A moving memorial service honoured Tshidi Madia’s dedication, mentorship, and enduring passion for journalism.
Tshidi’s memorial program. Photo: Dikeledi Ramabula
Tshidi Madia, passed away, at age 42, after a short illness.
Remembered as a passionate journalist, mentor, and friend at her memorial.
Her dedication and influence have left a lasting mark on South Africa’s media community.
The South African media fraternity bid farewell to veteran journalist Tshidi Madia (42), Associate Editor for Politics at Eyewitness News (EWN), who died last week, on August 27, 2025 after a short illness.
On Tuesday,September 2, friends, family, and colleagues gathered at Primedia, Sandton for a memorial service that celebrated her life and lasting impact. The ceremony opened with a moving performance by the Greenside High School choir, whose soft, tender hymn wrapped the hall in an atmosphere of sorrow and grace.
Madia, remembered for her warmth and lively spirit, was described as a journalist who deeply loved her country, her profession, and the people around her. Nisa Allie, EWN’s Editor-in-Chief, spoke on behalf of the newsroom, recalled Madia’s tireless passion for political reporting.
“Even when she was not on diary, Tshidi would pop into our WhatsApp groups just to say she was going to stop by an event or gathering to see what she could get or who she could talk to. That’s how passionate she was,” Allie said.
For younger journalists, Madia was more than a colleague. Alpha Ramushwana, a news reporter at EWN, shared how she became his mentor when he first joined as an intern in 2022.
Tshidi’s memorial venue in Sandton. Photo: Dikeledi Ramabula
“Tshidi saw something in me that I didn’t see. She told me I would have a great career in journalism, and for the past three years, she kept affirming that,” Ramushwana said.
Her family, too, paid tribute to her unwavering dedication. Reabetjoe Makoko, Madia’s sister, said: “My sister worked hard, she loved what she did, and so many people didn’t know until that moment of the US, but trust me she’s been working so hard for many years.”
As memories and tributes flowed, a portrait emerged of a woman who was not only a formidable journalist but also a loving sister, mentor, and friend. Tshidi Madia will be remembered for her beautiful heart, her relentless work ethic, and the love she shared with all who knew her.
FEATURED IMAGE: Tshidi Madia’s image at the memorial. Photo: Dikeledi Ramabula
When boy problems or heartbreak have you on shaky ground, Shekhinah’s Less Trouble comes in like a wave, and it’s strong enough to drown you in your feelings.
Crowned as one of South Africa’s most celebrated voices, Shekhinah is back to prove that her music still hits where it hurts. Four years since the last album, Trouble in Paradise, her return is a reminder of just how good she is at what she does.
Shekinah’s album Less Trouble features several artists including Lordkez, Moliy, Young Stunna and Mars Baby.
A year ago, she released two singles, “Steady” and “Risk”, offering listeners a preview of the upcoming album’s direction.
“Devil in disguise, trouble in your eyes, every single time all we do is fight.” With these lyrics, Shekhinah sets the tone from the very start. The opening track, “Break up season”, lays the foundation, hinting that the album will centre on the highs and lows of relationships.
From her album Rose Gold to now, she’s stayed true to her signature sound, rarely chasing trends or charts, and instead focuses on making music that ages like fine wine.
Shekhinah’s album cover. Photo: Shekhina’s IG
On track 3, “Bare minimum”, Shekhinah strikes a chord with anyone who’s ever been given the bare minimum in a relationship. She reflects on asking for little yet receiving even less and ultimately reaching the point where letting go becomes inevitable.
The playlist opens with a sense of tension and frustration but soon transforms into bursts of pure joy. By the time you reach track 7, “Spoonky”, it feels like freedom itself, like cruising down the freeway with the windows rolled all the way down, warm wind rushing against your face, palm trees swaying past in a blur. You’re singing off-key, laughing uncontrollably with the love of your life in the passenger seat, every worry dissolving into the sunset. It’s a moment of pure happiness bottled in sound.
“Less trouble” isn’t just an album; it’s a celebration of love, happiness, and the freedom to finally feel complete, just as she says on “Spoonky”, “you’re the one that I want”.
