Jocoza News 24 June

• Significant threats to media freedom are coming from unexpected places, the World Editors’ Forum heard in Turin, Italy, last week, writes Wits University’s Anton Harber.

• The Mail & Guardian did an interesting, off-agenda thing recently – it launched an African news website totally distinct from its own online offering, writes Gill Moodie in Backstory.

• Two Wits journalism graduates were among the winners in the prestigious Sanlam financial journalism awards.

• A crackdown on the media, has gripped Zimbabwe following suspicious break-ins at the homes and raids on offices of three editors by the police’s central investigation department.

• The South African National Editors’ Forum (Sanef) has described as unfortunate a decision by Independent Newspapers head Iqbal Surve to walk out of the Nat Nakasa Awards ceremony.

• Journalists were forced to kneel in a bizarre briefing responding to a report in the Sowetan newspaper last week that SABC chief operations officer Hlaudi Motsoeneng had been given a wife as a gift.

Opportunities:

• Over 50 top speakers, and a wide range of topics, from the best radio apps in the world to an evaluation of 20 years of public radio: that’s this year’s Joburg Radio Days (July 2 – 4).  Theis is your final chance to register online.

Have a good week further!

The jocoza team