The Institute for the Advancement of Journalism (IAJ), South Africa's premier provider of short courses for journalists, communicators and media practitioners, and the Internal Institute for Journalism (IIJ), InWent, Berlin, invite mid-career journalists (newspapers, news agencies and online media in the SADC region) to apply for a training programme on:

REPORTING REGIONAL INTEGRATION: History, Politics & Economics of SADC

Venue: IAJ Offices: Johannesburg, South Africa

Date: August 16 -27, 2010

Target  group: The course is intended to support journalists from the SADC region. It is open to mid-career journalists from newspapers, magazines, news agencies and online media. 15 participants will be admitted. 

Applicants should have a minimum of 4 years of professional experience and be proficient in English.

Objective: The aim of the programme is to enhance the quality of reporting on SADC matters in the regional media.

Learning and Teaching Methods:

Knowledge transfer and development through:

• theoretical lectures
• group work
• discussions

Participants will be given an introduction to the history, politics and economics of SADC and will deal journalistically with these aspects.

The programme will be conducted in co-operation with the Institute for the Advancement of Journalism (IAJ) in Johannesburg, South Africa

Kindly direct all applications and/or inquiries to:

Institute for the Advancement of Journalism (IAJ)

Johannesburg, South Africa

Mrs Leela Parbhoo: leela@iaj.org.za

Applicants should send:

• A motivation letter, explaining what the applicant and their respective media house hope to get out of the programme and how he/she will apply the skills learned;
• A detailed CV with clear contact details;
• A letter of support from the applicants' employer with clear contact details.

The international travel costs to and from the training venue will be borne by InWEnt on the condition that the publishing houses are able to motivate to the organisers why they would not be able to cover such costs. The organisers will cover participants' tuition and accommodation costs and will provide and allowance to cover meals not included.

_{CLOSING DATE FOR APPLICATIONS:  14 June, 2010}

Print Media South Africa (PMSA) has honoured Peter Sullivan with a Print Media Fellowship for his determination, dedication and integrity in a passionate drive for the betterment of the South African newspaper industry.

He was presented with the fellowship at the ninth annual Mondi Shanduka Newspaper Awards hosted in Johannesburg on Wednesday, May 5.

In his varied and distinguished 28-year career, Sullivan has held several posts on a number of South African newspapers, culminating in his appointment as editor of The Saturday Star and then The Star between 1995 and 2001. In a period of immense change in the country's political landscape, he led a paper that played a major role in the early transformation of South Africa as it moved into a new, all-inclusive democracy.

Following his editorship of The Star, he held the position of editor-in-chief at Independent Newspapers, which included his representation on several industry bodies. It is his contribution and commitment in this arena that earned him the fellowship.

Sullivan played an important role in the following bodies, ensuring that they played their rightful role in securing the future of the newspaper industry:

• PMSA board  member
• MAPPP-SETA board member
• Director of the South African Advertising Research Foundation (1996 to 2003)
• Chairman of the PMSA press freedom committee (2003)
• Chairman of the PMSA awards committee (2005 to May 2010)
• Member of the Press Council, where he played critical role in ensuring the proper functioning of the new Ombudsman's office and the workings of the appeals committee
• A member of the Industry Panel of the Advertising Standards Authority
• A member of the PMSA Research Committee

Adrienne Sichel's work, which has elevated the coverage of the arts to something that inspires readers and journalists, was recognised at the ninth annual Mondi Shanduka Newspaper Awards in Johannesburg on Wednesday, May 5.

Doyenne of South African arts journalism Adrienne Sichel - who has been described as a ‘national treasure' for her contribution to the coverage of the performing arts - is the winner of the 2009 Alan Kirkland Soga Lifetime Achiever award presented by Mondi Shanduka Newsprint and the Newspaper Association of South Africa.

Much of her decades-long career has served to keep the arts alive in South African newspapers, even when the rise of youth culture and celebrity sensationalism threatened to dominate entertainment reportage.

Her motivation for following this course of journalism has been an awareness of the richness of South African cultural expression, driven by a combination of curiosity and care for the development of talent and creativity.

Documenting rising talents in dance and theatre, she has produced work that has ensured their registration within the mainstream media agenda. She knew who they were, long before they were recognised, and it was often due to her reportage that their gifts came to light, nationally and abroad.

