1. Noma Bolani believes in the need for bilingualism in the newsroom

An award-winning journalist, Noma Bolani grew up enthralled by radio. Today, she is one of SABC’s leading journalists, reporting in both English and isiZulu, and there is a good reason for this.

She explains, “Delivering stories in your own voice and own home language creates a stronger relationship with the public. Being bilingual is advantageous in the fact that potential subjects may know your name and offer stories.”

At the same time, reporting in two different languages brings with it pressure because you constantly have to consider whether the message you are putting across is correct.

Read more about Bolani’s career and her hopes for the future, here.

2. Tecla Ciolfi and her journey to music blog success

We had the privilege of sitting down with Tecla Ciolfi, aka founder and editor of the award-winning music blog, Texx and the City, earlier this year.

Besides chatting to her about her love of all music, her upbringing, and being gender stereotyped, we also found out the secret to her success. And it’s simple: Combine one-part passion and two parts hard work.

“When people take public holidays and leave, you’ll still find me working. I don’t knock off at the end of the day with a sigh of a relief and a cold drink on the horizon. Instead, I’m working until late at night every day.”

Read more about Ciolfi’s journey to creating the award-winning website, here.

3. Govan Whittles on professional classism in the journalism world

Govan Whittles has worked in the media industry for the past seven years. He has dabbled in everything from radio and TV to print. Today, you’ll find him at the Mail & Guardian.

On this move, he says, “I enjoyed radio because it allowed me to explore instant news reporting, on the ground, as it happens reporting. Currently, I’m really enjoying print because it has allowed me to contemplate a bit longer on my ideas and produce news that’s truly original and comprehensive.”

He also has no interest in stories that “perpetuate the status quo” and believes the health of the local journalism industry is characterised by “professional classism”.

Read more about Whittles views on the local journalism scene, here.

4. South Africa’s geek culture is booming

In 2015, the international gaming industry was reported to be worth $91.5-million, more than double the international film industry.

This increased interest has also reached South African shores with events such as the rAge Expo, GeekFest, and Icon Comic and Games Convention dedicated to all things ‘geek’.

Lauren Das Neves of rAge Expo believes she knows why. “[G]eek culture is becoming more mainstream these days with shows like The Big Bang Theory on TV being so popular, Game of Thrones being another example and, of course, the proliferation of video games in society and the huge growth of the superhero movies in Hollywood.”

Read more about what she, and others, have to say about our burgeoning geek culture, here.

5. Elsabe Brits and the story of Homo naledi

When the opportunity arose to report on one of the greatest scientific discoveries to happen in South Africa, you could have bet your bottom dollar that science journalist Elsabe Brits would be in.

The added bonus was the Sikuvile Journalism Award she received for reporting the story across multiple platforms.

“It’s not one story,” she says, “but a package containing videos, photos, short facts, tweets, an interactive graphic, and an in-depth-article,” she says. “It was a good marriage between online and print, where both received the best of the story.” 

Read more about Brits’ multi-platform approach to the story that is Homo naledi, here.

6. Filmmaker Uga Carlini is the heroine of her own story

The reality of filmmaking is that it is damn hard work. Just ask Cape Town-based filmmaker, Uga Carlini. The amount of ‘no’s’ that she endured to get her film, Alison, made, far outweighed the ‘yes’s’. It also doesn’t help that she’s a woman in a male-dominated industry, she says.

Instead of being daunted by this fact, she revels in it. “The statistics may say that there are not enough women in the industry,” she says. But so what? Carlini doesn’t want to moan about the statistics. She’d rather spend her time doing something about them.

Read more about her drive to give women a voice in the film industry here.

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