Rating: 8/10
FEATURED IMAGE: Shekhina’s album cover. Photo: Shekhina’s IG
Israel adds to the already harrowing death toll of media workers reporting from Palestine.
Journalists Against Apartheid take a moment to commemorate lost Al-Jazeera colleagues.
Anas al-Sharif was among the six journalists recently targeted by Israel.
South African journalists and supporters emphasise the need for the media to speak up and to report the truth.
It was a sombre and almost muted affair, as a handful of South African journalists gathered on August 14, to honour slain colleagues in Palestine.
Journalists Against Apartheid gathered outside the Al-Jazeera office in Auckland Park, holding candles, placards and some draped in keffiyehs to remember those who have been killed by Israeli forces.
Journalist holding a candle in commemoration of lost media workers in Gaza. Photo: Ekta Seebran
Housed in a tent outside Gaza City’s al-Shifa hospital, Anas al-Sharif, a Palestinian journalist for Al-Jazeera Arabic, along with colleagues Mohammed Qreiqeh, Ibrahim Zaher, Mohammed Noufal, and freelance journalists Mohammed al-Khalid and Momen Aliwa, were killed in a targeted Israeli airstrike.
Israel admitted to targeting al-Sharif on the belief that he was the head of a Hamas terrorist cell but has yet to produce any evidence of this.
Faseegah Davids, coordinator of the Palestine Solidarity Committee, said, “making people feel powerless is the tool of the oppressor, journalists being silenced and killed in Gaza are used to misguide the world in terms of narrative and truth. But we know the truth. They have already been exposed.”
Since October 2023, 272 journalists and media workers have been killed in Israel.
Placards made by supporters. Photo: Ekta SeebranSupporters taking a moment of silence for the lost journalists. Photo: Ekta Seebran
Josephine Kloekner, freelance journalist and organiser of the vigil, said, “It’s not a time we can just be hesitating, because all our colleagues are dying, we have to show our faces and speak up, because if we don’t, who will do it for us.”
The gathering heard voices from not only journalists and supporters of Palestine, but also from media workers on the field sent a message to be read to the crowd, which said:
“The target is truth. We knew them not as bylines, but as friends, as colleagues. Whenever we could get coffee, we shared it with them […] We ran towards danger, not away from it, because we are fearless. But in actual fact, we live in fear. It’s our natural state, and we know that the world must see. We mourn today, but we pick up our cameras tomorrow […] We can never allow Gaza to die without us.”
FEATURED IMAGE: Photos of Al-Jazeera journalists killed on 10 August 2025. Photo: Ekta Seebran.
South Africa was crowned the country with the most press freedom in Africa after moving up 11 positions this year.
South Africa guarantees media freedom, as indicated by the recent World Press Freedom Day Index.
The 2024 general elections are to owe for the increase in ranking.
Despite improvement, some challenges still need to be addressed.
South Africa climbed the ladder and ranked 27th globally for press freedom, a jump from last year’s 38th ranking, according to the 2025 World Press Freedom Index released on May 2. Earning the top spot in Africa.
The World Press Freedom Index (WPFI) is an annual report, published by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) on World Press Freedom Day, ranking 180 countries according to the degree of freedom available to journalists in the previous year.
The country’s media freedom ranking is identified as ‘satisfactory’.
South Africa’s global media freedom ranking over five years. Graphic : Lukholo Mazibuko
“There is no question that journalists in South Africa work freely across the spectrum,” says Slindile Khanyile, Sanef’s (South African National Editors Forum) media freedom subcommittee chairperson.
But she adds, “Of course, it is not to say that there are no attempts to intimidate or censor them, but these are rare.”
The shift in position is believed to be indicative of the prominent 2024 elections. “I think being able to freely cover the 2024 general elections, which led to a coalition government at national level, for the first time since the dawn of democracy contributed to this,” says Khanyile.
On the elections, Reggie Moalusi, executive director of Sanef, adds, “Fortunately, we saw very few incidents when it comes to journalists being harassed and media freedom transgression where journalists or media houses were not allowed to do their work.”
