NUUSBRIEF VAN DIE DEPARTEMENT JOERNALISTIEK NEWSLETTER OF THE DEPARTMENT OF JOURNALISM December Desember 2017 Uitgawe Edition 16 THE DEPARTMENT @ 40 #JOURNALISM4.0 OUR small department, originally development between 2000 and housed at 26 Crozier Street, will 2015, there was no reference to celebrate its 40th anniversary in the role of the media. Yet a strong 2018. Alumni can celebrate with media sector is now regarded as us on March 2 during the Word so fundamental to the Sustainable Fest when our publication cele- Development Goals (SDGs) that brating – and reflecting on – forty the importance of public access years of journalism education and to information as a fundamental training at Stellenbosch University, freedom is mentioned explicit- #Journalism4.0/#Joernalistiek4.0 @ ly. These SDGs should guide our Stellenbosch, will be launched. planet’s actions in the crucial next Founded in 1978 by legendary 15 years to address the challenges newspaper editor and then chair facing us, from poverty and in- of Naspers, Piet Cillié, regarded equality to climate change. at the time as a liberal Afrikaner In South Africa, particularly, a thinker, the postgraduate Depart- myriad of problems face us as a ment of Journalism in the elegant society, from state capture result- Edwardian house at 26 Crozier ing from an immoral and corrupt Street had by 2010 expanded into leadership, to inequalities such as a super-modern annexe to house the vast, growing and unsustainable its Honours, Master’s and Doctor- reliance on welfare grants, plus all al students. the other complex factors destabi- And yes, the need for journa- lising the promise and potential of lism education and training in our a post-colonial and post-apartheid technological age is more impor- “New South Africa”. tant than ever. Amidst all the noise Therefore: it also takes a strong in the digisphere’s post-truth/alter- commitment to education and native truth/fake news era, a clear training to ensure that our publics and strong voice of professional are served by a professional, ethi- media workers providing weighed, cal media sector. Indeed, may one balanced, independent informa- hope that a professional, ethical tion is crucial. And such a clear, media can be an agent of change in strong voice, to provide a trusted addressing our problems? public record of our times, begins The 40th anniversary publica- with the education and training of tion contains a collection of essays young media professionals who reflecting on what has happened have the necessary conceptual and over these four decades regarding In Part IV, a number of Rykie vol, analities, krities, skeppend, practical knowledge and skills that our commitment to media edu- van Reenen Fellows reflect on the skepties, sinies. En dalk as laaste need to dovetail constantly in our cation and training inside – and role of journalism, their second- maar beslis nie die minste nie, en merciless, 24/7 news cycle. therefore mostly outside – of 26 ment to the department, or other ’n voorvereiste vir oorlewing: ’n To quote a former UNESCO of- Crozier Street. In Part I, the histo- relevant issues. The publication superskerp, gitswart sin vir humor. ficial: “Fostering journalistic train- ry of the department is presented concludes with essays by a number Long may this very special place ing institutions in Africa is key to in two parts as a reflection in the of alumni representing the De- still produce critically minded Africa’s development as a whole, “rear-view mirror” – from 1978 to partment’s four decades. media professionals who can an- whether for tackling poverty, ush- 1994, and from 1994 to today. This Die bundel gedenk die eerste swer to all the needs of our soci- ering in democratic practices or is followed in Part II by academ- vier dekades van ’n baie spesiale ety, thereby providing a public promoting social change.” ic essays on journalism education plek met ’n unieke atmosfeer (en record of events and people – the In fact, the role of the media in and training. The next section con- ’n eie inwonende spook, dalk selfs first rough draft of history: honest, society is so important that it is sists of class photos of the Honours meer) wat al meer as ’n duisend clear, strong and reliable. J mentioned in the 2030 Agenda for students’ who stepped over 26 baie spesiale studente gehuisves Sustainable Development that was Crozier Street’s threshold for over het – ’n groep mense wat die beste – LIZETTE RABE, wat vanjaar adopted by the United Nations in forty years, as well as some photo- vergestalt van wat ’n joernalis en uittree as roterende voorsitter. 