AWARDING OUTSTANDING LEGAL JOURNALISM

The Webber Wentzel Legal Journalist of the Year Award recognises outstanding work in the field of legal journalism. It was founded in 1999 to acknowledge the role played by journalists in promoting knowledge of the judiciary and understanding of the country's civil and criminal justice systems.

CLOSING DATE FOR ENTRIES

Entries must be received by no later than 17h00 on Wednesday,13 October 2010.

By post:
Webber Wentzel Legal Journalist of the Year Award,
P.O. Box 61771, Marshalltown, 2107

By hand:
Christine Makama, Webber Wentzel,
10 Fricker Road, Illovo Boulevard, Johannesburg

By email:
christine.makama@webberwentzel.com
(Proof of publication must be included)

THE PRIZES

Print Media: R50 000
Electronic Media: R50 000
No runner up prizes will be awarded.

WHO MAY ENTER

Any journalist reporting on legal issues in the print or electronic media in the Republic of South Africa.

Download the entry form.

 

The first SAPPI MPASA Media Summit will be held 11 November 2010 at the Cape Town International Convention Centre.

The summit is aimed at bringing local and international media industry leaders together to discuss and debate the challenges facing today's rapidly evolving magazine landscape. Leading representatives from the Business to Business, Customer and Consumer magazine sectors, as well as advertising, branding and media specialists, will have an opportunity to share their opinions on the future of the industry.

Jonathan Harris, chairman of the MPASA, says: "As a highly innovative industry facing new challenges, an event of this kind in South Africa is essential. MPASA is creating a forum where the industry can come together and debate the most important and impactful issues and hopefully extract valuable strategic insights."

The panel topics:
Advertising NEXT - Social networks, TV and Video, Broadband, Mobile, iPads, e-readers and games. We will look for a comprehensive understanding of what advertising over the next decade will look like and what the implications are for magazines.
A 21st Century Strategy for Magazines - As the media landscape changes, the debate around paid vs free, professional vs user-generated and the connection between offline and online continues. How will magazines not only adapt to survive but thrive over the next 20 years.
Journalism 2.0 - Technology and culture are changing fast and with them media organisations and the talent that generates content.  As this content becomes increasingly more multi-channel, multi-media and multi-receptor, we investigate the implications for the way journalists think and write.

Plus Special Guest Keynote Interview:

James is well-known as a journalist, magazine editor, publishing executive, media consultant and author. He is the founder and editor-in-chief of Story River Media, a Washington D.C. based full-service multimedia publishing company, and was the editor-in-chief of FLYP, the first multimedia online publication . The former managing editor of People, Time and Life magazines, he is the only person ever to have run three Time Inc. magazines and the only person in the history of Time Inc. to have been a chief editor and publisher simultaneously (at Life). Gaines tweets about the evolution of media at JamesRGaines, and blogs about similar subjects on True/Slant .

The keynote interview will be conducted by South African media personality Tim Modise.

Bookings are open now at MPASA.

 

Hamburg, Germany, 4 October 2010
For immediate release

Press Freedom Under Attack Around the World

At least 56 journalists have been killed in the first eight and a half months of  2010, and media employees worldwide continue to face physical violence and persecution of all kinds, whether from public officials, criminals or terrorists, the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA) said in its annual review of press freedom.
Assaults are daily - and often deadly - for those who challenge governments, report on conflicts or investigate corruption and crime, said the report, presented to the Board of WAN-IFRA, meeting in Hamburg, Germany, during the IFRA Expo. At least 120 media employees were in jail as of mid-September 2010, most often following sham trials or without charges having been brought against them. Hundreds more have been forced into exile.

The report said:

­In Latin America, media professionals face serious threats from both governments and powerful crime syndicates. Organised crime and high-level corruption remain the most sensitive subjects for journalists, in a continent where a deep-rooted culture of impunity prevails and where authoritarian and populist regimes do not tolerate scrutiny or dissent.

Mexico, where the government¹s war against powerful drug cartels continues, remains one of the most dangerous countries for journalists worldwide. No less than eight journalists have been murdered since the beginning of the year. In the past months, media based in the northern part of the country have refused to cover any event related to the war on drug trafficking, resulting in widespread self-censorship and major news blackouts.

­Sub-Saharan Africa remains a dangerous place for the media. Journalists are subjected to harassment, violence and threats of all kinds by heads of state, elected officials, corrupt authorities and militia. Despite the widespread use of defamation and libel laws to silence critics, journalists and citizens alike continue to vigorously and courageously campaign for freedom of expression.

Those in power throughout the Middle East and North Africa continue to resort to harassment, censorship, prosecution, fining and imprisonment of news media professionals in order to control information. Their hostility toward independent and opposition media has often proven to be ruthless.

­A culture of harassment, intimidation and assaults against journalists continues unabated in certain countries of Europe and Central Asia.

The widespread use of insult laws and a growing number of nations proposing legislation aimed at stifling press freedom, particularly in the name of anti-terrorism, is commonplace.

­Governments across Asia continue to apply a range of methods to restrict press freedom as a means of controlling their societies and limiting the spread of dissent. The region is still one of the most repressive areas in the world for independent media and reports of state interference, impunity for acts of violence against journalists and lack of protection for media professionals are widespread.