Despite the progress, Moalusi critiques that the improvement on the mitigation of online harassment among female journalists would positively agitate the country’s ranking, for though the critical importance of media freedom is highlighted in the index, the treatment of journalists should not be overlooked. “There’s still a whole lot more of work that still needs to be done,” he said.
Khanyile also believes that “the continuation of investigative journalism in the public and private sector(s) played a role and contributed to the growth of independent media ownership.”
Waste Land covered by News24’s Sikonathi Manthshantsha and The Laundry by Dewald Van Rensburg of amaBhungane are examples of award-winning investigative series that reflect quality journalism.
Therefore, as Khanyile says, “[The index] reaffirms the country’s commitment to freedom of the press and freedom of expression.”
University students in South Africa, like their counterparts globally, experience substantial mental health issues characterised by high levels of psychological distress and limited access to professional help.
A nurse allegedly dismissed a student experiencing depression, advising that more sleep would resolve her condition.
A student having an anxiety attack was allegedly scolded by a nurse while seeking help.
The Centre scheduled additional sessions for the student to resolve the matter, but she never showed up.
The student raised serious concerns about the quality of mental health support provided by Wits Campus Health and Wellness Centre.
“Sister Simangele Sitoe told me I was lazy and dismissed me with sleeping pills and antidepressants,” the student said.
Only after filing a complaint with a former intern named Karabo Molefe, was psychiatric assistance made available.
However, the issue continued in 2025. During an anxiety attack, the student returned to the Centre, only to be scolded by another nurse, Sister Ntombi Dantjie. “She shouted that she’s been a psychiatric nurse longer than I’ve been alive and that I was wasting her time”, the student alleged.
Wits’ Campus Health And Wellness Centre – Photo: Dikeledi Ramabula
Wits Vuvuzela reached out to both psychiatric nurses. Dantjie was unavailable for comment.
However, Sitoe denied the allegations, “I only interacted with the student once, after the first session, she decided that she does not want to interact with me ever again. After we referred her to another doctor here at the centre, the student would not avail herself and she did not come to collect her medication.”
In response, former intern, Molefe said, “The student came to me and complained about Sister Sitoe. I proceeded to book her multiple times to get assistance and sort out her issues with the nurse, but she never came.”
The head of department is currently not in the country to comment, standing in for him Mr. Brian Jele, the Primary Health Care Nurse at the Centre said: “There is a suggestion box available to all our patients here at the Centre, if any student has an issue, they have a right to voice out their matters, write everything down and put it in a box and everything will be investigated”.
Mr. Jele added, “When Mr. Ntshabele returns on Monday, I will report the matter to him and proper investigation will be conducted from there.”
FEATURED IMAGE: The Campus Health and Wellness Centre’s working hours. Photo: Dikeledi Ramabula
Artificial intelligence has the power to enhance journalism, but is journalism in more danger because of it?
Amid the chaos of a digital landscape currently being agitated and renovated by generative artificial intelligence, the news industry is no exception to its explosive impact. UNESCO aims to address this at a conference in Brussels on May 7 in commemoration of the 32nd World Press Freedom Day.
World Press Freedom Day takes place annually on May 3 to highlight the press’s current challenges and to raise awareness.
This year, the focus is on ‘Reporting in the Brave New World – the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on press freedom and the media, highlighting the opportunities and challenges that AI has brought to journalism.
Unsurprisingly, generative AI is taking centre stage, as its disruption to the world of technology is too stark to ignore, especially in the news industry.
Principally, we know that news summarises and simplifies information. Broadcasts and articles essentially catch you up on current, recent or ongoing events and weave in analysis or interpretation.
So, does involving AI in this process really pose a threat as a technology that can soak up information in one form, drawing from existing sources to pour the same information into a different mould after?
Yes and no. I believe that anything involving AI means walking a tightrope and, as journalists, falling off that rope means jeopardising the foundation within which journalistic practice is built on — ethics.
A 2025 report by Thomas Reuters Foundation (TRF), paints the nuances of AI use in journalism in the Global South.
