OF PILLS,PILATES, & GLOSSY MAGAZINES IS JOOST 'N HEILIGE KOEI VIR DIE MEDIA? - Journalism Department
←
→
Page content transcription
If your browser does not render page correctly, please read the page content below
OF PILLS,PILATES, GOODBYE, IS JOOST ’N HEILIGE & GLOSSY MAGAZINES MEDIASAURUS KOEI VIR DIE MEDIA?
FROM THE
EDITOR
Kim Harrisberg
EDITOR
ASSISTANT EDITOR
Francois Badenhorst
PHOTOGRAPHIC EDITOR
Gysbert Visser
PRODUCTION MANAGER
Gerrit van Rooyen
ART DIRECTOR
Christopher Udemans
GRAPHICS EDITOR
Mieke Vlok
CIRCULATION TEAM
Ineke Coetzee (Manager)
Louzel Lombard
Puleng Koneshe
SUB EDITORS
Xanthe Hunt
Bronwyn Douman
Monique Mortlock
Dayne Elizabeth Nel
T
Lauren Voges
hroughout this year, countless en petisies tydens die Arabiese Lente te Amber Kriel
characters have come through reël. Hulle het boonop YouTube gebruik Anika Marais
the doors of our journalism om dié protesaksies met die wêreld te Amanda du Pisanie
department to speak to deel. Liani Jansen van Rensburg
our class on an array of topics. One The future of media is unchartered
golden thread trailing through these territory and this means there is PHOTOGRAPHERS
discussions has been the uncertainty space for pioneering journalism, Marinette Potgieter
surrounding the future of journalism. for journalism that is brave and for Leigh Schaller
We have come to realise that with journalism that is new. Fhumulani Justice Khumela
this uncertainty comes a void filled with We chose the name of this year’s SMF
both apprehension and excitement. with all of this in mind. When Aldous ONLINE TEAM
Undoubtedly, the media industry is Huxley wrote Brave New World in Megan Bursey
in a state of flux, with social networks the 1930s, apprehension surrounding Terzel Rasmus
changing the way we communicate Britain’s post-industrialised future ran Nthabaleng Mzizi
across borders, cultures and even rampant.
rooms. This text became the symbolic
In die nadraai van die terreur aanval forewarning of a future so meticulously CONTENT SUPERVISOR
op die Westgate-winkelsentrum in engineered by man that human Johannes Bertus de Villiers
Nairobi, het pres. Uhuru Kenyatta autonomy was removed all together. At
van Kenia via Twitter teruggekap the first sign of sadness, citizens of this SPECIAL THANKS TO
ná Al-Shabaab wat in hul twiets world ingest a drug that inspires a type Marissa Honey
verantwoordelikheid vir die aanval of anaesthetised contentment. Gerda Engelbrecht
aanvaar het. As journalists, we are learning that Johann van Tonder
Die publiek het op sosiale media oor sometimes the sting of reality can be a Hentie van der Merwe
Oscar Pistorius se skuld besluit, nog hard pill to swallow too. Yet we hope to
voordat hy sy voete in die hof gesit het. face this reality with a lucid excitement, We thank Roann Louw for
ʼn Nuwe presedent vir aanlyn-laster void of preconceived cynicism for what providing the illustration used
is geskep deur regter Nigel Willis se the future of journalism may hold. in the adaptation of Aldous
uitspraak oor lasterlike inskrywings op We hope to look back at this Huxley’s seminal book cover on
Facebook. production in many years’ time and our front page.
Aktiviste in die Arabiese wêreld know that, in contrast to Huxley, there
beweer sosiale netwerke het dit vir was no sarcasm in our word choice
hul makliker gemaak om met ander when we named this year’s SMF:
aktiviste te skakel en optogte, proteste Brave New World.
CONTENTS
PHOTO: Gysbert Visser
INVESTIGATIVE GOODBYE, MEDIAURUS FRANCOIS BADENHORST 4 | SECTION 32 KIM HARRISBERG 6| SAVING THE WORLD ONE MILLION AT A TIME MARINETTE POTGIETER 9 | SPOEG EN PLAK JOERNALISTIEK: DEEL JY, OF STEEL JY? MIEKE VOLK 12 | OF PILLS,PILATES, & GLOSSY MAGAZINES XANTHE HUNT 14 | FOGGY FUTURE FOR JOURNALISM GRADUATES PULENG KONESHE 17 | SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS CAN GET YOU IN TROUBLE BRONWYN DOUMAN 20 | VIRAL VIGILANTISM CHRISTOPHER UDEMANS 22 PEOPLE RACHEL JAFTA: MOEDER MEDIA DAYNE NEL 25 | A NEW WAVE OF SMILE FHUMULANI JUSTICE KHUMELA 28 | NEW KIDS ON THE OLD BLOCK NTHABELENG MZIZI 30| THE SOCIAL MEDIA A(GANG) LAUREN VOGES 33 ISSUES ‘PRAWN STARS’ OP DIE PLATTELAND LOUZEL LOMBARD 38 | PETROLPRYS: WORD DAAR GEKONKEL? GERRIT VAN ROOYEN 41| SKAKELWESE – LAND VAN MELK EN HEUNING? AMBER KRIEL 44 | PHOTOJOURNALISM: THE FIGHT AGAINST THE DYING OF THE LIGHT GYSBERT VISSER 46 | IS JOOST ’N HEILIGE KOEI VIR DIE MEDIA? ANIKA MARAIS 50 | VIRTUELE BEWARING EN SY REWOLUSIE LIANI JANSEN VAN RENSBERG 53| BLAME IT ON THE BRAIN MONIQUE MORTLOCK 56 | GETTING A SHARE OF THE FOURTH ESTATE LEIGH SCHALLER 60 | THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF MANTO, MEDICINE AND THE MEDIA TERZEL RASMUS 62 | MENSE VAN STAAL AMANDA DU PISANIE 64 | CAMPAIGNING FOR CHANGE IN THE RAPE CAPITAL MEGAN BURSEY 66| TWITTER: NIE NET HASHTAGS EN GLITTER INEKE COETZEE 68 SHORTS FOUR THINGS TO LIKE ABOUT SOCIAL MEDIA XANTHE HUNT 72 | GRIM REALITY OR GROTESQUE SPECTACLE? FRANCOIS BADENHORST & GYSBERT VISSER 73
6 | SMF | INVESTIGATIVE
GOODBYE,
MEDIASAURUS
The current model of mass media is cumbersome, greedy and
creatively stifling. And it should be left to die. But what comes
in its place? Francois Badenhorst went from Cape Town to New
York looking for answers.
