Strengthening Journalism Education in Africa

The Wits Centre for Journalism (WCJ), together with the School of Journalism and Media Studies (JMS) at Rhodes University, is now implementing the second iteration of Unesco’s “Global initiative for excellence in journalism education” project.

The purpose of the project, which is supported by the Google News Initiative, is to build on Unesco’s work started in 2007, which identified 12 journalism schools in Africa as schools with the potential to meet a high level of excellence in journalism education.

The WCJ and JMS aim to help selected journalism schools, colleges or NGOs on the continent improve and update their current curricula and training programmes, enabling them to better respond to the major changes in the communication environment in each respective country and region.

Click here to read more and see how you can get involved.

Call for entries – 17th Taco Kuiper Award for Investigative Journalism

Muckrakers, get those submissions together – entries for the 17th Taco Kuiper Award for Investigative Journalism have opened.

The annual award recognises outstanding examples of investigative reporting that reveal untold stories, hold the powerful to account and question those in public and private life within South Africa. Journalists can again compete for the top prize of R200 000, with a second prize of R100 000 up for grabs.

Click here for details and entry guidelines. 

WCJ Hosts Roundtable on Future of Media in Africa 

The Wits Center for Journalism and Jamlab Africa recently partnered with the African Union and Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) for an engaging roundtable discussion about the future of media in Africa.

The conversation was moderated by Amira Sayed and WCJ alumnus Simmi Areff, both AU media fellows. Panelists included Wits Centre for Journalism director, Dr Dinesh Balliah, project coordinator at Jamlab Africa, Lindokuhle Nzuza, founder of news start-up Explain.co.za, Verashni Pillay, and SEEN content lead and WCJ alumnus, Naeemah Dudan.

Click here to watch a brief snapshot of the event. 

Our PhD students are hard at work finishing off their thesis research, due for publication later this year. 

Lesley Lehlohonolo Mofokeng - Lesley is an award-winning entertainment journalist and author who has interviewed some big names in Hollywood, including Will Smith and Oprah Winfrey. His thesis is titled, "Reimagining Sol Plaatje: Investigating the contribution of the pioneering newspaperman to the history of journalism in South Africa."

Tula Dlamini - Tula is a senior manager of politics and policy analysis at Nedbank Group, and has extensive technical, production and research experience as a journalism and media professional. His thesis is titled, "A study of journalistic practice and news construction at the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC)."

Yarik Turianskyi - Yarik is a senior policy advisor at Business SA. He is passionate about media and has been involved at various South African radio stations both as a presenter and correspondent since 2002. His thesis is titled, "Using ‘digital diplomacy’ to achieve foreign policy goals: case studies of Kenya, Australia, and the United States."

Lebogang Seale - Lebogang is the senior manager of strategic communications at the University of Johannesburg. He is passionate about creative writing, journalism and African literature, and is co-author of the book The A-Z of South African Politics. His thesis is titled, "Wading through the embers of a smouldering newsroom: Has the pursuit of commercial and political interests damaged The Star, one of South Africa’s pre-eminent newspapers?"

Click here to find out more about their respective projects. 

• The Wall Street Journal is looking for an energetic, experienced and ambitious journalist to lead its coverage of Africa. The position is based in Johannesburg. Applicants must submit a CV, cover letter and five examples of recent work. Click here for details.

• The International Women’s Media Foundation is accepting third-party nominations for its Courage in Journalism Awards. The award celebrates brave female journalists who report on taboo topics, work in hostile environments, and share difficult truths. If you know someone deserving of the award, make your nomination before 3 March. Click here for details.

• Primedia Broadcasting’s Eyewitness News is looking for a reporter to join its team in Sandton. The successful applicant is expected to produce exclusive, relevant, compelling, and factually correct news articles on a weekly basis and to create news content for its online platforms on a daily basis. Deadline: 17 March. Click here for details.