Archive

2004

Nov-Dec: Travelled through Jnb to Amsterdam to attend a consultation with NiZA; later in November went to Marrakech, on to Stockholm, and home via Bloemfontein. Presentations along the way: Using newspaper adverts in AIDS comms; state of SA media, New Media in Africa and 2020, (as visiting prof at University of Stockholm's JMK school), and the next decade of journalism teaching (SA National Editors Forum seminar). Wrote chapters for books on subjects of media and poverty, ethics as regards the Vusi Mona case, and ethics vs law. They should appear in 2005.

May-Oct: Gave a paper & powerpoint titled "Ethics & Excuses: the scapegoating of Vusi Mona" at Saccom Conference.

Spoke at Highway Africa conference Award Ceremony; Taught media policy to senior students; Speech at Mondi Paper Newspaper Journalism Awards; Chapter for Iziko museum catalogue on Ten Years of Democracy in SA; scorecard on media change in SA in Journal of Marketing; Answers to questions for Marketing Mix magazine on same topic.

Wrote an assessment of World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS); Intermedia magazine (April, 2004, vol 32, no. 1, p8-13) republished my article from Rhodes Journalism Review on the need to interrogate the Information Society. Another article for Rhodes Journ Review on a decade of new media, and where it is going.

Poem to student media delivered at conference. Introduction to a book of photojournalism by Paul Weinberg. Thanked SAB for sponsoring a Chair of Media & Democracy.

Commemorated the death of Aggrey Klaaste in the Sowetan and a departmental statement. Article on Proudly South African for Rhodes centenary magazine.

Wrote a swathe of articles on telecoms from the Africa Telcom summit in Cairo.

Drafted SA National Editors Forum guidelines on Confidential Briefings, drawing from a debate I transcribed; Presented to Sanef council in Durban a paper on reportage of poverty. Published articles in Race, Gender, Class on media and racism; and in Critical Arts on media density.


Presentation and paper on "Media and AIDS: how we can do better" in Kuala Lumpur, at MediaWorldAsia conference.

Review of SA media in 2003 for Media Institute of Southern Africa.

Feb-April: Time flees, not flies. I've been working on three research projects:
(a) ICT use in 10 African newsrooms,
(b) how journalists in six African countries report ICT policy stories,
(c) how media constructed meaning in the Hefer Commission of Enquiry. Meanwhile, I'm pleased to report that our collaboration with UNC on www.tenyearson.org won the Best Multi-media (Independent) award at the US's National Press Photographers Association competition "The best of still photojournalism". I also wrote a draft chapter for a journ textbook being done by the HSRC, and I presented a paper on why The Africa Declaration on Freedom of Expression is good news for African journalists, but how it could be better on the issue of their right to keep sources confidential. Submission to Dept of Communications on the Convergence Bill.

January: Teaching postgrad students media policy. Article on Ten Years of Media in the SA Democracy. Proposals on how our newspaper, Grocott's Mail, can help combat poverty. And tips for SA journalists on "Confidential Briefings".

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November: Updated my take on environmental journalism for a conference in Cape Town, and adapted stuff for getting to grips with the impact of journalism on AIDS for a Reuters course in the same city. Lots of work for SA National Editors forum, including setting up a debate on Confidential Briefings (transcription on its way).

October: Presentations on convergence, poverty, elections coverage, policy issues for media leaders.

September: Travelled Highway Africa 2003 en route to the Information Society of the future. Destination still distant, but we have made a lot of progress. Look at the website, especially the graphic of attendees at the conference. Council meeting of SA Editors National Forum came to town as well. And we launched the David Rabkin Unit for Experiential Journalism, named after a brave journalist I spent time in prison with during the 1980s, and who died in exile in Angola. I secured funding for the Rabkin Unit to purchase local paper, Grocott's Mail. The aim? To serve the dual interests of Grahamstown and training journalism students.

Aug: Judge in US/South Africa Health Journalism awards, speech at ceremony. Interview for PR Newswire on digital divide.

July: Made an associate of the World Technology Network in recognition of work on Highway Africa the past seven years. Started a fortnightly column in the e-M&G. Made a presentation on media and policy to a Reuters Foundation course at Rhodes. Completed an article on coverage of poverty for Rhodes Journalism Review.

Re-elected deputy chair of SA National Editors Forum at their AGM in Durban. So, a busy 12 months ahead. Meanwhile, helped fundraise and set up four Cue media production projects involving some 130 students during the National Arts Festival, plus fundraised for another multi-media collaboration with UNC - and some 25 students - over the festival, building on our last year's work.