“T
o my mind, it is likely that anachronism that is TV news. irreversible decline in journalism, they
what we now understand What Crichton could not have are a roaring success.
as the mass media will be predicted was the journalism that is Their content is not the usual fare. In
gone within ten years,” starting to develop in the Internet age. one story, “A Shadow Remains”, Phillip
wrote the author Michael Crichton in a In the shadows of that crumbling edifice Toledano does nothing other than trace
1993 article entitled “Mediasaurus” in of old media, a revolution is taking the decline and death of his parents. It’s
Wired Magazine. “Vanished, without a place,where journalism is thriving, brilliant: Beautifully filmed, intimate
trace.” creating and returning to the important and of sublime quality. Stories like these
And yet here we sit, 19 years on, and things. are Mediastorm’s bread and butter –
the Mediasaurus endures – barely. arrestingly human and utterly universal.
Mass media’s survival has been a hollow BRIAN STORM does not have a “We do stories that we think are going
victory. It is, after all, in dire straits. secretary. When I knock on the door of to matter for a long period of time.
Recently, Amazon.com founder Jeff the loft in Brooklyn, New York, where Stories that will touch you whether you
Bezos bought the once great Washington his company, Mediastorm, is based, he live in South Africa or Brooklyn,” says
Post, inspiring Salon.com’s Andrew answers. Storm. “Because we’re the same, you and
Leonard to wryly note, “The iceberg Mediastorm is a four-time Emmy I are the same. We care about the same
just rescued the Titanic”. Everywhere, Award-winning multimedia journalism things.”
the fortunes of once indomitable company. They specialise in producing Mediastorm’s ability to produce
newspapers like the Post floundering. videos and photo essays, all for the quality human narratives is why they are
And let’s not even speak about the web. And, in this era of a seemingly thriving. Mediastorm does well because
[ ]
INVESTIGATIVE | SMF | 7
its stories pluck at our natures. And in “The problem that most people have
its subjects we see ourselves. They elicit
a pathos that you can’t find on the front It’s as if media when they talk about the future of media
is they tend to limit their outcome
page of the daily paper.
Storm’s business attire consists
companies within a specific medium,” says Heinz
Oldewage, product manager at News24.
of a black tee, shorts and leather believe that “They say ‘print is dying and digital is
sandals, quite a change from his days
as MSNBC’s head of multimedia. He the internet is taking over’. But none of that matters:
Quality journalism will always be there.”
beckons me in, showing me around the
minimalist office as you would a stranger
a journalistic Everyone wants to go “digital”. But
what does this mean? It’s as if media
visiting your home. And this does seem panacea. companies believe that the internet is a
to be Storm’s home – or, at least, his journalistic panacea. Companies seem
spiritual home. intent on merely reproducing the same
It doesn’t take long for Storm’s Because media companies are trying to exact content, just online.
iconoclastic streak to manifest. “What artificially keep a defunct model alive. The internet is an amazing
really happened is that we sold our craft In an analysis of the The New York opportunity, certainly, but it can’t be
to business people.” He plunges in head Times’ recently released digital revenue, the case of the same old poppycock,
first. There’s a second of silence as he Henry Blodget of Business Insider different platform. Before that changes,
formulates an argument to qualify his calculated an operating profit of forget about pay walls and pay-per-view.
statement. $70 million, enough to fund a newsroom The medium is not the message.
“Look at newspapers. Newspapers of 850 journalists – a breathtaking Journalists need to fall in love with their
were amazing business, putting out amount. This crushes the idea that big craft again. That means storytelling
20-25% profit margins. And instead of media companies can’t make the leap to – human narratives that matter. And
those publications investing that money digital. that also means embracing all the old
in their people and training them for this But this 850-person newsroom is still journalistic values of true and accurate
next generation, they ended up selling significantly smaller than the Times’ reportage, information gathering and
to business people.” He describes this current newsroom. As Blodget writes, impartiality. These are qualities that are
story like a man describing the death of “The New York Times’ digital news borderless, universal.
his beloved dog. “And then they all went business will not support a newsroom Frustratingly, the uncertainty has
public and all of a sudden they aren’t the size of The New York Times’ current led media companies to push for more
answering to their readers anymore, newsroom.” deadlines, to churn out more stories.
they are answering to shareholders. The future of media lies with leaner, This fallacy has been driven by the
“The problem with that model is: It more tactile companies. “We’re a nine- familiar web 2.0 ephemera of viral
doesn’t matter how much money you person company,” explains Storm. “And content.
make, it only matters that you make I don’t ever want that figure to go above But journalism does not belong in the
more. And that’s not journalism – that’s twenty – no matter how big we get.” rat race for viral fame. “I argue that in
not our job. And if you’re mandated to In South Africa, Moneyweb.co.za this space there are two things you want
drive revenue, well no one in journalism has made a success with a staff of just to be: Really funny or really, really high
wakes up in the mornings and says ‘I 35 people. Its editor, Ryk van Niekerk, quality,” explains Storm. “Because those
wanna drive revenue today!’” expresses a view in line with Storm’s. are the things that people post, those
“I would like to keep it as small as are the things that people will spread for
STORM DOES touch on a critical possible. If had my way; I would only you.”
point: Profit. Media is a business and use freelancers,” explains Van Niekerk The insistence on volume in lieu of
journalists don’t work for charity. Profit with a brisk confidence. quality is a subversion of what people
is needed to fund excellent journalism. “Journalists are expensive, especially want. “Most of what journalism is, is
But the relentless pursuit of profit, the for online. A good journalist earns R45 speed, very low quality, and we don’t get
insatiable News Corporation-style desire 000 to R50 000 a month. So, we only anywhere with that,” says Storm. “What
to keep expanding, is wrong. And it’s have six journalists.” we do is we work on a story until we do
costing journalism. Moneyweb is ranked by Alexa Internet not have the skill to make it any better.”
“The numbers are important, of as the 149th most visited website in Yes, there’s social media. Yes, print
course. I’ve got to be able to pay these South Africa, with just over 300,000 is changing beyond recognition. And
guys’ salaries,” says Storm. “But how visitors a month. Not exactly web titans. yes, journalists will lose their jobs in the
much money do you need? I need But they don’t need to be. A leaner rift caused by this epochal shift we are
enough money to keep doing what we’re newsroom means they do well because experiencing.
doing.” Mediastorm is a media company they have to spend less. It’s simple But there’s hope. Just like the crafty,
that is not driven solely by profit. economics. nimble mammals that found their way
On the other hand, the wrongheaded in the wake of the asteroid that wiped
desire to constantly expand means BUT ALL this talk of mediums, out the dinosaurs, media companies can
many media companies have sabotaged platforms and monetisation is forge a new path.
themselves. And all the talk of pay walls diverting attention away from the real The Mediasaurus is gone. Long live
and monetisation are rendered inane, conversation. the media mammal.