Starting out at Pretoria News in 1970, Sichel began to hone her specialisation, which deepened after she joined The Star Tonight.  In the early days, she covered a number of areas, including the court beat. "That was the best training for a theatre critic ... with all the drama of murder trials,"* says Robyn Sassen, freelance arts writer and academic.

Sichel wrote with such skill that the subject matter was made interesting, even for those who were not followers of the arts, and she has long been a role model and mentor to younger journalists.

Her integrity, insight and quality of her reviews have earned her respect from major figures in the arts world - a rare achievement for a journalist who retains her independence to criticise in a beat where access to sources is sometimes a delicate issue.

Sichel has been recognised with numerous arts-related awards, so it is fitting that with her retirement in 2009, she has been acknowledged by her peers in South Africa's premier newspaper journalism competition.

Director of the Dance Umbrella, Georgina Thompson, has been quoted as saying: "We will not leave Adrienne retired". Sichel's response: "I'm not retiring. Just changing gears."

The judges concurred that Sichel is a journalist whose work has elevated the coverage of the arts to something that inspires readers and her fellow journalists. In selecting her as the winner, they recognise that contributions to journalism extend beyond politics and press freedom, and that Sichel's work has helped us delve into the essence of how we define ourselves as South Africans.

They salute the achievements of a person who has demonstrated what journalism can do when enriched with specialist expertise, social conscience, solid ethics and excellent writing.

Previous recipients of this lifetime achievement honour include the late Dr Aggrey Klaaste (2004), David Hazelhurst (2005), Raymond Louw (2006), Mathatha Tsedu (2007) and Joe Thloloe (2008).

* http://cue.ru.ac.za/fest/news/2009/humble-beginnings.html

Judges in the Newspaper Association of South Africa's annual Frewin, Joel Mervis and McCall awards found that although the competition was intense, Die Burger, Volksblad and Naweek Beeld were the clear winners.

The competition, which has been in existence for a collective 120 years, recognises newspaper excellence in advertising, printing and production, layout and typography as well as the balance between the use of pictures and graphics.

The convenor of judges, Clive Loxton, expressed his amazement at how little effect the economic recession had on the visual aspects of the journalist's craft, as one would have expected to discover far more caution.

"We congratulate the winners. As we emerge from the recession with the World Cup boosting circulations by stimulating interest in ‘immediate' news coverage as well as in-depth analysis, we expect to be judging some very exciting work next year," he added.

Die Burger won the Frewin Award which recognises urban daily newspapers with a circulation above 50,000. Beeld was announced as runner-up, while the Daily News and Cape Times were commended in the same category.

The judges had this to say about the winner, "Overall this paper presents a solid visual delivery, with an extremely neat and tidy appearance. A worthy winner."

The McCall Award, which honours urban daily newspapers with a circulation of 50,000 or less, was clinched by Volksblad. The runner-up in this category was The Witness, while Pretoria News received a commendation.

"A professional-looking paper with a very good, consistent visual delivery," said the judges.

The Joel Mervis Award which recognises urban weekly newspapers irrespective of their circulation was presented to Naweek Beeld. City Press followed as runner-up, and the Mail & Guardian was commended.

"Good, sound visual presentation. Interesting pictures, well-presented to support news articles. Beeld has proved to be one of the country's top newspapers for 2010.The skills employed to maintain such a fine paper are phenomenal," commented the judges.

The panel was comprised Loxton, Linda Rademan, Marylin du Toit and Logan Naidu. Loxton conveyed his gratitude to his fellow judges for their commitment and dedication, describing them as experts in their respective fields.

 

The judges experienced a great deal of pleasure and pride in scrutinising the entries for the ninth annual Mondi Shanduka Newspaper Awards held at Soccer City in Johannesburg on Wednesday, 5 May.

"The best were really excellent, and there was a feeling of appreciation and respect for the sterling work being done by South Africa's newspaper journalists," said panel convenor and head of journalism and media studies at Rhodes University, Professor Guy Berger .

The winners in the competition's 15 categories were singled out from 41 shortlisted candidates selected among 604 entries.