2015. In the previous Millennium graphs capturing a glimpse of the professionele mediawerker kan Gawie Botma is van Januarie 2018 Development Goals, which guided soul of 26 Crozier Street. en moet wees: nuuskierig, talent- in die voorsitterstoel. 1 HOW 26 CROZIER STREET ALMOST MADE THE NEWS MONDAY 27 February 2017 start- the newsroom, who was formally Services have assured us that ed out like every other weekday in asked to “could she please evacu- everything is under control and Crozier Street. Crazier and crazier, ate” (yes, we do everything politely they will be monitoring the build- in other words. Just as well we did and according to the rule book). ing. not know how it would end, be- The SU Protective Services’s Mr So what was the cause of the cause we almost made news our- Howard Koopman was quick to smoke and the almost-fire? Turned selves. be on the scene, and he, in turn, out … to be a crumpled-up com- The piece of crumpled up print-out that Where there’s smoke, there called an electrician, the two of puter print-out that got stuck in almost caused a big problem… must be a fire. That we know from whom holding a close watch- the fluorescent light on the ceiling. politics. Fortunately, for us, on out for more smoke – or, indeed, We know Crozier Street stu- paper inside this particular light. this specific Monday, it turned out flames. Mr Nadeem Gafieldien, dents to be passionate about their And at least the good news was to be smoke without a fire – nor another stalwart, was also making work. And yes, when the nerves that the smoke did not turn out to flames. But it could have been a lot his way to the department. are raw, paper starts flying… and be a fire. And that we didn’t make worse. So this is how our Monday The electrician fortunately it may even end stuck on the in- it to the front pages. in February this year ended: quickly established that the cause side of a fluorescent light. Where, PS: The evidence of just whose Late afternoon, just before clo- of the smoke came from one of the in this case, it would just lie there print-out it was, of course, was sing time, smoke was detected in fluorescent lights. The electricity for a couple of years, heat up, cool also clear: student’s name, date, the newsroom (those pre-2010: was still switched off, so whatever down, and one day heats up to the and subject: the print-out of the the upper storey of the annexe, caused the smoke was now not get- extent that it starts smouldering… final Photojournalism portfolio of where our computers and studios ting any heat (or power) anymore. and smoking. a certain individual who will not are). One of the air conditioners However, all the necessary safety What to do in future with pas- be named. And it has been stuck stopped working, and after, that measurements were taken, e.g., a sionate journalism students? Of in the light since November 2011. the room filled with smoke. Stal- notice to all the students that they course, now also tell them that if So now the do’s and don’ts of the wart and hero of the day, aka Su- should not be using the revolving they want to start throwing papers Department also include that perwoman and Captain Invincible door but the front door the next around, please make sure the pa- whenever you feel like throwing and Office Ninja, Elizabeth New- day, and that everything will re- pers do not get stuck in the lights… around papers during that very man, of course, immediately did main switched off in the annexe because even though there is an testing exam time, please make all the right things. until the next day. (Yes, the SU has Annual Inspection of Lights by sure it does net get stuck in the Lizbeth switched off the main had too many fires these past years whoever the Annual Inspection of lights. We might just have anoth- switch, and fortunately, there was to take any chances…) Lights Department is, they clearly er almost-fire in about five years’ at that stage only one student in In the meantime, Protection did not notice the stuck piece of time…. J LEONARD Makombe, from Harare in Zimbabwe, graduated in December 2017 after completing his PhD (Journalism) dissertation after years of dedicat- ed research into the role of Twitter in the election of a new government. He studied journalism at Harare Poly Technic from 1999 to 2001 and worked as a journalist at The Herald, the oldest and largest newspaper in the country. While working at The Herald, Leonard enrolled for a Bachelor of Science in Political and Administrative Studies (Honours) at the University of Zimbabwe, which Leona Amoraal, wat van 1978 by die departement betrokke he completed in 2004. Upon completion, Leonard enrolled for a Master of Sci- was, eers as tik- en snelskrif/shorthand-instrukteur, en van ence in International Relations at the same institution and completed it in 2006.