8 | SMF | INVESTIGATIVE
SECTION 32
Community journalism, both by and for rural communities,
has been shown to work and to work well. Is the same
possible for the rural areas of the Eastern Cape?
Kim Harrisberg investigates.
It is in these
areas that I
began to
understand the
term “media” is
far outshone by
other elements
of priority: water,
electricity,
housing and
food.
Ayabonga Dinise stands outside
a rondavel in Tsitsa.
PHOTOS: Kim Harrisberg
INVESTIGATIVE | SMF | 9
H
e is leaning against the grey Dinise explains that he sometimes World Wide Worx report shows that
wall of the rondavel with his watches programmes on a shared radio may not be the only means of
eyes fixed on something in television in his village. He does not media access for rural communities.
the distance. Only later will read the daily paper; to buy it would The annual report, compiled by media
I realise this is his discomfort, rather mean a day trip to the nearest town analyst Arthur Goldstuck, showed that,
than disinterest. A rooster screeches and money that could rather be spent in 2012, rural Facebook and Twitter
just before he speaks, making him take on food or cigarettes. Like others in the users were fast catching up with their
another breath before continuing. villages we come across, radio is their urban counterparts.
“My name is Ayabonga Dinise. I am information-heartbeat. I am not the The report explains that the number
eighteen years old. I am in grade ten. I first to ask how the elusive concept of of urban, adult Facebook users is just
live in Tsitsa.” media could become a reality, not only less than double the number of rural
“And do you know the term ‘media’?” for these communities, but also by these users, but rural users are on par with
I ask. communities, by individuals like Dinise. where urban users were 18 months
“Media? No,” he says, his eyes now I speak to Siya Qoza, the spokesman ago. The same goes for Twitter. It is
dancing between mine and the Xhosa for the Department of Communications. important to bear in mind the numbers:
translator. “The government is interested in August last year there were 5.33
“Television, radio, newspaper, these and invested in people’s access to million South Africans accessing
things are known as media.” He nods, information,” he says. “In 1993, Facebook through computers, 2.43
showing his understanding. “Do you use the government started supporting million were on Twitter and 9.35 million
these things?” I ask. community radio stations. Now there on Mxit. This excludes the number of
“I use the radio, only the radio. I use it are currently 130 community radios in individuals accessing Facebook via their
every day.” the county. There are 8.5 million people cell phones: an estimated 6.8 million
“Why do you listen to it every day?” listening to community radios every people.
“When you listen to the radio, you day.” If social networks are bridging the
hear interesting things about the world. According to these statistics, in a rural/urban divide so rapidly, it seems
You envy the host of the show.” He period of twenty years there have been strange to think there are not more news
pauses, thinking. “To know more helps an average of at least six new community networks doing the same.
me at school.” radio stations up and running
“And what do you want to do after every year. Qoza speaks about the SOUTH AFRICA needs only look to
school?” requirements that need to be met before the east of our continent to see that
“Intatheli”, he says. He raises his the Independent Communications community journalism can even exist
hand, mimicking holding up a camera Authority of South Africa (ICASA) outside the typical confines of NGO
like mine. “I want to be a journalist”. can issue a community radio station hand-outs, where the prospect of profit
with a licence: there must be a team of is a far and distant enigma. In an article
TSITSA IS a small, rural village in community members involved, it must on www.Journalism.co.za, Benon
the Eastern Cape, perched on top of fall within a specific geographic area Herbert Oluka, a Ugandan journalist,
a large hill overlooking the Great Kei and it must deal with relevant news. writes about the success of the Ugandan
River. I arrived here on foot as part of a After this, the individuals are assisted media company Vision Group. Benon
month-long hike with four friends. This with “equipment, training and ongoing argues that Vision Group has “changed
hike allowed us to enter communities support”. the face of news reporting through
as observers, communities nestled in But what defines “relevant news” crowd-sourcing news”.
such isolation that they were often only and what makes access to it important This was done through a rather
accessible through the use of our own in a place like Tsitsa to begin with? unconventional and innovative news-
two feet. It is in these areas that I began For Dinise, information may be his gathering technique.
to understand that the term “media” strongest weapon against governmental In October 2010, a web of community,
is far outshone by other elements of exploitation, against ignorance, and as citizen reporters was born. Local stories
priority: water, electricity, housing and an avenue to realising what he has the were celebrated through the makeshift
food. potential to become. reporting of the locals themselves. Most
And yet alongside our basic rights to After one conversation in which of the stories were filmed on mobile
access the abovementioned necessities I explained the terms ‘media’ and phones and sold to broadcasters for
is Section 32 of our esteemed and valued ‘journalist’, his perception of his own anywhere between $6 and $10 an item.
Constitution: the right to access “any capacity had already changed. Suddenly With time, this unconventional news
information held by the state or another there was a door to a world outside his channel became known as Agataliko
person that is required for the exercise village, where Dinise now had the right Nfuufu, translating to mean “News
or protection of any rights”. The irony to question. With information comes the without dust”. This hinted at the rough
lies in the fact that, without media right to question the accountability of and real editing (or lack thereof)
information to begin with, individuals the accountable, of individuals like Qoza. that gave Agataliko Nfuufu its de-
like Dinise will remain ignorant of their westernised and authentic African feel.
constitutional rights and Section 32 will AT FACE value, Quoza’s words sound Instead of competing with the prime-
remain esteemed and valued in theory, promising. But community reporting time viewership of other news channels,
but null in practice. does not have to stop with radio. The they scheduled the show an
10 | SMF | INVESTIGATIVE
lost in this crossfire.
It is obvious that the potential for
something like Agataliko Nfuufu has
been planted in South Africa, yet the
roots have yet to anchor.
I GET through to Thobeka Finca, an
active community member in the
Keiskammahoek village. Grahamstown
NOW has been linked to this small
community through the media project
called Ntaba ka Ndoda, meaning
“Rise up”. There were plans to help
community members set up an
independent newspaper and cell phone
news services.
“Since 2002 I have been working with
Ntaba ka Ndoda,” she says. “But when it
comes to our media programme, we are
not getting anywhere. We did a survey
on cell phone use and found that most
people have cell phones with working
MMS. There is potential but we cannot
do any more for now because there are
hour later. Everything was reported in momentum they had anticipated. limited resources and a lack of skills.”