Sunday Times came up trumps when four of its entrants won in five categories. English weeklies Sunday Times and Mail & Guardian and the English daily, The Star, featured strongly on both the winners and finalists lists.

This year saw an increase in submissions from community newspapers, with independent publications submitting the most entries from the Johannesburg, Cape Town and KwaZulu-Natal areas, followed by Avusa's Sunday Times, The Times and Daily Dispatch.

The competition features two new categories, namely Journalism Twenty-Ten, which drew 19 entries, and Editorial Cartoons, which drew 31.

THE WINNERS, THE FINALISTS AND THE COMMENDEES

 

1.   Hard News

• Winners:

Julian Rademeyer and Felix Dlangamandla - ‘Perdfris Shaik' (Rapport)

• Finalists:

Angelique Serrao - ‘Bullying in schools' (The Star)

Alex Eliseev - ‘MEC in murky Merc deal' (The Star)

• Commended:

Thanduxolo Jika - ‘Top ANC official is ‘dead', according to his ID' (Daily Dispatch)

The winning entry provided the first clear and uncontested evidence that Shabir Shaik was not complying with his parole conditions. This was strong journalism, incontrovertible and full of power.

2.   Analysis and Commentary

• Winner:

Brendan Boyle - ‘The loud, loutish dumbing down of government' (Sunday Times)

• Finalist:

Michael Bleby - ‘Reflections on an inner-city dilemma' (The Weekender)

• Commended:

Sue Blaine - ‘What's an idea worth?' (The Weekender)

The winning column was well-written and well-argued, tackling a complex subject succinctly and effectively for the target audience. Most impressive was the writer's skill in analysing the troublesome features of a one-party-dominant state within a fairly limited space.

3.   Feature Writing

• Winner:

Oliver Roberts - ‘The quest to be one' (Sunday Times)

• Finalist:

Solly Maphumulo - ‘MaKhumalo: An African love story' (The Star)

• Commended:

Jacqueline Aires - ‘Rites and wrongs: probing initiation' (Sunday Independent)

Alex Eliseev - ‘Eight winters' (The Star)

Jackie Mapiloko and Dudu Zitha - ‘Survival of the fittest' (City Press)

This category received the most entries - many of a very high standard. The winning entry by Oliver Roberts covered the complex realities of people living with a-typical sexual differentiation - and was written before the Caster Semenya controversy broke.

4.   Investigative Journalism

• Winner:

Adriaan Basson - ‘Kitchen confidential' (Mail & Guardian)

• Finalist: 

Rob Rose - ‘Tannenbaum ponzi scheme', series (Sunday Times)

• Commended:

Stephan Hofstatter and Rob Rose - ‘Exposed: deadly taxi racket' (Sunday Times)

Brian Hayward - ‘Tycoon's secret paradise' (The Herald)

Fred Kockott - ‘Shoot to kill' (Sunday Tribune)

Thanduxolo Jika - ‘Dying to live' (Daily Dispatch)

The winning entry is a series of articles by Adriaan Basson, and the culmination of a three-year investigation. Traditional legwork, perseverance, courage and an ability to look for information beyond the obvious sources resulted in evidence-based reporting that has had far-reaching results.

5.   Creative Journalism

• Winner:
• Nikiwe Bikitsha - ‘Google me baby'; ‘She can have any surname ...' (Mail & Guardian)

 

• Commended:

Patrick Bulger - Column ‘The Late Night News - Fighting talk from Bush and Russia Today' (The Weekender)

Gert Coetzee - ‘Brandpunt, Rassiste Anoniem Biegsessie vir ongeneeslikes' (Volksblad)

Helen Walne - Column ‘Human League' - Various columns (Cape Argus)

There was a dearth of outstanding pieces in this category and a prevalence of contributions that were marred by the writers' fondness for the personal pronoun. Those that evinced a smidgeon of humour fell flat in terms of other criteria, such as clarity and cross-cultural sensitivity.

Nikiwe Bikitsha's brave pieces drag us into the fraught terrain of "male-dom" and how it misinterprets femaleness. She takes no prisoners when it comes to people in power, be it the national police commissioner or the president of the republic.