The report, with region-by-region details, is available on the WAN-IFRA web site (in English) at  http://www.wan-press.org/article18653.html

Details of the cases of journalists murdered in 2010 can be found at
http://www.wan-press.org/pfreedom/jkilled.php?id=5356.

WAN-IFRA, based in Paris, France, and Darmstadt, Germany, with subsidiaries in Singapore, India, Spain, France and Sweden, is the global organisation of the world¹s newspapers and news publishers. It represents more than 18,000 publications, 15,000 online sites and over 3,000 companies in more than 120 countries.  The organisation was created by the merger of the World Association of Newspapers and IFRA, the research and service organisation for the news publishing industry.

Learn more about WAN-IFRA at http://www.wan-ifra.org or through the WAN-IFRA Magazine at http://www.ifra.net/microsites/wan-ifra-magazine.

Inquiries to: Larry Kilman, Director of Communications and Public Affairs,
WAN-IFRA, 7 rue Geoffroy St Hilaire, 75005 Paris France. Tel: +33 1 47 42 85
00. Fax: +33 1 47 42 49 48. Mobile: +33 6 10 28 97 36. E-mail:
larry.kilman@wan-ifra.org

 

Thomson Reuters is offering a scholarship for a promising, young (under 30) African journalist or aspirant journalist.

The scholarship is to do a post graduate BA hons degree at the University of The Witwatersrand's Journalism Programme in Johannesburg and to join Reuters News thereafter for 6 months' work experience.  

Candidates must have an undergraduate degree or at least 3 years professional experience in journalism and must be nominated by a senior journalist, publisher or academic. They must be fluent in English. 

The scholarship will cover fees, accommodation and a modest living allowance.

Candidates should submit a motivation letter, a CV, writing samples and at least 2 letters of nomination/reference by October 15, 2010 to fitzgeraldprize@thomsonreuters.com

Candidates will have to make themselves available for a written test and interview.

For more information, contact:

Matthew Tostevin
Editor, Africa
Thomson Reuters
Phone: +27 11 775 3148
matthew.tostevin@thomsonreuters.com

About Thomson Reuters

Thomson Reuters is the world's leading source of intelligent information for businesses and professionals.  We combine industry expertise with innovative technology to deliver critical information to leading decision makers in the financial, legal, tax and accounting, healthcare and science and media markets, powered by the world's most trusted news organization.  With headquarters in New York and major operations in London and Eagan, Minnesota, Thomson Reuters employs 55,000 people and operates in over 100 countries.  For more information, go to www.thomsonreuters.com.

An extract from the document:

 "Print Media South Africa is of the view that aspects of the Protection of Information Bill B 26-2010 ("the Bill") are unconstitutional in that they offend the values of openness, accountability and transparency underlying the Constitution, and the constitutional rights to freedom of expression and access to information." Click here for the full document.

 

Independent Newspapers is looking of exceptional graduates to apply for its cadet training programme.  The 10-month programme aims to develop quality journalist through innovative classroom learning and on-the-job training in newsrooms.  Cadets will be taught and supervised by some of the country's top journalists.

If you are a talented young graduate and believe you have the potential to become a great journalist, then we want you.  We are looking for people who:

• Have a 3 year degree or diploma (it does not have to be a journalism qualification)
• Are passionate about journalism
• Have good language skills
• Can write well
• Are numerate
• Are curious about the world
• Are addicted to news and have a good general knowledge
• Have creative spark and show initiative

If you can tick the above mentioned requirement then send us your CV and a 500-word story on this topic: "How I know I am me"

Email your application to cadet@inl.co.za, fax it to 086 6184953 or post it to:

Independent Newspaper Cadet School, PO Box 56, Cape Town, 8000

Closing date: 27 September 2010-09-08

Applicants who are chosen for the second round will be required to complete a written assessment after which some candidates will be invited for interviews.  A driving licence will be an advantage. Successful candidates will be offered cadetships and will be required to report for the first phase of training of February 1.  Cadets will be in Cape Town for the first 3 months of the programme.  Accommodation will be provided for cadets who are not based in the Cape.

You will be assessed during the year and, if you meet the requirements, you will receive a certificate when you graduate. During your cadetship you'll be paid a monthly stipend - but that's not all: this is an opportunity to launch your career with a world-class media company.  The top performing cadets will be considered for jobs at Independent Newspapers.

Please note: Only applicants who have made the shortlist will be contacted.

The Association of Independent Publishers (AIP) requires the services of an Administrator in its offices in Parktown, Johannesburg. The AIP is a print media industry association affiliated to Print Media South Africa. The successful candidate should preferably be young and energetic with good interpersonal skills and the ability to work in a demanding office environment. Matric and skills/qualifications suited to a clerical administrative position as well as basic computer literacy are minimum requirements.

The capacity to commit to the interests of small, grassroots and community based
print enterprises is an important advantage.

The responsibilities of the Administrator will include:
• Managing the office of AIP, including all membership records
• Implement all relevant AIP Board decisions
• Perform the essential liaison function between the AIP Board and the members
• Produce and maintain records and minutes of meetings
• Update the AIP website

The Administrator will report directly to an Executive Director.

The gross remuneration for this position is R9000 per month and is available immediately.

All applications must consist of a one-page covering letter as well as a detailed CV.
Please forward all applications to malesedid@printmedia.org.za