BEING part of a newsroom has always reminds one of “the pit” at the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE). Picture hundreds of suited-up brokers screaming into telephones, betting frantically on stocks. It’s all very similar to a room full of journalists hustling to get the latest scoop, the most updated version of a story, fighting to make deadline – except they’re dressed in baggy T-shirts, jeans and trainers. [pullquote]”Radio stations, newspapers, TV and glossy magazines are all biting off pieces of flesh from this meaty beat, as if nothing else in the world matters.”[/pullquote]
But this week, this much-anticipated week, the week of Oscar’s trial, is the week that will send journos reeling in a frenzy as they try to outdo rival publications and show up their colleagues.
Coverage of the trial is unavoidable. Even if you don’t care, which we doubt is possible, information on the trial is all around us. Twitter is looking as mundane and repetitive as ever as the press tweet about proceedings, being re-tweeted over and over again.
Radio stations, newspapers, TV and glossy magazines are all biting off pieces of flesh from this meaty beat, as if nothing else in the world matters. [pullquote align=”right”]”Could Oscar’s fate be sold on the market as “stock”? At this rate, we wouldn’t be surprised.”[/pullquote]
The Oscar trail is the biggest thing to hit South African media since Mandela’s death and we all want to know what is happening, as it happens. There were even rumours of people taking time off work to watch the case live on the specialist television channel created for the trial.
The tabloids have worn out every pun that could ever apply, advertisers are thinking up witty campaigns, comedians are sitting tight as material just flows seamlessly into their gags and we are raising bets on the outcome.
Could Oscar’s fate be sold on the market as “stock”? At this rate, we wouldn’t be surprised.
The times of waiting for the day to come to an end then receiving a comprehensive news article about what happened, are gone. WE WANT LIVE UPDATES!
We want to know everything because, boy, do we love drama! We are all in this together, all swimming in this giant pool filled with hashtags, sensational headlines, pictures and “he said-she saids”.
And how ironic! With the 86th Oscar awards ceremony taking place in the early hours of Monday morning, we couldn’t have asked for a better fix of drama in one day.
But just how dramatic can this trial really get? Media are going to have to hope for an elephant stampede or an acrobatic show if they want to keep us on the edge of our seats. Tweets like: “#Pistorius drinks water from a bottle, his left hand trembling” are just not going to cut it.
Wits Vuvuzela is not covering the Oscar trial as we thought our readers were, as it is, already spoiled for choice. At the end of the day what will be, will be. The outcome will remain whether we follow the trial or not.
In the meantime the media will try its best to put on a good show as the JSE continues to promise to make you money.