June: Aloe season here. Crowns of radiant reds in the bushveld. I was a nominee for the prestigious World Technology Award in the Journalism and Media category for work around the Highway Africa conference (now in its 7th year).
Sweated to finish another paper about poverty coverage. And a presentation to East Cape journalists and government on the topic. Compiled department submission on SABC's draft policies, and contributed to SA National Editors Forum one as well.

May: Lots in the air, including me spending some days in Moldava attending a workshop on how to measure the impact of short courses for journalists. Gave a presentation, and wrote a paper. Earlier, I wrote a piece for Sunday Times on SABC's draft new policies.

April. Busy. Paper on "the journalism of poverty and the poverty of journalism". Articles on the African Union, Nepad and journalism. Summary of key declarations for African media, done for Sanef. Comments on coverage of The War. Paid tribute to a South African journalist - Mono Badela, to whom Rhodes awarded a posthumous Honorary doctorate on 12 April. A brief on mainstreaming media into the ICT-development debate.

March 2003, and the time has been spent running an MA course on media policy and institutions, which culminated in trying to understand the Information Society. A draft concept document for this year's Highway Africa conference echoes these issues - in relation to the World Summit on the Information Society set for Geneva in December. I have continued to chase resources for the Africa Media Matrix facility we are trying to put together.

As convenor judge of the Mondi Paper Newspaper Journalism Awards, I led the panel that assessed the inspiring entries. Here's my speech at the award event. I've also been busy doing a Briefing Paper for the SA National Editors Forum that summarises strengths and weaknesses of key declarations for African media.

Publishing has included a report on Highway Africa 2002, and an article for Enterprise magazine in a debate on how media should cover Nepad.

During 2002, I helped organise the 6th Highway Africa conference in Jhb, at which I also gave presentations on beyond shovelware, and the role of New Media in the context of the New Partnership for African Development (Nepad). The conference also drew up an African journalists' Charter on the Digital Divide. Organising to take 40 students up to Jhb for Highway Africa, and the subsequent World Summit on Sustainable Development was no small job. I also arranged for some 20 journalists to cover the Summit.
Then, it was attending a fascinating seminar in Bali in early September, organised by the Aspen Institute. This prompted an article in the Sunday press when Bali was bombed six weeks later.
In October I gave two papers at the International Institute for Communication conference in Johannesburg - on environmental journalism, and on southern African websites. I earlier wrote an article for the IIC journal, plus a longer version for the Roundtable, the Commonwealth Journal of International Affairs. A third take on the topic appeared in Free Press, journal of the Media Institute of Southern Africa.
Over the period, I also worked with a student on a briefing paper on newspaper circulation issues. I helped draft the SA National Editors response the Broadcast Amendment Bill, and was part of the resulting presentation to parliament.

A three-hour deep website, A
living stage, is the result of a collaboration in June between Rhodes and University of Chapel Hill North Carolina. This dynamic website resulted from a Fulbright Alumni Initiatives Award that I secured for a project led by the multi-talented Rich Beckman at UNC. We involved 32 students and colleagues from our two campuses in visiting each other and producing this super set of online documentaries. See the making of ...

In June, I was elected as deputy chair of the SA National Editors Forum, with responsibility for developing activity in the organisation's regions.

June-July entailed the following work:
* A Highway Africa thinktank in Durban that produced a website commemorating the launch of the African Union.
* Book review: We shall not weep.
* Article: Things come together: government communication
* Article: Deepening media density
* Flash presentation to Gauteng legislature on media liaison.

April saw me produce a paper about the dynamics in making more media in southern Africa. I also did a quick think piece on new media and development issues, ahead of our annual Highway Africa conference in August. The Online Journalism Review enlisted me in a panel discussion on the future of news.
In March, lots of months of work came to fruition from my convening of a panel of judges for a new newspaper competition. Here's my speech at the Mondi awards. Earlier in the month, I did a submission to the Parliamentary Committee on Communications about the Media Development and Diversity Agency bill. I also drafted the SA National Editors submission.
With the Zimbabwean elections on the agenda, the SA National Editors Forum asked for a paper on the media preconditions for an election to be free and fair.
During 2001,
I did an experimental content analysis exercise with 250 first year students in October. For media freedom day on Oct 19, I invited veteran photojournalist Peter Magubane to give a public lecture.
During September, I convened a meeting of trainers from Southern Africa, and also launched a booklet titled: "Configuring Convergence: Southern African websites looking at American experience."
In May, I wrote a booklet on training impact. In June, I joined a protest against subpoenas for journalists. In July I worked with Rich Beckman of UNC and six Rhodes students on a really exciting website: culture in Grahamstown, using Flash technology.

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