It states that 81.7% of journalists already use AI tools like CHATGPT in their journalistic work for drafting and editing content, research, fact-checking and idea generation to save time, reach new audiences and work more efficiently. Starkly, only 13% report using any official AI policy with 79.1% reporting an absence of any clear guidelines.
Of the few non-users, lack of awareness or knowledge of AI tools, insufficient training and support, lack of access to necessary technology, concerns about accuracy and reliability, ethical concerns, preference over traditional methods and fear of job displacement were some of the main reasons for not using AI.
Where newsrooms lack formal guidance and self-education on using AI tools prevails, transparency becomes fragile which is concerning when trust in journalism and the media is already tainted. I am at a crossroads because if AI use is disclosed in news articles, I’m not entirely sure if that would make me trust a news agency more.
That is because I value journalism’s core ethics and skills: original reporting, quality, accuracy, fact-checking and source verification.
Where ethics are concerned, one may question if post-evaluation of AI produced content was done because AI is known to sometimes hallucinate information, supercharging the spread of misinformation. So, as journalism is defined, it still leads as a reliable, fact-checked source of information.
Another ethical concern, as highlighted by The Conversation, is that while journalists may ask for the generation of summaries or idea prompts, sensitive information or copyrighted material is inadvertently uploaded into these public generative AI tools, which not only contravenes company policies but journalistic integrity.
TRF recommends that journalists “understand the ethical implications of AI”. These include “advocating for policies and practices that protect journalistic integrity, while also ensuring fairness and accuracy, and promoting trust with audiences.”
All of this considered, I cannot downplay the ease that AI has brought journalists. It should be welcomed in newsrooms as long as originality and critical thinking isn’t destroyed in the process.
FEATURED IMAGE: Live news broadcast by robot news anchor with breaking news lower thirds and a digital world backdrop. Graphic: Lukholo Mazibuko
In Gaza, a press vest is no longer a protective piece of clothing, but a moving target on a journalist’s back.
The ongoing offence in Gaza has become the most reported genocide in history, and when rockets blow-up buildings and civilians are brutalised, journalists are not protected from Israel’s wrath.
Journalists have been purposefully targeted and assassinated in Gaza during Israel’s siege in Palestine. Their voices were torn from their throats, their offices bombed, equipment destroyed, and their families threatened and killed.
The answer to why this is the case is simple: journalists are silenced because they speak the truth to power. The Committee to Project Journalists’ (CPJ) chief executive officer, Jodie Ginsberg said in a statement: “Every journalist killed is another blow to our understanding of the world.”
Approximately 168 journalists have been martyred to date in Gaza with the most recent assassination on Sunday, August 18. Over 100 reporters have been detained or injured, and more than 50 remain incarcerated. But it is important to remember “behind each number, there is a life,” said Inayet Wadee, presenter at Salaamedia.
One journalist who has been able to make it out alive is Youmna El-Sayed, Al Jazeera’s English correspondent in Gaza. El-Sayed has been reporting on the conflict for a decade, her daughter was born into an open-air prison and still lives in one.
Arriving in South Africa on Tuesday, August 20, El-Sayed barely stopped to breathe a sigh of relief before she shared her story, and the stories of those still abandoned in Gaza, with a room full of journalists hosted by Salaamedia in Sandton.
Youmna El-Sayed was taking a moment to breathe before the press conference began about her time as a frontline reporter in Gaza, with mediator, Zanele Mji. Photo: Victoria Hill
United Nation experts describe the Gaza genocide as the “most dangerous conflict for journalists in recent history”. More recently, the International Court of Justice ruled that Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories is illegal and amounts to apartheid.
Waking up to rockets sailing through the sky and bullets raining down on the road, El-Sayed knew that fateful day in October last year was the start of something bigger than the decades of oppression and repression seen before.
Kissing her children on their sleeping heads, she left her house, never to return. In the past, civilians were given a five-minute grace period to flee their homes and run before they were blown apart, but this time around, no such privilege existed.
This week, El-Sayed finally “left this hell, [she] was able to come out, and was given another chance to live, and the only thing to help [her] survive this survivor’s guilt was continuing to speak about Gaza from the outside.”
