Eleven hundred of the world’s most troublesome journalists will spend three days giving each other tips on how to call to account the rich and the powerful, swapping tools and techniques, software and hardware, and stories of derring-do. They will build networks to assist and support each other in their … 
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Category Archives: Media training
No future of news without investment in people
AT A Future of News seminar at the University of the Witwatersrand last week, Financial Times (FT) of London managing editor James Lamont told how they had turned that operation around. There were three key elements to their strategy of dealing with the loss of print readers and the difficulty … Continue reading
Campus sex pests and the power of the media
The work of my journalism students this week will, I think, do more to address the problems of staff-student relationships on Wits campus than all the measures announced by the university. Our new crop of students have only been with us four weeks when – assisted by some of last … Continue reading
Well done, Greg!
Photographer Greg Marinovich has done extremely important and valuable work in uncovering important evidence at the Marikana shooting site. By pointing out that 14 men were killed far away from where police were allegedly defending themselves, under circumstances that point to the possibility of cold-blooded killing, he has raised questions … Continue reading
The price of a cheap date
When does a newspaper cross the line from selling space to selling its soul? This is a question raised by MTN’s recent Mahala Thursdays campaign which was splashed across all media – including newspaper front pages and headlines and other elements normally protected as sacrosanct editorial space. Continue reading
Professional Journos’ Association?
At a time when journos are being retrenched across the country quicker than Wall Street bankers, there is a push to start a Professional Journos’ Association. A great idea. Continue reading
Huge boost for investigative reporters
What do we mean by investigative journalism? Is all good journalism not investigative? I have been asked these questions many times this week, as we launched the Taco Kuiper Investigative Journalism Awards and Grants at Wits University. Continue reading
A slow train to nowhere
Everywhere I look I seem to see a journalism training course. Some are long, some are short; some are done by experts, some by people who haven’t been in a newsroom for years; some are skills-based, others are there to promote an agenda, like the plight of refugees, or environmental issues. But there is no shortage, that’s for sure. Why, then are there still problems with journalism skills in our region? Where is all this training going? Continue reading