As South Africa marked the 20th edition of the Taco Kuiper Award for Investigative Journalism on March 27, the spotlight fell on the country’s top investigative reporters. Behind these award-winning stories, however, lies a less visible reality of newsrooms that are under increasing financial pressure and struggling to sustain the very work being honoured.
Jeff Wicks, an investigative journalist at News24, walked away with R200 000, while fellow investigative journalists Pieter-Louis Myburgh of Daily Maverick, Daneel Knoetze of Viewfinder, and John Eligon of The New York Times were named runners-up, each receiving R75 000.
Their work continues to hold power to account and demonstrate the courage that defines South African journalism. But behind every award-winning story is a newsroom under strain as editors, fact-checkers and institutional support goes somewhat unacknowledged.:
The Taco Kuiper Award has long celebrated individual brilliance and reinforced the importance of watchdog journalism in a democratic society. But investigative reporting is rarely the work of one person alone. It depends on the resources, time and editorial guidance that only a newsroom can provide.
Across South Africa, publications are downsizing or closing, advertising revenue is shrinking, and journalists are stretched thinner than ever. For example, Media24, the parent of News24, began consultations in February 2026 to close City Press, placing around two dozen newsroom staff at risk as part of its ongoing restructuring. The 43-year-old publication, which shifted to a digital-only model in 2024, failed to meet commercial expectations. Even digital platforms like News24, which are often held up as success stories, survive by absorbing talent and resources from declining print operations rather than from stable and well-funded growth.
This raises a critical question: while journalists are rewarded for excellence, who supports the environments that make such work possible? Recognising individuals without addressing the structural conditions of their workplace risks overlooking the challenges that threaten the future of investigative journalism.
Awards like the Taco Kuiper could evolve to reflect this reality, not by replacing individual recognition, but by expanding it to include newsroom support. This could take the form of grants for investigative teams, mentorship programs for emerging journalists, or formal recognition of editors and fact-checkers who make such reporting possible.
Celebrating great journalism is important but so is sustaining it. As we applaud Jeff Wicks and his peers, we must also ask: who celebrates the newsrooms that make their stories possible? Without these institutions, the brilliance we honour risks being an exception rather than the norm.
FEATURED IMAGE: Asisipho Mpahleni. Photo: SG Pix
RELATED ARTICLES:
- Wits Vuvuzela, Lack of funding hampers investigative journalism, October 2018.
- Wits Vuvuzela, SLICE: The weight of the byline, May 23, 2025.
- Wits Vuvuzela, SLICE: Journalism is my future, but it is in crisis, April 2024.