The first time El-Sayed cried was not when she had to flee her home, or watch her colleagues be killed around her, but only when she realised in succeeding as a journalist, she failed as a mother.
Her daughter had screamed at her: “They’re going to kill us because of you!” This came after she had received a phone call from an Israel Defence Force officer warning her to leave Gaza or be killed.
However, when asked why she keeps reporting in such terrifying conditions, El-Sayed said: “the feeling of bitterness…that taste of abandonment by the world, for me as Youmna, was enough motivation to keep going. And I know for so many other colleagues it is that motivation [too].”
Where she lost her professional sense of duty, she found her humanitarian one because of the “hundreds of thousand of innocent who depend on [her]. But, no matter what, she still mourns the loss of her soul that will forever be buried in Gaza.
El-Sayed reminded journalists that they are the voice for the voiceless, and silencing them means silencing millions of civilians, thereby denying a basic human right to massive portions of the world.
FEATURED IMAGE: Youmna El-Sayed is the face of journalists in Gaza, and she tells their stories in partnership with Salaamedia who held a press conference on Wednesday, August 21, at Hyatt House in Sandton. Photo: Victoria Hill
While digital news thrives online, a devoted newspaper vendor from KZN remains a steadfast presence at a Wits bustling intersection, hoping to convince young and old to grab print copies.
In the centre of Johannesburg, at the busy intersection of Yale and Empire Road near Wits University, Phumzile Msani ,stands as a symbol of a bygone era.
Phumzile Msani engaging with a potential client at the intersection of Yale and Empire Road. Photo: Rivaldo Jantjies
As a devoted newspaper vendor, despite the drastic change in the print media landscape, Msani has continued to sell printed news for more than thirty years.
Hailing from KwaZulu-Natal, Msani stepped out of her comfort zone to seek employment in Johannesburg. Without fully completing her education, she could not secure a formal job, leading her to sell newspapers. The money she earned was sent back home to support her extended family. The 57-year-old and her family still rely on the ever dwindling income from her daily hustle.
From Monday to Friday, between 9am and 5pm, she sells newspapers on the busy intersection. Her selection includes The Star, The Citizen, Business Day, and Mail and Guardian.
The latest quarterly figures from the Audit Bureau of Circulations of South Africa (ABC) show a further decline in circulation figures. The Star, which used to be one of Msani’s bestsellers has seen a 35% decrease in circulation in the last year alone, less than 6000 paid copies in circulation weekly.
However, Msani’s commitment goes beyond her sales of newspapers, she is a familiar face and voice to regular passersby, making sure to greet passersby with a welcoming grin and willingness to chat.
Msani said the Covid-19 pandemic severely hurt her sales. Despite more individuals using online news sources, sales have not returned to their pre-lockdown level. She told Wits Vuvuzela, “before Covid-19, I used to sell 90 copies every single day, now I only sell up to nine copies a day.”
Price increases have also played a role in decreased sales. For instance, City Press, which was priced at R20 in December 2019, now stands at R29, while Beeld, which was R12.50, has risen to R18.50. Similarly, Die Burger has seen an increase from R13.60 to R16, and Daily Sun’s price has more than doubled from R4.20 to R8 during the same period.
Msani is a monument to the lasting value of print media in an age when digital news is taking over the world. Her devotion, and steady presence beg the question of whether print and digital journalism can coexist, or will screen convenience eventually make the sound of newspapers rustling obsolete?
FEATURED IMAGE: Selection of newspapers that Phumzile Msani sells. Photo: Rivaldo Jantjies
To commemorate the necessity of a free press whiletackling the climate crisis, this year UNESCO looks to greener pastures for environmental journalism
The 31st World Freedom Day, which highlights the importance of the press and journalism around the world focused on ‘A Press for the Planet: Journalism in the face of the environmental crisis’ which aims to give journalists liberties when reporting on climate change issues.
