Those who write what people read control the public mind. Those who control the public mind control the present and future. If you want to control society, you must control information and knowledge production. All that the average man knows, especially in the historically disadvantaged communities, is what he or she reads in the media. […]
journalism
Posted inMedia, News/Politics
Hungry for and in need of good news
A few years ago I would have argued that our media is quite balanced, we have a good dose of good news and a “good” dose of bad news. The only bad, I could also argue, was about the corruption and crime in the country. In my consumption of news I could see many firsts […]
Posted inMedia, News/Politics
Media-ting the debate: What is the role of responsible media?
By Dylan Stewart The media plays a powerful role in driving public opinion, however media companies depend on the public’s readership for the income that will keep it in business. A responsible media needs to masterfully strike a fine balance to maintain its integrity and its consumer base. This is an article responding to the […]
Posted inGeneral, Lifestyle, Media
Am I a writer?
I’m an ink-stained notebook fiend, most of my pens get chewed like a rabid terrier, I write poems, post copious amounts of blog posts, churn out news reports, provide opinion pieces for several publications, proofread anything that crosses in front of my eyes, heck I even accuse non-readers of treachery against humans (spoiler: writers hate […]
Posted inMedia, News/Politics
Madiba, this is why I am a public servant
I posted this on my Facebook profile, today. I figured I would share it widely on this worst of days. He held my hand for twenty minutes and told me of the vision he had for our country. No, I said, I was a journalist. It is all I ever wanted to be. I loved […]
Posted inMedia
Who’s watching the watchdogs?
This is an acid test of media integrity, of being brave enough to face the uncompromising truth. Our media, whether online, print, radio or television, have a pathological aversion to candour and transparency about their own behind-the-scenes attitudes, practices and policies. Oh, they love ripping into political parties, other companies, organisations, prominent individuals, sportsmen and […]
Posted inMedia, Tech
Nailing colours to the mast – you’re either a journalist or a PR
There is an ongoing debate in science journalism — the question of whether you can write science PR for corporates or government and also write science journalism for media houses. If you want some background, here’s an interesting piece in Nature and another blog post. While the IT industry learned about these blurred lines a […]
Posted inGeneral
Eish and goodbye: the pains of information-seeking
By Glenda Daniels Sorry, in advance, to the politically correct who support sex work and to dentists who love their jobs. But in my subjective mind, while there are many torturous jobs, these two spring to mind first: selling sex to strangers and drilling into someone’s mouth. Right up there, however, has to be an […]
Posted inNews/Politics
When journalists silence rape survivors
This week Rhodes University student newspaper Activate published a story titled “Club Etiquette”. The story explains best party practice along the lines of ‘don’t wear heels’ and ‘respect your bartender’. Then there was this: “Don’t take advantage of the drunken person of your dreams. The next morning, when they wake up next to you wondering […]
Posted inGeneral
Soap bubble media
For my inaugural Thought Leader blog, I thought it appropriate to explore what exactly a blog is, as opposed to what a column is, or a feature or other form of journalism, and how I come to find myself here. After the demise of the failed Newstime site, where I authored the Bush Babe column, […]