The fight to keep journalism to journalists continues. Social media giants would have us all believe that social journalism is all that we need, forgetting that when someone is PAID to do a job they will strive to do it correctly, honestly and fairly in order to keep that job. Of course passion for the truth and fairness in all things has to also be there.
Let’s also not forget that social journalism is ‘supported’ by the ground work done by genuine journalists.
As an aside – I fell in love with journalism through the printing press. An uncle worked in the printing room of The Herald and he once showed me how a newspaper was typeset. Proof reading of each page had to be done reading backwards (typesetting was a mirror image of the finished product) and I then spent ages learning how to read backwards in a mirror. For years I experienced the thrill of the pounding press, smell of ink and machine oil and the roar of newsprint every time I picked up a newspaper to read.
These articles about journalists popped up this past week:
Journalism Awards:
South Africa calls for journalists to enter the 2025 SADC Media Awards competition:
On 24 February 2025 an invite to enter these awards was published on the GCIS web site:
South African journalists/media are invited to submit their entries for the 2025 SADC Media Awards competition.
The SADC Media Awards competition is open to journalists from the SADC Member States.
The first prize winner in each category receives US$2,500 and the runner-up receives US$1000.
Journalists who wish to enter the competition can access more information about the competition from the www.gcis.gov.za website.
Entry Form: https://lnkd.in/dN9BrxAc
Rules of the 2025 competition: https://lnkd.in/drPn2KBs
The South African National Editors’ Forum (Sanef) in partnership with Standard Bank, sponsors of the Sikuvile Journalism Awards, reminds all journalists to submit their finest work from January 1 to December 31, 2024, for the prestigious 2025 awards.
The call for entries officially opened in early February, and we urge all journalists not to wait until the last minute to enter. The deadline of 31 March is fast approaching.
Tough Times Ahead:
According to WikiLeaks, USAID supported media outlets in more than 30 countries.
“A since-deleted fact sheet from the agency revealed that starting as early as 2003, USAID funded training and resources for approximately 6,200 journalists, supported 707 non-state news organisations, and backed 279 civil society groups, exposing the vast extent of direct US influence in global media systems over the past two decades.
“The scale of this involvement is further reflected in the 2025 foreign aid budget, which included a $268.4 million allocation from US Congress specifically earmarked for initiatives aimed at fostering the so-called ‘independent media and the free flow of information’.
President Donald Trump’s decision to freeze billions of dollars in foreign aid, including more than $268m allocated by Congress to support independent media, has thrown news organisations and journalists into crisis.
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has condemned the move, warning that it has left NGOs and media outlets facing severe uncertainty. The organisation has called for international public and private funders to step in and ensure the survival of independent journalism.
‘Tech giants threaten real journalism’ was the tile of Rorisang Kgosana’s article on News24.
Competition Commission to release findings on the impact of digital platforms on journalism
Owning a smartphone and posting information on social media and digital platforms does not equate to journalism, as the profession is based on the discipline of verification and accuracy of facts…
The South African National Editors’ Forum (Sanef) has welcomed the provisional findings and proposed remedies released by the Competition Commission’s Media and Digital Platforms Market Inquiry (MDPMI), which examined the impact of global technology companies on the South African media landscape.
Sanef, alongside several media companies and advocacy groups, made representations to the Competition Commission in 2023, raising concerns over unfair commercial practices by major technology firms. The forum has long warned that these practices have had a devastating impact on South African media, which has suffered significant financial strain over the past two decades due to digitisation and the rise of social media platforms.
South Africa’s Competition Commission has thrown down a bold gauntlet, demanding Google fork over R300-500 million annually to local media for leveraging their content. It’s a fiery ultimatum that’s sparked a fierce debate over digital equity—and whether tech giants should pay to keep journalism alive.
This clash stems from a 16-month investigation launched in late 2023, driven by suspicions that platforms like Google and Meta twist competition and choke traditional media.
After relentless evidence-gathering – public hearings, expert analyses, industry sit-downs, consumer surveys, and focus groups – the Media and Digital Platforms Market Inquiry (MDPMI) dropped its provisional report. Siyabulela Makunga, the Commission’s sharp-spoken spokesperson, laid it out: “This isn’t just about bargaining codes seen elsewhere. We’ve gone bigger – covering radio, TV, AI chatbots, and the AdTech cashflow that keeps news sites alive.” The report, now open for public scrutiny, pairs findings with remedies aimed at tech titans like Google, Meta, Microsoft, OpenAI, X, and TikTok. Feedback’s due by April 7, 2025, with a final ruling expected late 2025.
The NUB of the whole gripe against big tech is encapsulated in what Siyabulela Makunga, the Commission’s sharp-spoken spokesperson said; “Digital platforms don’t produce news,”” he said. “They profit off it while journalism withers.”” Globally, this isn’t unique—media everywhere is scrambling to reinvent as online giants siphon profits.”
Journalists Under Threat:
French journalist Nicolas Henin in a Paris court quietly recounted repeated torture and a mock execution while the Islamic State group held him captive in war-torn Syria.
“The whole time, I was in a torture factory,” he told the court on Monday, also alluding to the brutalising of Syrian detainees and executions of fellow Western hostages.
The SABC reported on Zimbabwean journalist Mhlanga’s bail application postponement.
Zimbabwean journalist Blessed Mhlanga spent two nights behind bars after a Harare magistrate postponed his bail application.
A judgment on a bail application will now be heard on Thursday. Mhlanga appeared in court today facing charges of transmitting data messages inciting violence.
Many fear a return to the past dark days when press freedom in Zimbabwe was denied.
A Vietnamese court sentenced a leading independent journalist to 30 months in prison over Facebook posts that criticised the government, state media said.
Huy Duc worked for influential state-run newspapers before authoring one of Vietnam’s most popular blogs and Facebook accounts, where he criticised the country’s communist leaders on issues such as corruption, media control and relations with China.
Accolades for Journalists:
New York Festivals Television & Film Awards has announced that sports journalist and broadcasting groundbreaker Lesley Visser will be awarded the New York Festivals 2025 Lifetime Achievement Award.
The New York Festivals Lifetime Achievement Award, launched in 2011, honours prominent industry leaders, innovators, and driving forces in the broadcast world whose groundbreaking accomplishments have advanced their field and left a lasting impact on the industry. The award recipient will be celebrated at the annual Storytellers Gala virtual event, which will recognise TV & Film Awards and Radio Awards trophy winners in May 2025.
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Alan Straton
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