World Press Freedom Day takes place annually on May 3 – and it sheds light on the struggles and impact of the press in tackling issues and raising awareness. As journalism works to reflects what is happening in society, this year’s theme is significant as the climate crisis has had negative impacts on the world and its ecosystems. The recent floods in Dubai and the ongoing heatwaves in Asia are just a few examples of the world’s spiraling weather patterns.
Journalists have a seemingly crucial role to play in informing the public about climate change, and its effects as they are responsible for sharing climate news. Along with this responsibility, journalists are also obligated to report in the public’s interest, and the climate crisis falls well within the range of public interest reporting. And currently, there seems to be some challenges.
The United Nations mentioned on their website that the significance of environmental reporting lies in its ability to shape democratic societies by raising awareness of the increasing environmental crisis and its consequences. Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO mentioned in a statement on May 3, that “without reliable scientific information about the ongoing environmental crisis, we can never hope to overcome it… On World Press Freedom Day, we must reaffirm our commitment to defending freedom of expression and protecting journalists worldwide.”
As a result, some news organisations across the world have increased their coverage of global warming and the climate crisis. A clear indicator comes from the reporting of the flooding in Dubai, which climate scientists have stated could be related to the world’s skyrocketing temperatures, and many mainstream media outlets have mentioned this in their coverage, with publications like CNN highlighting climate scientists’ views that global warming is causing these issues. This highlights how publications have made strides to improve climate related coverage and have invested resources in doing so.
Reggy Moalusi the executive director of the South African National Editors Forum has mentioned that one challenge that journalists face in reporting on climate related news is a lack of resources. This is because newsroom sizes are decreasing, and journalists are having to cover more topics themselves. This means that journalists cannot dedicate time solely to climate reporting as they must have their hands in every jar at once, unlike 30 years ago. “Any kind of specialist reporting has gone down,” he mentioned.
Established journalist and editor, Candice Bailey, told Wits Vuvuzela that South Africa has a lean environmental journalism landscape, meaning that this field in South African journalism is established, but can be built upon. She mentioned that “the focus on climate change improved the vision of environmental journalism.” Which indicates that the increasing relevance of climate issues may bolster the environmental journalism space in the country.
This year’s World Press Day aimed to look at these issues between the press and the environment and find innovative and engaging solutions for them. UNESCO’s World Press Freedom Day conference will be held in Chile on May 2-4 2024.
The 2024 index was released today and the South African National Editors Forum looks at the country’s media landscape and its challenges.
In 2024, South Africa ranked 38th worldwide for press freedom, this is according to the World Press Freedom Index. This year’s ranking was informed by the increasing issue of low funding for media outlets, which has greatly impacted news production in the country.
The World Press Freedom Index (WPFI) is a grading of countries by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) released annually on World Press Freedom Day. It is based on their assessment of each country’s press freedom records for the year prior.
These rankings paint a partial picture of the journalism landscape across the world annually; and help to identify countries with the least press freedom. In 2022, RSF altered the index methodology from what was used between 2013 to 2021. The new methodology centred on six main categories: pluralism, media independence, media environment and self-censorship, legislative framework, transparency, and the quality of the infrastructure that supports the production of news and information.
In the continent, South Africa has ranked well, oftentimes reaching the second highest position. RSF states it is because “South Africa guarantees press freedom and has a well-established culture of investigative journalism” but is hindered by the fact that journalists are often the subject of attacks by political leaders. However, in 2024 the ranking has decreased to 38 from 25.
Speaking to Wits Vuvuzela about the state of journalism in the country,Reggy Moalusi, the executive director of the South African National Editors Forum (SANEF), believes that South Africa has a robust press environment: “Over the years [South African Journalism] has proven itself to be among the best in the world, particularly when it comes to questioning the public and private sectors.”
Moalusi notes that the landscape could be better especially “from a point of view of how journalists are treated and [the] continuous and rising bullying online of journalists, particularly female ones.” This time last year, a documentary recounting the extensive harassment towards female journalists was released entitled Section 16, which takes its name from section 16 of the constitution.
Seasoned journalist and editor, Candice Bailey, said that since 2024 is a prominent election year, electioneering may play a prominent role in our ranking in the coming year. She reflected on news reports that Moshoeshoe Monare, the group executive of SABC had been intimidated by the State Security Agency over the weekend.
