State of the Newsroom 2021 report released 

The Wits Centre for Journalism released its latest State of the Newsroom Report during a webinar launch on 24 November. The report, produced annually, surveys the current trends in the South African journalism and media landscape. 

Watch the webinar and download the report here. 

Wits Vuvuzela In-depth Reporting Project 2022: The Climate Crisis is Here

Wits Vuvuzela has published its In-depth Reporting Project for 2022 titled, 'The Climate Crisis is Here'. Our honours students travelled across Gauteng looking into how climate change is already taking hold, and report on possible ways we can act to mitigate the damage. 

Read, watch and listen to the range of contributions here. 

Photo: Busisiwe Mdluli

WCJ bids heartfelt farewell to Prof Franz Krüger

After a monumental 22 years at the WCJ, Krüger steps down from his role as adjunct professor, leaving behind an important legacy as the driving force behind the department’s transition to a Centre, and pioneer of a thriving Wits Radio Academy. He reflects on some of his career highlights. 

"One of the unique things about the station is that we transmit our own signal from the roof of the building in Braamfontein. I don’t think many people know this, but the first mast was a broomstick with metal wrapped around it..." 

Click here to read the full article. 

Wits Radio Academy co-hosts Ethiopia’s first radio management certificate

The Wits Centre for Journalism's Radio Academy, in collaboration with the Fojo – IMS Media Reform Programme in Ethiopia, co-hosted Ethiopia’s first ever community radio management certificate course in Addis Ababa from 5 to 9 December.

“This was also the Academy’s first official certificate offering outside of South Africa, and we’re extremely excited at the prospect of continuing to expand our reach into the rest of Africa in the coming years,” said Jacob Ntshangase, Wits Radio Academy coordinator.

Click here to read the full article. 

More news from the WCJ

Webinar book launch - Women Journalists in South Africa

On 23 November, the Wits Centre for Journalism hosted the webinar launch of an important new book titled Women journalists in South Africa: Democracy in the Age of Social Media, co-edited by Prof Glenda Daniels, Associate Professor of Media Studies at Wits University, and Dr Kate Skinner, Executive Director of the Association of Independent Publishers. The book shines a light on the unique challenges faced by women on the frontlines of reporting the news. 

Catch up with the full webinar here.  

How to read South Africa’s quarterly crime statistics after the Covid pandemic

Numbers and statistics are essential for understanding crime. They tell us how many crimes were recorded during a certain period, the types of crime, and where they took place (or, at least, the police station where they were reported). But to assign the right resources to the right areas, we must understand the data and trends in context. The Wits Justice Project, in collaboration with Africa Check, helps us to interpret crime statistics better.

Click here to read the full article.

Africa-China Reporting Project presents workshop at the annual African Women in Media Conference

The Africa-China Reporting Project (a project of the Wits Centre for Journalism) supported and presented a workshop at the sixth annual African Women in Media Conference, held in Fes, Morocco, from 8-9 December. This year, the conference held the theme 'United in Action', where speakers and attendees discussed recommendations and solutions to critical issues confronted by women in the workplace, as well as in the practice of journalism.

Click here to read the full article. 

• Broad Media calls on aspiring journalists to apply for its journalism internship programme, based in Centurion. Learn to cover the latest news, produce interesting features, and sub-edit articles for publication. Click here for details.

• The Press Council is looking for a Communications Manager to join its team in Johannesburg. Applicants must have journalism, marketing and social media skills in order to be eligible for the role. Deadline: 30 December. Click here for details.

• Feel SA is looking for a mid-level video journalist to join its team in Johannesburg. Candidates must be able to produce and package high quality video stories from leads they source. Deadline: 27 January, 2023. Click here for details.

The WCJ offices will be closed from 22 December to 5 January. Registration will take place online in January, 2023. Term dates and the 2023 timetable are available via this link.

Thank you for reading, and happy holidays!