Luganda, the most commonly spoken “The biggest problem is that it is not Finca facilitates education,
language in Uganda. Benon believes this in the vernacular of the people. We development and health programmes,
is what drew viewers to arguably the know that cell phones are the way to go, sometimes going without a salary for
most successful television reporting in but the information needs to be made more than eight months. So why do
Uganda. accessible in Xhosa.” media hold such importance for her?
The site Idea Lab is a media forum For Dugmore, the future of citizen “Using media, people within and
for initiatives just like Agataliko journalism lies with the cell phone, but outside the village will know the things
Nfuufu all around the world. The site the interim medium is radio. we achieve. Information and knowledge
describes itself as “a group blog by “We started two hyper-local stations will be shared. The outside world will
innovative thinkers and entrepreneurs in 2009: Lunchtime Live and Radio not believe that people in the rural
who are reinventing media in the digital Y4Y. They were mainly in Xhosa and village can do things like this,” she says
age”. It is here where I come across a community members could SMS stories with a sense of urgency.
blog by Harry Dugmore in which he right in.” The term “hyper-local” has
congratulates all the collective sources become part of the jargon of community MY INITIAL conversation with Dinise
for a community radio station in journalists, used to describe a type of makes me think about the powerful,
Grahamstown, Eastern Cape. I soon find information-incubator where the events domino-like spread of information. I
out that this project does not exist in of the town are reported for and by the realise how a single conversation with
isolation. community members. an individual during an isolated hike can
But, once again, Dugmore has used trigger an investigation of something
HARRY DUGMORE, the Director of the the past tense. bigger.
Discovery Centre for Health Journalism “These projects ended in 2011 because This surge in and accessibility of
at Rhodes University, was one of the our funding ran out. A similar story information has the potential to fill the
driving forces behind Grahamstown to most community stations,” he says holes where basic services are falling
NOW, a mobile news network available matter-of-factly. short. Hyper-local, citizen journalism
through Mxit. “Grahamstown NOW was A Grahamstown NOW colleague of promises empowerment, resourcefulness
mobilised for cell phone users in rural Dugmore’s, Steven Kromberg, says and, ultimately, sustainability. Examples
areas. The users could spot headlines that they have been in negotiations like Agataliko Nfuufu and Idea Lab have
they were interested in and access these with government for nearly three years shown that it can work and work well,
through the click of a button.” regarding funding. “We are just met with once all the cogs are in place.
Dugmore’s propensity to use the excuses,” he says. And finally, I think of something
past tense creates the allusion that Qoza’s words of “equipment, training Finca said to me at the end of our
Grahamstown NOW is a thing of the and ongoing support” leap into my conversation: “We cannot wait for
past. “It is not what it is supposed to mind. And then I think of Dinise, and government to change our lives, or we
be,” he says. Although still up and the other prospective writers, reporters will always be waiting. We must simply
running, the project did not pick up the and analysts whose potential is being do it ourselves.”INVESTIGATIVE | SMF | 11
SAVING THE
WORLD ONE
MILLION
AT A TIME
PHOTOS: Marinette Potgieter
We often hear about the privacy dangers and disadvantages
of social media, but few seem to realise the major positive
impact mass communication can have on society. Marinette
Potgieter explores.12 | SMF | INVESTIGATIVE
M
eet Gary Saaiman. Gary IN 2008 RLabs joined forces with Mxit
seems like an everyday – South Africa’s most widely-used, free
33-year-old man from social networking site – by providing free
Atlantis: soft-spoken, yet online counselling services, similar to a
confident with a dashing smile and chat room, where participants share their
sturdy physique. stories of defeat and hope.
“I like to smile,” he beams, “smiling “The online counselling service is a
colours the face and lightens the mood.” big part of what we do at RLabs,” says
But behind this smile lies a rough story Parker. “We offer participants a chance
that polished Gary into the man he is to communicate their issues with our
today. online counsellors, who have also been
Gary was a member of a drug-pushing victims or proprietors of social crimes,
gang in the small Western Cape town of like rape or drug addiction.
Atlantis. “With this method, affected people
“We were gevaarlik. My friends all can open up a bit more. We have found
killed people. I would steal things and that people, especially young people,
beat people, but I never killed. You see, it communicate better on social media
ABOVE: Gary Saaiman is spotted platforms, where it’s not face to face, and
went against my morals.”
He started smoking “tik” laughing more often these days. to people who can relate to what they are
(methamphetamine) at the age of 18 and going through.”
that strives to assist people with Parker praises the role of social media
was soon involved in cartelising the small
stories similar to Gary’s by providing in RLabs’ success. “Social media has
town at a historically unprecedented rate.
counselling services – in person fuelled our initiative. At first we were only
“In a matter of six months we [the
and online. People facing any social five guys, counselling about 20 people
gang] had almost every youngster in
issue, whether an abusive spouse or online. Today, we have directly helped
town tikking. The whole place is fucked
unemployment, can seek help at the over 10 million people – not to mention
up now because of us.”
organisation. their families, which would push the
Gary speaks easily. He has told this
“We are not a rehabilitation centre,” number up to about 50 million.
story many times before.
says founder Marlon Parker. “We “We now work in 20 countries and
“Before us, you bought a straw [0,5
only work with people who want to be have employed 70 counsellors in the past
grams] for R80. That was the going rate.
helped. five years. It would never have happened
But we bled the industry dry when we
“We are more of an incubator for as fast if it wasn’t for social media.
started selling the stuff for R20 per gram.
success. Our main objective is to give “We advertised on Facebook, Twitter
“Soon, every mob boss was out to kill
people hope by offering counselling
[ ]
us, because you just don’t do shit like and other forms of social media,” Parker
services and training them to become says. “We decided to use Mxit for the
that. It’s like a dealer’s code, you see? You
profitable members of society. counselling service because it reaches
have to maintain the price so people can
“We offer 15 practical academic around 10 million users in South Africa
make money.
courses – ranging from photography alone.
“One day,” Gary continues, “we were
to business management – which give “It is the most popular free messaging
braaiing outside our house when a storm
applicants of RLabs a chance to rebuild service in the country and most of its users
broke loose and it started raining bullets
their lives.” are under 25 and from impoverished
all around us. Everyone dove into the
foetal position. areas.”
“My friend’s daughter ran to me, her
hand soaked with blood. Her finger got My friend’s RLabs are taking advantage of the
benefits of social media. They recruit
daughter
shot clean off.” Gary takes a deep breath people who have lost all hope and, by
and speaks nostalgically. “She is the same equipping them with the necessary
ran to me,
age as my daughter.” skills and training, turning them into
It was just too close. After the shooting entrepreneurs.
