Meeting industry needs online
By
Wiida Fourie
Department of Journalism
Tswhane University of Technology
South Africa
Background
• New democracy 1994.
• Urgent transformation of the SA media:
– Media ownership,
– Staffing, and
– Content.
• Mistrust between media & government:
– Unfair and unbalanced reporting;
– Minor “irritations” (lack of accuracy).
– Society in transformation.
Background
• 2000: SA Human Rights Commission’s
Inquiry into Racism in the SA media.
• 2001: Sun City Bosberaad.
• Mthathu Tsedu, chairperson of Sanef: “We
concede there’s too much shallowness,
superficiality and unprofessionalism in the
South African media….”
• 2002: National Skills Audit of reporters with 25 years experience.
National Skills Audit
Problems in the newsroom:
• poor reporting skills,
• lack of concern with accuracy,
• Poor writing skills,
• Lack of life skills, eg computer literacy,
• Low level of commitment,
National Skills Audit
Problems in the newsroom:
• weak interviewing skills,
• weak legal knowledge,
• weak knowledge of ethics,
• poor general, historical and contextual
knowledge of journalists and
• low level of trainer knowledge.
Writing Skills
• Rated as below average (38%):
• Between 13% and 40% were found
lacking the skills to utilise the basic
news values in writing.
• Between 8% and 35% or reporters
failed to use titles correctly, and
• Between 8% and 25% failed to report
events correctly.
Writing Skills
• Between 32% and 41% of reporters
were rated as only having average skills
in writing paragraphs and sentences of
functional length.
• More than half of the reporters were
found not to bring possible errors to the
news editor’s attention.
National Skills Audit
• “…probably most of the present
challenges facing the media [in SA] as
far as news coverage is concerned, are
to be found in reporters’ skills to
properly perform the task at hand”
(De Beer & Steyn 2002).
SA National Editors’ Forum
(Sanef)
Education and Training Policy:
• The purpose of education and training
must be the improvement of journalism.
• Ongoing training is the right of every
journalist.
• Training is a continuous process that
should occur throughout the careers of
journalists.
Sanef’s Education and
Training Policy:
• Training should not be seen as only for
junior journalists or as demeaning.
• Media training does not just involve
technical or skills training, but should
incorporate social/ethical/political
components and be holistic.
• SA Government skills levy.
Skills Programme in Basic
Journalism
• Started in 1997 to address the
“untenable” skills shortage at
community newspapers.
• Have trained over 70 journalists.
• Went ‘online’ in 2003.
Skills Programme in Basic
Journalism
The professional
journalist
Specialist
Reporting
Writing Skills
Specialist Skills
Media Law and
Ethics
Basic English for
Journalists
Successes
•
•
•
•
Weekly general knowledge quiz.
Mentoring by senior journalists.
Reading.
Computer/internet skills….
Mentoring
“Hi Noluthando
First things first. It is very important that you
use correct language in your emails. You
know, people will not take you seriously as a
writer if your emails are full of language
mistakes. I will look at the article, but please
fix up the mail below and send it again. I have
highlighted the mistakes” (Fourie 9/12/03).
Mentoring
Hi Zonke
Attached is your first report. You might
get a fright when you see all the red
marks, but actually the report is well
written, and well structured. Congrats.
One BIG mistake, however, there is no
source! Where did you get the
information? (Nelmapius 12/10/03).
Mentoring
Zonke
I am losing my patience. This is a totally new
article, with so many sloppy mistakes, it is
obvious that you did not read through it
before submitting it to me….
Do you expect me to go through the whole
process again? I certainly don’t think you
deserve it….
Get your act together. You are wasting my
time (Nelmapius 38/01/04.
Reading
When Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe:
“This book is about the people of Africa and
how they were operating before the arrival of
the missionaries. Before, a man was
respected by his people when he was a hero
and when the messionaties came to Africa
they changed everything. .”
Reading
Nelson Mandela’s Long Walk to Freedom:
This is an Autobiography of Nelson Mandela This
book might look thick to anyone who comes
across it, especially those who have no choice
but to read and finish it.I promise that once you
start reading it you won't be able to stop.It leads
you right to the end. (Posted on bulletin board
15/08/2003).
Problems
• Initially students performed for the
course, but not in the newsroom (Moult
2003).
• Language skills still not on standard.
• Next level?