Aside from social media, another avenue for the harassment and silencing of journalists is the legal system. In a secret court application, the Moti Group interdicted amaBhungane from using leaked confidential documents to expose their illicit mining ventures.
While unfortunate, Moalusi believes these instances shows the resilience of journalists as they continue to tell South African stories despite the attacks. “Media freedom embedded in journalism is our greatest tool.
“[We] need journalists to feel protected by the law”, said Bailey. She believes that the court victory by Karyn Maughan against former President Jacob Zuma will reflect positively in this year’s evaluations.
Infrastructure could potentially bring down South Africa’s ranking. South Africa is plagued by a financial crisis that does not seem to be improving. It came to a head this past year when Independent Media, the owners of publications such as The Star and The Cape Times, retrenched 128 employees, yet was still unable to pay severance packages on time. Less than a month ago, Daily Maverick shut down their entire website to highlight what they call a “state of emergency in journalism” where more than 70% of journalists have left the field.
The future is not all bleak. Moalusi shared that SANEF is launching a Journalist Sustainability Fund to “raise revenue to invest back into newsrooms.” He mentions that even though it is still in the developmental stage, “several companies and stakeholders have been receptive to the idea so we hope by the time we start raising our hands, corporate South Africa will respond.” Therefore, no matter the constraints, the passion felt by journalists will continue fueling robust, independent and thorough journalism and that will be reflected in this year’s rankings.
Daily Maverick’s ‘shut down’ successfully highlighted the dire state of journalism, but also left student journalists with fears about the future.
On April 15, 2024, tens of thousands of South Africans loaded up the Daily Maverick website to read the daily news, only to find a black screen with the words ‘Daily Maverick has shut down’ in bold white lettering.
For 24 hours, the news site was shut down to highlight what Daily Maverick calls the “global state of emergency in journalism”. This state of emergency is driven primarily by economic pressures and the rapid expansion of digital technologies. Daily Maverick plainly states there is “a market failure in journalism”, which is culling off smaller news organisations and local metro press.
Daily Maverick reiterated that the shutdown is not simply for or about them – “it’s about every legitimate newsroom in the country that needs public and corporate support” to continue functioning. Without journalism, they warned, “our democracy and economy will break down”.
A screen grab of the Daily Maverick home page on April 15, 2024.
While no journalism student in the country is unaware of the issues in the field, the shutdown was still alarming and rather fear-inducing for some of us. A media communique from Daily Maverick pointed out that 70% of local journalists have left the field in the last 15 years due to this crisis.
A study by Glenda Daniels notes that the number of community newspapers countrywide has fallen from 575 to just over 250 in the last ten years, as small papers fold and their journalists leave the field. Most young people are already anxious about the job market and their prospects, but as a student journalist I feel an almost indomitable fear for my future.
Associate business editor for Daily Maverick, Neesa Moodley, speaks to the deterioration of journalism and its effect on young journalists. We no longer have the privilege to specialise in just one aspect of media like before. “In my youth, you could decide if you wanted to be a news photographer, a broadcast journalist, or a print journalist. In today’s newsrooms, you need to be able to do all three” if you want to make the cut, she says.
Even if you can conquer all these skills and enter the workforce, retrenchments and slim budgets mean mentors for young journalists are few and far between. Many experienced journalists are opting to freelance, write press releases or work as ghost writers in the corporate field. As such, “eager graduates are thrown in the deep end with little to no guidance,” says Moodley.
Spelling and grammar issues abound, and Moodley highlights the “increasing incidence of press releases used verbatim” as news articles by inexperienced and overworked juniors.
This is all part of what she calls the “juniorisation” of the newsroom – a frightening concept for us student journalists who are without established sources or intimate knowledge of the playing field. It feels rather like being made captain of a sinking ship.
But with resounding positivity, Moodley is unwilling to accept this as the new status quo. “Daily Maverick dearly hopes that the bold move we made in the last week will have kickstarted the public awareness and conversation around the funding of journalism” she says. No journalists, especially young ones without expertise, deserve to provide such an important public service with so little help.