Gary envisaged his way out. Erik Qualman, world-renowned public
“I couldn’t do it anymore. I couldn’t put her hand speaker and author of Socialnomics:
How social media changed the way we
my family in constant danger like that. I
wasn’t going to wait for someone close to
me to die for me to learn my lesson.”
soaked with live and do business, ascribes RLabs’
booming success to the advertising
Before his words cooled, his best friend,
and partner-in-crime, was brutally
blood. Her properties of social media.
“It’s now easier to start and run a small
murdered in gang violence in 2008. Gary
straightened himself out, packed his bag
finger got business as a result of these [social]
technologies,” says Qualman. “The key
and knocked on the doors of RLabs.
shot clean is to let the tools work for you rather
than you for the tools. The better you can
RECONSTRUCTED LIVING LABS
(RLabs) is a community-driven initiative off. understand technologies the more you
can benefit from them.”[ ]
INVESTIGATIVE | SMF | 13
Qualman is working on a project communications budget” to donate any
that showcases social media’s ability number of phones to uneducated or
to connect and educate people from In Africa, poor people. Qoza says it is, however,
where
desolate, hard-to-reach places in Africa. “something [they] might look into in the
“I want to show how easy it is for future”.
people to access information by just
having internet connectivity – even if it’s schools TODAY, GARY is a counsellor and co-
chairman at RLabs. He recently launched
just from a phone.
“Information can be disseminated aren’t his own business, where he designs and
sells cellphone applications that offer a
effortlessly over long distances, and from
one person to 10 000 in one swift move,
always easy connection to counsellors and therapists.
He just bought a house and a car with
thanks to social media.
“In Africa, where schools aren’t always
to access, the money made from his new business,
and gave them both to his mother. “I owe
easy to access, social media can serve as social media the auntie after everything I’ve put her
can serve
a major mobilising tool. It can be very through.”
liberating for oppressed people.” RLabs have three offices in South
as a major
Siyabulela Qoza, spokesperson for the Africa: Cape Town, Johannesburg and
Department of Communications, says Atlantis. Gary now works at the Cape
social media are widely used in South
Africa and considered important by the mobilising Town branch, but the one in Atlantis was
initialised under his lead.
government.
“Social media are very important for tool. “I don’t feel guilty about what
happened, I just feel like I have a mess
communication between South Africans,” to clean up, and only I can do it since my
says Qoza. “It allows governments to friends are still part of that lifestyle.”
communicate directly with the country’s virtually unlimited information.” Thousands of stories like Gary’s are
people and also simplifies communication A report by World Wide Worx and being written every day because of social
over long distances.” Fuseware substantiates Qoza’s views. media.
Qoza agrees that social media can According to The South African Social Social media can be one of the most
be used not only to provide emotional Media Landscape 2012, a tenth of South valuable assets of modern society. It can
support, but also to educate people in Africans were using Facebook in August mobilise and educate thousands, if not
destitute areas. last year. Twitter had 2,43 million users millions of people in an instant.
“The majority of South Africans and Mxit had 9,35 million. The time has come to embrace this
who live in rural areas have access to a Ideally, all South Africans would shift to virtual communication, adapt it
cellphone. If we could improve internet have cellphones from which they can to our South African environment and
connectivity in the country, the majority access the internet, but Qoza maintains allow education to spill over into the
of our population would have access to that “there is not enough money in the cyber realm for easy access.
Marlon Parker initiated the social movement to Students can easily access counselling services via
help improve poor communities. their cellphones.14 | SMF | INVESTIGATIVE
SPOEG-EN-PLAK-
JOERNALISTIEK: DEEL
JY, OF STEEL JY?
Talle nuuswebtuistes maak deesdae ’n bestaan deur nuus van
ander bronne af te kry en dit te herskryf. Gee jy aan jou lesers
’n samevatting van die beste nuus, of kies jy ’n kortpad wat
besaai is met plagiaat-slaggate? ’n Suid-Afrikaanse hofsaak kan
binnekort antwoorde op dié vrae bring, skryf Mieke Vlok.
D
ie joernalis se skryfwerk is die deur Fin24 geplagieer is. samevoegingsmodel.
vrug van sy pen, en aspirant- Die artikels is na bewering op Die debat het internasionaal ook
joernaliste word van dag een oorspronklike navorsing deur uitgekring, met die Noorweegse
geleer die grootste sonde Moneyweb-joernaliste gebaseer en die nuusversamelaar Meltwater wat onlangs
in die media is om in ʼn ander man se inhoud is luidens hofstukke herskryf of in die nuus was nadat hulle in beide
vrugtemandjie te gaan loer wanneer jou net so gekopieer, met slegs ʼn verwysing Engeland en Amerika hofsake verloor
eie storie-oes skraal lyk. na die feit dat dit vanaf Moneyweb het waarin hulle van kopieregoortreding
In die internet-era is die lyne tussen verkry is en ʼn webskakel na die beskuldig is.
steel en samevoeging egter vaer, oorspronklike artikels. Prof. George Claassen, Media24 se
en internasionale nuusblaaie soos In die hofstukke gebruik Van Niekerk gemeenskapskoerante-ombudsman
Huffington Post en BuzzFeed het ʼn Moneyweb se “Chris Walker breaks the en ʼn dosent in media-etiek aan die
suksesvolle sakemodel geskep waar nuus silence”-artikel as ʼn voorbeeld om te Universiteit van Stellenbosch (US),
by ander publikasies geleen word en dan wys hoe Fin24 dit geplagieer het met hul meen “dié kwessie kom nou al ʼn lang
vir hul eie lesers herskryf word. “Defencex boss opens up to Moneyweb”- pad aan” en dat “hierdie hofsaak ʼn baie
Die internasionale pers het dié model artikel. (Sien kassie regs.) groot toetssaak is”, omdat daar plaaslik
aggregation gedoop, en terwyl imitation Van Niekerk meen die samevoegings- nog nie vantevore ʼn hofsaak oor die
dalk die sincerest form of flattery model benadeel nie net etiese en kwessie was nie.
mag wees, maak samevoeging baie oorspronklike joernalistiek nie, maar dat Hy meen die internet-era het die
joernaliste die josie in en beweer hulle dit ook finansiële gevolge het, omdat die kwessie meer dringend gemaak, omdat
dié gonswoord in die joernalistiek is niks uitgawe om joernaliste te betaal by die die internet “copy-en-paste-tegnieke”
anders as plagiaat nie. bron lê, en die versamelaar dié stories vir nuusversameling maklik maak.