6.   Editorial Cartoons

• Winner:

Jonathan Shapiro, for cartoons: ‘Vote ANC 94 - 09', ‘Pontius Mpshe', ‘When pigs flew', ‘Blade's New Car' (Mail & Guardian) and ‘Tripartitecycle' (Sunday Times)

• Commended:

Cuan Miles - ‘Eishkom - more pain for the people'; ‘Shaik, rattle and roll'; ‘The chessmaster'; ‘The lunacy of King George ....er...King Dalindyebo'; ‘Abracadabra or Mpshe' (Daily Dispatch)

Brandan Reynolds - ‘2009 ... What a Year' (Business Day)

This category is once again dominated by Jonathan Shapiro (Zapiro). His combination of simple and direct draftmanship, wicked wit and ability to think sideways make him a world-class cartoonist. But there are many more South African newspaper cartoonists than a few years ago, and their drawing skills get better and better. What they need to develop, though, is the ability to look beyond the obvious and turn situations on their heads.

7.   Graphical Journalism

• Winner:

Anton Vermeulen - ‘Stryd van die vaste vyf' (Sport24)

Finalist:

Jaco Grobbelaar - Various articles (Die Burger)

• Commended:

Debbie van der Merwe - ‘Oscar'; ‘Dankie vir die vis'; ‘Nuwe winde waai'; ‘Einde van die citi' (Rapport)

This is the first year that graphics have been separated from cartoons, allowing a different category of work to emerge from under the shadow of Zapiro. Long neglected in the South African press, graphics show heartening signs of being taken more seriously. Only a minority of the entries, however, took the difficult step beyond pure artwork, and into either meaningful illustration and/or effective information graphics.

8.   Popular Journalism

• Winner:

Prince Chauke - ‘Look how I'm beating Aids'; ‘My HIV+ shame' (Sunday Sun)

A winner in the same category last year, Prince Chauke takes the horror of Aids to switch it into an inspirational story. He recounts how kwaito star Lucas ‘Stitchman' Setwaba gave up womanising, started an antiretroviral programme, and disclosed his HIV status. ‘My HIV+ Shame' once again uses the popular angle of a musician in a ‘story with a message'.

 

9.   News Photographs

• Winner:

Alon Skuy - ‘Shober as a judge' (The Times)

• Finalist:

Halden Krog - ‘Fat cat' (The Times)

• Commended:

Ziphozonke Lushaba - ‘Cops brutality' (The Star)

 

The winning entry stood out for its subtlety and imaginative character, capturing half the face of the judge who was found guilty of drunken driving. This image required quick thinking on the part of the photographer (most would have waited a second for the judge to move into the clear), and a bold decision by the picture desk, given the way the photograph was displayed under that headline.

10.               Feature Photographs

• Winner:

Jennifer Bruce - ‘The last call of the sea' as well as other entries ‘Carcass crackdown' and ‘Staying alive in a wasteland' (The Star)

• Commended:

Herman Verwey - ‘New Limbs - Klein Mpho wou nie haar eerste paar skoene uittrek' (Beeld)

Jennifer Bruce photographed the life countdown of a man, with photos that have a beginning and an ending, and which stand out for their composition. This was a picture story that managed to be poignant without ever being sentimental, about a dying man's last wish to be taken out to look at the sea. Judges added that her other entries - ‘Staying alive in a wasteland' and ‘Pet carcass scandal' - could also have won this category for her graphically visual story about humans reduced to scavenging on a garbage dump and the SPCA dumping carcasses at the Randfontein Municipal Rubbish Dump.

 

Judges also noted that newspapers deserved to be commended for the fact that they are now using pictures far better than in the past. There were an enormous number of very good photos, making selection quite difficult.

11.               Sports Photographs

• Winner:

Ziphozonke Lushaba - ‘Shades of glory' (The Star)

• Finalist:

Adrian de Kock - ‘Rough riding' (The Star)

The judges described the winning image as poetic, while the finalist was dramatic. They also noted that while rugby was well represented in the entries, soccer was almost absent.

