Journalism can be tough – especially when uncovering the truth or covering any form of conflict. Many journalists have stories of how they were threatened by disgruntled subjects, shot at or beaten up. So, naturally most news stories about journalists are unfortunately of the, “If it bleeds. it leads type!”
eNCA covered a piece about three journalists detained in Turkey over an article about an Istanbul prosecutor
Link: https://www.enca.com/news/turkey-detains-three-journalists-over-istanbul-prosecutor-story
Journalists Ugur Koc and Berkant Gultekin, who work for the online BirGun.net, and its managing editor Yasar Gokdemir were taken from their homes late Saturday for “targeting individuals engaged in counterterrorism efforts”, BirGun editor-in-chief Ibrahim Varli wrote on X.
The Vuka Group is looking for a Multimedia Journalist
Link: https://www.bizcommunity.com/job/johannesburg/events-conferencing/multimedia-journalist-273941a
Key responsibilities:
- Content creation: Develop engaging, multi-format content, including articles, videos, podcasts, and graphics, tailored to the mining sector.
- Research and reporting: Conduct in-depth interviews, research, and analysis to produce accurate and compelling stories.
- Social media and digital platforms: Leverage social media and digital platforms to maximise audience reach and engagement.
- Collaborative work: Partner with editors, designers, and marketing teams to produce cohesive and impactful content.
- Event coverage: Attend and report on industry events, conferences, and exhibitions, capturing highlights and insights.
Worth a read is Michael Markovitz opinion piece published in the Daily Maverick
Titled; “The global assault on public interest journalism and the fight for digital sovereignty.”
Markovitz says that what’s unfolding in the US is not just familiar – it’s the most audacious State Capture project the world has ever witnessed. Fear now stalks federal agencies, where public servants committed to the public good are being purged in a systematic dismantling of institutional independence.
TimesLive highlighted the shocking number of journalists killed in the line of duty in 2024
(Editor’s Note: How many keyboard warriors and social media amateur journalists that have been killed in in the line of duty does NOT form part of the reporting in the article).
A record number of journalists was killed around the world last year, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said on Wednesday, adding that Israel was responsible for nearly 70% of the deaths.
At least 124 journalists in 18 countries died in 2024, the deadliest year for reporters and media workers since the committee started recording the numbers more than three decades ago, the CPJ said in a statement.
The number of journalists and media workers killed in 2024 is up sharply over recent years: 102 were killed in 2023 and 69 were killed in 2022, according to CPJ. The previous record high deaths were in 2007, when 113 journalists lost their lives, almost half due to the Iraq war, said the committee.
The Daily Maverick’s Ray Mahlaka wished readers goodbye after 5 years at the publication
Mahlaka started his piece saying; “With your patience and indulgence, I would like to break the journalistic tradition. Doing so will require sharing my opinions and reflecting on my five years with Daily Maverick while covering South Africa’s complex political economy.
My journey with Daily Maverick started in mid-2019 when former editor Tim Cohen called me, informing me about Daily Maverick’s grand plan of diversifying its news coverage into business, economics and finance. To do so, a new unit at Daily Maverick, called Business Maverick, would be established.
I thought Cohen was insane in wanting to launch a standalone business news unit….
SANEF announced a number of changes at the helm
At its first Council meeting for 2025, in Cape Town, the South African National Editors’ Forum (Sanef) elected Makhudu Sefara as its new chairperson.
Sefara is the editor of the Sunday Times and previously chaired Sanef’s Media Freedom sub-committee.
Slindile Khanyile, publishing editor of Umbele, an isiZulu financial publication, is the new chairperson of the SANEF Media Freedom sub-committee.
Sanef also congratulated Phathiswa Magopeni on her appointment as the new Executive Director of the Press Council of South Africa. Thivhudzi Lukoto, executive producer at SAFM: News and Current Affairs, is Sanef’s new representative at the PCSA.
He replaces Nwabisa Makunga who relinquished the position following her promotion to an executive role at Arena.
Business Day published an article about 2 journalists pardoned in Iran
The were pardoned for their coverage of the death of a woman who allegedly violated Iran’s strict dress code.
Niloofar Hamedi and Elaheh Mohammadi had been sentenced to 13 and 12 years in prison respectively by an Iranian Revolutionary Court in October 2023 for their coverage of the death of Mahsa Amini, a Kurdish-Iranian woman in custody of the morality police for allegedly violating Iran’s strict dress code.
The death of Amini in police custody triggered nationwide protests in 2022.
House & Garden is seeking a Features Writer
Link: https://www.bizcommunity.com/job/cape-town/magazines/features-writer-508704a
The successful candidate will be responsible for:
- Writing, editing, and commissioning features and news for House & Garden’s print edition and digital platforms, from daily news hits to larger features and exclusives.
- Implementing the editorial vision of the editor-in-chief and guiding the direction of all House & Garden content across print and digital platforms.
- Representing House & Garden within the industry at meetings and events.
- Contributing to the social, digital, and video strategy for the magazine, whether ideating on projects or helping to propose or secure talent.
- Understanding and building commercial relationships, working with the revenue teams on special projects whenever necessary.
- Regularly meeting with brands and PRs and feeding back to the team to build relationships, secure editorial exclusives, and ensure that House & Garden remains at the forefront of the design conversation.
- Staying abreast of any and all industry developments and news to ensure that our coverage of design across print and digital is both informed and unique.
Boilerplate and Editor’s Notes.
More Info on Journalists in the News This Week – Record Number Killed in Line of Duty here:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MyPE
CLICK HERE to submit your press release to MyPR.co.za.
Food Journalism: This type of journalism focuses on covering food, restaurants, and culinary trends. Food journalists often
write articles, create recipes, or produce videos about food.
Howitzer Rise
To bear witness to all the unnecessary suffering on the planet and make ourselves available to service – whatever that means for each of us. We go deep in our personal relationships in America, but we need to go deep in our public relationships as well. – Marianne Williamson
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Public relations professionals’ technology toolkit expands – Email and video conferencing are everyday tools regardless of your role, but PR professionals use a variety of other digital platforms, too. Web analytics tools like Google Analytics and Twitter Analytics are common PR aids, along with SEO platforms like Moz and Ahrefs. Public Relations professionals also frequently use media databases, news monitoring and email automation through services like Mailchimp and HubSpot. These tools are used to show value and impact to stakeholders and illustrate potential strategies to engage with audiences. As for social media, PR professionals use these platforms in various ways to: Create and maintain relationships with journalists and publications; Gauge positive and negative sentiment from audiences; Proactively plan for crisis management; Quickly collect and analyze audience data to inform communication strategy
Drift
The importance of Public Relations can be felt in every working field. In this context, Alvin Adams, the retired American professional basketball player quotes, “Public relations are a key component of any operation in this day of instant communications and rightly inquisitive citizens.”