In Suid-Afrika het die kwessie verniet kan kry. Hy beaam egter dat die internet nie ʼn
onlangs kookpunt bereik toe die Hy meen ook die metode waar ʼn verskoning is vir plagiaat nie, en dat
finansiële-nuuswebtuiste Moneyweb skakel na die oorspronklike artikel gegee dieselfde etiese- en regsbeginsels vir
bekendgemaak het dat hulle hul word, is oneffektief, omdat min lesers aanlyn- én gedrukte media geld.
mededinger Fin24 hof toe sleep die aanvanklike berig gaan lees nadat Voorstanders van die model wat deur
weens beweerde plagiaat. Fin24 vorm hulle reeds die versamelaar s’n gelees webtuistes soos Fin24 gebruik word,
deel van die News24-groep, wat die het. meen egter dat die bron erken word
samevoegingsmodel gebruik om nuus by “Die deurklieksyfers is baie laag en én ʼn skakel na die oorspronklike berig
ander bronne te versamel en dan as hul hulle is boonop ʼn mededinger van ons,” gegee word en dat die model daarom in
eie te herskryf. sê Van Niekerk. voeling is met die Suid-Afrikaanse Wet
In hul hofstukke voer Moneyweb se Die implikasies van die Moneyweb op Outeursreg.
redakteur, Ryk van Niekerk, aan dat vs. Fin24-saak is verreikend, omdat Ingevolge dié 1978-wet mag daar
sewe artikels wat Moneyweb tussen dit ʼn Suid-Afrikaanse presedent gaan “billike gebruik” uit ander bronne
Julie 2012 en Julie 2013 gepubliseer het, skep vir die aanvaarbaarheid van die plaasvind, mits die bronne erken word.INVESTIGATIVE | SMF | 15
Jannie Momberg, die redakteur van Dr. Owen Dean, regskonsultant Dié onduidelikheid van die wet laat
News24, meen die wet spreek geensins aan die Spoor & Fisher-firma wat in party kenners met die mening dat dit
die manier waarop inligting op die kopieregwetgewing spesialiseer en hoof hersien moet word, terwyl ander voel die
internet gedeel word aan nie, omdat dit van immateriële goederereg aan die US, wet se basis is voldoende en dat dit net
[ ]
uit 1978 dateer. meen die wet is spesifiek so vaag, omdat beter toegepas moet word.
“Dit is ʼn hele nuwe manier van hoe dit begrip het daarvoor dat elke geval “Daar is goed in die Kopieregwet
mense kommunikeer. Hulle noem dit van ‘leen’ uniek is. wat nie werklik vir my sin maak nie,
nie net aggregation nie, maar ook so dit is tyd dat die oorspronklike wet
curation – waar ons die beste inligting hersien word,” sê Elmarie de Bruin,
kies en dit opsit. Dié tipe goed word glad ʼn kopieregprokureur by MacRobert-
nie aangeroer deur ons wetgewing nie, Attorneys.
so in daardie opsig verwelkom ons die Die uitkoms Claassen meen daar skort nie veel met
geleentheid dat daar nuwe riglyne gestel die wet nie, maar dat dit wel aangepas
kan word, want daar is nog geen Suid- van die moet word om voorsiening te maak vir
Afrikaanse voorbeelde nie.” Moneyweb die nuwe uitdagings wat die internet
stel.
Momberg het ook in ʼn verklaring op
Fin24 gesê dat Fin24 “geensins gemaak
vs. Fin24-saak “Elke media-instelling het etiese kodes
het asof ander se werk hul eie is nie” gaan hewige en jy kan nie gaan sê ‘ons versamel
van ander plekke af, en omdat ons die
en dat inligting duidelik toegeskryf is
en skakels na die oorspronklike berigte
implikasies internet is, moet ons vrygestel word
beskikbaar was. vir plaaslike hiervan’ nie.”
Die uitkoms van die Moneyweb vs.
“Die media sukkel wêreldwyd hiermee,
en die vraag is hóéveel van ʼn storie mag
joernalistiek Fin24-saak gaan hewige implikasies
mens dan nou op die internet deel?” hê. vir plaaslike joernalistiek hê. Indien
Claassen meen ook die Outeursregwet Moneyweb suksesvol is, gaan webblaaie
se gebruik van die term “billike gebruik” soos News24 moontlik hul sakemodel
is vaag en maak skuiwergate in die moet hersien en sal joernaliste én die
joernalistiek moontlik. “Dit móét so vaag wees, sodat die hof publiek twee keer moet dink voor hulle
“ ‘Billike gebruik’ impliseer jy kan een sy diskresie kan gebruik. Intellektuele op daardie copy- en paste-skakels klik.
of twee paragrawe êrens leen, solank eiendomsreg is propvol van dié Indien Fin24 egter suksesvol is, gaan
as wat jy aandui dit is nie joune nie. vertrouensstandaarde. die oor en weer deel van nuus makliker
Jy moet darem jou eie werk óók doen “Of jy inbreuk maak op iemand se kan geskied en sal joernalistiek wat
en kan nie ry op die rûe van mense kopiereg hang af van of jy inbreuk maak gegrond is in die eeue-oue beginsel dat
wat salarisse betaal en joernaliste wat op ʼn wesenlike gedeelte daarvan, maar ʼn joernalis sy eie stories moet versamel,
uitgaan om ʼn storie te dek nie.” wat is ‘wesenlike’ dan nou?” volgens sommige joernaliste ʼn knou kry.
Só het hulle berig:
Moneyweb Fin24
“Chris Walker, the mastermind behind the “He likened the insurance industry and the
R800m Defencex scheme has likened the banks to Ponzi schemes, while admitting
insurance industry and the banks to Ponzi that his battles with the Reserve Bank could
schemes, while admitting that his battles never have been won. He also claimed not to
with the Reserve Bank (SARB) could never have profited from his embattled business
have been won. He also claims not to have and suggested that the accounts linked to
profited from his embattled business and Net Income Solutions were frozen to protect
suggests that the accounts linked to Net- the profit-seeking interests of the banks, and
Income- Solutions were frozen to protect to allow liquidators and attorneys a slice of
the profit seeking interests of the banks and the R349m pie.”
to allow liquidators and attorneys a slice of
the R349m pie.”16 | SMF | INVESTIGATIVE
OF PILLS,PILATES,
& GLOSSY
MAGAZINES
Psychiatric illness is more prevalent than ever, and in response
to the growing demand for mental health information, popular
media reporting on mental health has proliferated. But, as
Xanthe Hunt finds out, journalists’ misguided focus on what their
readers want to hear does a lot more harm than good.