12.               Presentation

• Winner:

Elsolet Joubert and Danie Toerien - ‘Agter die nuus. 13' (Sake24)

• Finalist:

Matthew le Cordeur - ‘67 ways to help your neighbour' (The Witness)

The winning entry is an unusual front page by Elsolet Joubert and Danie Toerien, marking the farewell from the finance ministry of Trevor Manuel after 13 years in the seat. It takes an excellent photograph of Manuel and turns it into a magazine-style front page, showing just enough restraint to avoid overwhelming the photograph.

 

13.               Journalism Twenty-Ten

• Winner:

Rob Rose - ‘Match Fixing' (Sunday Times)

• Finalist:

Adriaan Basson - series on security at Confederations Cup (Mail & Guardian)

• Commended:

Lucky Sindane - ‘Colours of loyalty' (Mail & Guardian)

Colleen Dardagan - various articles (Daily News)

The entries in this commemorative category dealt with diverse dimensions of the staging of the 2010 Fifa Soccer World Cup.

Rob Rose successfully explored controversy around the practices of Match, the accredited hospitality company in regard to rentals and tours, including the perspectives from stakeholders, big and small.

Along with the category winners of the ninth annual Mondi Shanduka Newspaper Awards, the winners in the special categories of South African Story of the Year and South African Newspaper Journalist of the Year were recognised for excellence in newspaper journalism at Soccer City in Johannesburg on Wednesday, 5 May. 

"South Africa at this juncture arguably needs quality information more than ever, and the country's newspapers are living up to the challenge of delivering it," says panel convenor Prof Guy Berger, head of journalism and media studies at Rhodes University.

He added that readers need look no further than at the work of two journalists who won this year's awards for South African Story of the Year and the South African Journalist of the Year. "These are outstanding contributors to the citizenry's right to know, and they have picked up expertly on major trends that underly much of what is happening in South Africa."

Gcina Ntsaluba of the Daily Dispatch clinched the 2009 Mondi Shanduka South African Story of the Year for the story ‘Broken Homes'.

The South African Story of the Year was certainly about delivery - or, as represented by this story, non-delivery. Gcina Ntsaluba's investigation into low-cost housing construction tenders in the Eastern Cape used the best of traditional journalistic methods to investigate at firsthand the delivery of sub-standard housing and its impact on the communities. In nine weeks, and over visits to seven towns, Ntsaluba documented a litany of dodgy deals.

The human side was brought home with the revelation that one shoddily-built home had collapsed and killed a 13-year-old. In bringing the voices of often marginalized rural citizens to mainstream newspapers, Ntsaluba produced a story that had impact beyond the borders of the Eastern Cape. It led to intervention by the Minister of Human Settlements and a visit from the Parliament's Housing Portfolio Committee.

Though a local story, this coverage also speaks volumes for the nation at large. It is about an issue that is very close to people's needs. The articles were both well-researched and told in a comprehensive and compelling manner. To understand many of the dynamics in South Africa in 2009, and not least the scores of service delivery protests, one need look no further than this story as a cameo of a national crisis.

Stephan Hofstatter was named as the 2009 Mondi Shanduka South African Newspaper Journalist of the Year for various articles including ‘The real trouble with land reform' in The Weekender and ‘Fat cats milk R100-m fund' in the Sunday Times.

The judges were highly impressed with his entries noting that ‘this corpus highlights the quality of Hofstatter's work'. They added that Hofstatter revealed himself as an outstanding journalist, with a masterly command of the craft, and adding significant value to significant topics. "Readers can only benefit from the elucidation in his output," they said.

"His style of writing is simple and straight forward. He packs his reports with detail which, while presented unemotionally and without subjective tilting, can bring gasps of understanding from the reader. He provides the facts; the reader is left with the conclusions that can be drawn.

"In Hofstatter's land reform piece, he provides a fascinating yet compact analysis of land reform, reflecting a wide range of perspectives in it - including workers, owners and experts.  This piece was thus especially strong on multi-sourcing and giving all views a hearing (even those that disagreed with the main thrust of the analysis). It was well-written - and it flows nicely, which can be difficult with such a complex subject. The article demonstrates a depth of insight which can only come from having spoken to as many people as possible.

"The article on "Fat Cats" covered the complexity of an emerging scandal at the Land Bank. It provides a lot of really good detail, demonstrating reporting acumen and highly effective story-telling talent. Hofstatter's other submissions were also of high quality."