singapore
- Bring to light the dearth in initiatives to curb the aforementioned situation
- Present the similarities with respect to stray animals between Singapore and India
- Present the example of India’s establishment of PAWGA as a response to ameliorating their stray animal population growth problem
- Establish the possibility of replicating the PAWGA concept in Singapore
- Highlight the repercussions of the aforementioned action
Target Digital Publication
As per preliminary research, The Straits Times- an English-language daily newspaper of Singapore Press Holdings Ltd (SPH), which is one of Asia’s leading media organizations, would be the best for the publication of my news feature. In addition, The Straits Times is one of Singapore’s most widely read news sites. When it comes to the frequency of visiting The Straits Times website, it ranks third.
Target Audience
The target audiences of my news commentary would be the following-
- Non-Profit/Governmental Animal Rescue and Welfare Organizations
- Non-Profit/Private Yoga Institutes based in Singapore
- Animal Lovers in Singapore
- Social Activists in Singapore
- In terms of relatability, since Indians constitute a major portion of the overall population of Singapore, I believe they would serve to be socioculturally more prominent consumers of this news commentary.
Information Gathering Method and Sources
1. Information Gathering Method: Zoom Interviews (Since both the geographical locations of focus are international)
2. Information Sources:
- Subhashree Madhavan, Co-Founder, PAWGA (Will be contacted via LinkedIn)
- Swathi Renugopal, Co-Founder, PAWGA (Will be contacted via LinkedIn)
- Animal Lovers League (ALL)– Home to over 500 stray animals (Will be contacted via WhatsApp, which has been provided on their official website)
- Nya Sharma- Personal contact of a Singapore local resident and animal lover
I think your idea for this commentary is quite interesting. The background information establishes the newsworthiness of the idea with the situation in India. You’ve also provided information on how the PAWGA initiative can be relevant in Singapore with their stray cat population and your argument in problematising the issue within the country.
You bring up good points in your news angle to support your argument, but I would like to see more counterarguments provided to present a more well rounded commentary piece. I agree with your target publication and audience, though some data from user analysis would have better supported this.
You’ve provided a good spectrum of interviewees but are lacking written secondary sources. If it’s possible to obtain them for your idea, I think your proposal would benefit from it.
Hyperlinks are relevant. The blog post was clear and formatted well with excellent readability, though you are missing a post subheading.