Y
ou fall down the stairs at work journey is the way popular media deal identity”, rather than to provide medical
and break your arm. You run to with mental health. Are headlines like nuance because they believe their
the doctor, who puts plaster on “Skinny and Crazy vs. Fat and Happy”, readers are not interested?
the break as you faithfully pop and “Depressed? Look at Old Facebook
the painkillers he prescribes. Pictures…..” ever excusable? THE INCIDENCE of psychiatric illness
But if you suffer from bipolar, And is the job of women’s magazines is at an all-time high – 1 in every 4
schizophrenia or another psychiatric to create a “strong lifestyle brand people, according to the World Health
illness, the road from diagnosis to
correct treatment is a far cry from the
Paracetamol protocol of quotidian
bumps and bruises.
One of the culprits complicating this[ ]
INVESTIGATIVE | SMF | 17
Report. a vast improvement since the not-so-
These days, long-term admission distant days of Shutter Island-esque
Skinny
to specialised hospitals is no longer isolation.
feasible, making community-based care But not only the mentally ill have been
the treatment of choice, according to affected by these changes: exposure to
and Crazy
South African Society of Psychiatrists others living with psychiatric illness has
chief, Dr Gerhard Grobler. left the public thirsting for mental health
Nowadays, ‘Jane Doe’ – with bipolar I information, according to Dr Anthony
– can live a fulfilling life and manage her
illness without ever being hospitalised,
Jorm, a Psychiatry Fellow at Melbourne
University.
Jane Doe’s friends are curious, so
vs
they Google “bipolar”. They look at
Wikipedia. They are overwhelmed. Fat and
Happy
At the supermarket till, headlines
vie for their attention. As “The Truth
about Depression” beckons from
Women’s Health, Marie Claire’s “Are
antidepressants making you fat?” - Marie Claire
catches their curious eye.
Keen to help Jane, they buy both. But,
armed with conflicting reports, what
now to tell their friend? alone. In reality, mental illness
originates and is treated according to
PUBLIC INTEREST in mental health a model whereby, Grobler explains,
makes accurate reporting indispensable. “biology, psychology and social factors
But Jorm’s studies reveal most play a role in causation”.
people wrongly believe that psychiatric The problem that Jorm’s 2005 study
conditions are caused and cured reveals is that this uninformed public
according to adjustments in lifestyle faith in lifestyle factors is resistant to
contrary evidence because it forms
part of a broader way of thinking about
mental health.
So, if Jane’s aunt reads an article that
says running could cure bipolar, and
this falls within her preconceived social
beliefs, she will believe what she reads. If
the article prescribed pills, on the other
hand, she would dismiss the information
as irrelevant.
[ ] Tango the
blues away
- Women’s Health18 | SMF | INVESTIGATIVE
There is a commercial imperative to its leaning towards lifestyle solutions pseudoscience.”
cater to readers’ desires, but how helpful merely reinforcing public prejudices. But, as existing beliefs are stubbornly
are journalists who simply reinforce Among the headlines by their mental kept and– worse still – cause readers to
false beliefs instead of painting a health writer Thamar Houliston this ignore conflicting information, Brits’s
balanced picture? year alone have been such platitudes approach will not necessarily change
as “Depressed? Look at Old Facebook people’s minds.
THERE ARE publications that choose Pictures…..”. How does one avoid dancing to the
to reflect back to their audiences And if social networking is not audience’s off-key tune, but at the same
lifestyle-loaded information, at the cost minimising your melancholy, Joy time not relay facts that will fall on deaf
of painting a more medical picture of Niemack adopts an equally non-medical ears?
mental health. stance in “Yoga to Relieve Depression”, The answer, Jorm suggests, lies in
“It’s not Women’s Health’s place “Laughter is The Best Medicine”, and evidence.
to go into in-depth discussions of “Tango the Blues Away”.
psychiatric treatment, which is a Stretch, giggle, dance and get over it. WORKING WITHIN readers’ beliefs
minefield of conflicting paradigms. The problem is not that lifestyle in the importance of lifestyle in mental
[ ]
The subject matter would become interventions should be disregarded, health, journalists need to provide
extremely dense and that is not what our but that the weight given to them in accurate information that gives their
readers are looking for when they open women’s glossies is disproportionate readers a factual foundation.
the magazine,” says Women’s Health to their efficacy and undermines the Jane’s aunt should be able to
lifestyle editor Wanita Nicol. medicality of mental health. read about the neurochemistry and
“All magazines have an agenda,” she psychology that could make running
continues. “Ours is that we promote ease bipolar.
a healthy lifestyle and this needs to “People fear what they don’t know,”
influence any topic we cover in order for says Grobler, “so the more they learn,
us to create a loyal readership and sell
magazines.”
But does this commercial imperative
Depressed? the better.
“But what they need to know, is the
whole picture. And if the problem is
warrant a disregard for medical
accuracy? Look at Old medical, that needs to be the focus.”
Mental illness may not be as clear-
Facebook
In the astonishingly titled “Skinny cut a condition as a fractured arm, and
and Crazy vs. Fat and Happy”, Marie public beliefs in treatment options may
Claire’s Joshua Lyon tackles the subject be biased, but that should not condemn
pictures...
of antidepressant-induced weight gain. reporting to the same fate.
The first 500 of Lyon’s 1 000-
odd words are dedicated to a case- 2002
study of Jen Morrow’s experience of The Mental
“devastating” weight gain from taking - Women’s Health
Lithium. Health Care Act
Aside from suggesting that protects the
antidepressants are over-prescribed – rights of the
“the question these days isn’t who’s on ON THE other side of the debate are
an antidepressant, but who isn’t” – Lyon those like Die Burger’s acclaimed mentally ill in
quotes sources supporting his thesis science writer, Elsabé Brits, who SA
that weight gain is more detrimental to advocate strict adherence to tried, tested
women than mental illness. and medically accepted science.