Going forward, hopefully individuals and companies come to see the massive value difference between shoddy citizen journalism and real journalism produced by journalists with what Moodley calls a “bullshit” filter, and fierce commitment to the dogged pursuit of the truth. Journalism students can lead the charge here – we can scream from the rooftops about the crisis in journalism, and make friends, family, and peers aware of how our democracy rides on the back of quality, well-funded journalism.
Educators and mentors can be a part of this fight too. As Trish Audette-Longo and Christianna Alexiou note, it is essential to talk students through crises in the field and to encourage young journalists to “[imagine] different journalism futures” instead of simply accepting the job as it is. If we fight now for our future, then maybe by the time it becomes our present reality, the crisis will be a thing of the past.
‘When I get into something, I don’t let it go, regardless of how difficult it is,’ says the newly minted PhD holder.
Lecturer at the Wits Centre for Journalism (WCJ), Dr. Enoch Sithole recently obtained his PhD on his extensive research into media coverage of climate change in South Africa.
Sithole was born in the old mining town of Barberton in Mpumalanga, in 1965 to a Swazi mother and a Tsonga father. He left Barberton at the age of 12 and went to Mozambique with his dad, spending nine years in the country. Sithole attributes the move to his multilingualism, he is proficient in Tsonga, Swati, English and Portuguese.
He returned to the country in 1983 and followed his father’s footsteps by working at the same mine in Baberton. “My interest in journalism came under anti-apartheid activism when I joined a workers’ union and became a heavy consumer of news,” shared Sithole. Consequently, he was recruited at an anti-apartheid newspaper in 1988 called New Nation, he joined permanently as a reporter after three months of training.
“When I was thinking about my PhD, I tried to find something that would be unique. I could have done my PhD on a purely journalism subject because that is my background.” Sithole decided to research on climate change for his doctorate, noting that the media only covers the topic during conferences or when there are disastrous events.
His research emphasized that climate change should not be looked at as only existing in the physical science space because solutions to the global issue are also found in social spaces. “If we’re going to involve everybody in fighting climate change we need to communicate. I want to take a subject such as climate change to the masses through journalism and other communication methods,” said Sithole.
The father of two children and three grandchildren graduated with honours in 2017, a master’s in 2018 and recently a doctorate on April 24, 2023, whilst working as a lecturer at the WCJ. Sithole said the field of journalism is demanding especially when one is trying to complete their studies while working. “One needs to plan their life accordingly, even your family will understand that it’s work, it’s not something you can avoid,” said Sithole.
Sithole is currently working on a proposal to “determine empirically, not speculatively” why media rarely covers climate change and why people find climate change an elusive subject. This is in addition to a report he wrote for Fojo Media Institute about the inadequacy of climate change reportage in South Africa between 2021 and 2022.
Programme coordinator at Fojo Media Institute, Jean Mujati described Sithole as a very humble and professional person. She further mentioned that he was recommended by the former WCJ director Professor Franz Kruger. “We [the institute] needed an expert who understood the South African media landscape, [which is] something that we found in Dr Sithole,” Mujati said.
While Kruger said he worked with Sithole at New Nation in the 1980s. “I appreciate Enoch for his experience in the media, and his insightful way of thinking about issues in journalism. His focus on climate change reporting is timely, and I am very happy that he completed his PhD in the area.”
“I have my PhD, now it’s a matter of making it work” said Sithole. He further noted that he would love to continue teaching journalism and increasingly combine it with climate change.
His final words were, “One thing I would like people to know about me is that I tend to commit to what I want to do, I grab hard. When I get into something, I don’t let it go, regardless of how difficult it is”.
FEATURED IMAGE: Dr. Enoch Sithole posiing for a picture at his office at the Wits Centre for Journalism. Photo: Sfundo Parakozov
Johannesburg's underground punk rock scene has always been about more than simply music. From the beginning, it's been a site of rebellion against injustice and a community for those who dare to go against the norm. In this episode of We Should Be Writing, Mbali Khumalo takes you into this world, with guests from the […]
