In this category, the stories covered every topic under the South African sun: staples like crime and accidents, tragedies and triumphs. Big stories like 2010 featured, although there was - surprisingly - little about the electricity crisis. In several cases, the reality of the report was blurred through boring phraseology like "the atmosphere was tense". But the leading entries included a heartrending story which nearly went untold, with a key source being tapped shortly before he died. It was about an 8-year-old boy kept as a secret captive by his father, and only discovered when the man became fatally ill. That the youngster's mother had been a black domestic worker (whereabouts unknown), seemed a part of a tragically home-grown story. The piece was written under pressure of deadlines, with sensitivity and avoidance of easy sensationalism.
Another leading entry did a fine job in detailing the news, and news background, around an 18-year-old samurai-sword murderer of Krugersdorp.