Although quoting a psychiatrist’s
20th century
“Journalists over-report on the
testimony that “many women could lifestyle factors,” says Brits. The medical approach to
stand to gain a few pounds, which are “My biggest problem is what happens psychiatry emerges
of small consequence compared with in so-called ‘glossy’ magazines; one
the risk of untreated depression”, Lyon day it’s ‘drink coffee’ for depression,
quickly adds that “untreated sudden and the other, ‘red wine’ – a lot is
19th century
weight gain is [also] dangerous”. unsubstantiated. Institutionalisation sky-
Later, Lyon – discussing the case of “Say so if the findings are alternative, rockets
Rachel Mackee – writes that “Within unproven, anecdotal or preliminary,”
a year, she’d gain 7 – 7! – pounds” she says, “like you would if you were
(emphasis not added). reporting about cancer – or heart Ancient times
Although not all articles are as disease. Mental disorders
questionable as Lyon’s, many glossies “You cannot exercise clinical
still evidence a heavy lifestyle bias.
are attributed to
depression away the same way you
Women’s Health is a case in point, cannot pray it away,” says Brits, “it’s the supernaturalINVESTIGATIVE | SMF | 19
FOGGY FUTURE
FOR JOURNALISM
GRADUATES
The future of journalism in the digital age remains a
mystery. What are the prospects for hundreds of
students enrolled in journalism courses across the
country? Puleng Koneshe speaks to the lecturers of five
journalism institutions.
M
ost journalists who came where are journalism graduates with no “Most students go into journalism
to speak to the BPhil experience being employed, if people in one form or another, but you have
students at the Stellenbosch with years of experience are being to bear in mind that the definition of
Journalism Department sacked? journalism is changing as well.
this year painted a bleak picture of There currently are 15 institutions that “Journalism used to mean going into
the current job market in the media offer journalism courses in the country. a newsroom for a major media company
industry. Rhodes University produces the bulk of and working there as a reporter or sub-
Earlier this year, 567 Cape Talk the students yearly. About 600 students editor. It used to be automatic that you
programme manager Tessa van Staden are enrolled in journalism courses at started by going into a newsroom, but
urged students to begin applying for Rhodes across different levels. increasingly I think journalists have to
internships. She said she had received However, some heads of journalism make their own way as independent
emails from some former students who schools in South Africa do not seem content providers.
were still hunting for jobs. fazed by these developments. “There “People are operating in different ways
The Audit Bureau of Circulation (ABC) is still a demand for new young voices, now, but we find that the majority of our
recently announced that South African particularly ones who are digitally students are going into journalism. How
newspapers had recorded an average literate,” says Anton Harber, Caxton long they are staying there, we have yet
decline of 3.2% in the first three months professor of journalism at the University to see. Newsrooms might be shrinking,
of this year. Mail & Guardian dampened of the Witwatersrand. but journalism is not.”
the mood even further when it Harber says many of their students are Rhodes University’s professor of
announced that it would be prioritising finding opportunities despite the decline journalism and media studies, Herman
digital. The newspaper’s chief executive, in the job market. “We had 19 career- Wasserman, says despite the changes
Hoosain Karjieker, said this means 10 entry students and about 25 mid-career in the industry, universities should
positions would be made redundant. students doing honours. All those who not scale down on journalism training.
This raises the question: if the wanted got internships, but I have not He says scholarly engagement with
industry is so dry, why are so many tracked how many of those turned into journalism and media studies at
journalism schools still flourishing? And employment. university level should rather be scaled[ ]
20 | SMF | INVESTIGATIVE
Print newspapers have a
long life ahead in South
Africa. How many
readers of the Daily Sun
will read it on a tablet?
up, because of the role that journalism same page as Harber and Green. Reid production courses in writing, radio
and media plays in society. “Media says there are still jobs available in the and photography were also compelled
pervades our lives, shapes our identities industry. “If you speak to print editors, to focus on digital production and
and affects our relationships,” says they are a bit negative; they will not publishing. We incorporated a student
Wasserman. tell you that there are opportunities in departmental website into the range of
The head of Stellenbosch University’s digital journalism. publishing options, and the class of 2012
Journalism Department, Dr GabriëI “South Africa is going into digital developed an app for their end-of-year
Botma, admits that there is an migration and with that there is magazine.”
oversupply of journalists in the system. hope that there will be more job The University of Pretoria ran their
“At Stellenbosch we have never felt opportunities, especially in broadcast,” first honours course last year. “Before
guilty about training students for jobs says Reid. then we were an undergraduate
that do not exist because we only train program me run under the auspices of
25 students per year. People who might AS THE face of traditional journalism the English Department,” says Green.
feel guilty are those who train 300 morphs into a different creature, “When I got here in 2009, we realised
students yearly for journalism.” journalism training also has to change. it was not an effective way to train
Last year 21 students were enrolled in Most journalism lecturers agree that the would-be journalists, so we began a
the Stellenbosch BPhil course. Twenty change in the newsroom should also be process to phase out the undergraduate
of them are employed, but only 14 are reflected in the classroom. programme and to start an honours
working in the journalism industry. Harber says they review the content course, which is an intensive one-year
North-West University’s head of of courses yearly. “There is no doubt full-time course. From next year we will
the Journalism Department, Prof. that we have to shift what and how we only offer a post-graduate programme.
Johannes Froneman, says they only teach in journalism substantially. This is “We deal with convergence by offering
take eight journalism honours students something that we grapple with all the a range of platforms to choose from and
per year. “We are wary of the possible time. We are finding we have to adjust have a high-powered course in digital
overproduction of journalists and do our curriculum every single year. journalism taught by Chris Roper, online
not wish to be part of the problem. I “Courses are no longer done according editor of the Mail & Guardian.
think each journalism school should be to media types such as print or radio, “Students end off the year by doing
responsible. That does not necessarily but we do a broad journalism practice a mini-thesis, which is a journalistic
mean scaling down, but it does mean programme that incorporates all media rendering of a topic that touches on one
keeping an eye on numbers and not types. This has meant a gradual shift of the content specialisations that they
growing at this stage.” from a focus on print and radio, where can present on a variety of ‘platforms’. In
Head of journalism at the University students chose a specialisation, to a this way we are also encouraging them
of Pretoria, Prof. Pippa Green, says that multimedia approach where all students to think about convergence and how to
students from her university are still do some work in all media. Most present material.”
being absorbed by the industry. “We recently, we have incorporated social The curriculum of the journalism
had 19 students in 2012. At least half media into journalism practice,” says (honours) course at the University of
of our honours students have gone into Harber. the North-West was reconfigured two
journalism. It is difficult to get in, but if Botma says they have had to years ago. “We are happy that we are
you are good you will get a job. People transform their journalism course to in tune with the latest developments,
need to keep up with trends and write account for converging newsrooms. which accommodate the convergence
well.” “The major changes involved the of old and new media. We kept all
Julie Reid, University of South Africa introduction of multimedia journalism components, writing, lay-out, radio
(Unisa) analyst and academic, is on the as a year module. The individual production, photography and theory ofYou can also read
