Throughout the month of June, which is Youth Month in South Africa, SAMIP’s participants have shown immense resilience and innovation in their journalism. One of the biggest stories to emerge has been the issue of police brutality that, thanks to Viewfinder, is now getting more public scrutiny.
Our participants have also covered the precarious situation at South Africa’s universities as a result of the pandemic and the ever disturbing presence of gender-based violence in the country.
Since June was Youth Month we want to acknowledge our participants who are led and powered by young teams. These include:
- Viewfinder which was founded by Hubert Humphrey Fellow Daneel Knoetze and its team members include soon-to-be published author Mia Arderne and feminist activist Lenina Rassool ;
- The Daily Vox which was co-founded by former Mail & Guardian editor-in-chief Khadija Patel and had SAMIP advisory committee member Pontsho Pilane as one of its first journalists; and
- #SMWX which was founded by serial entrepreneur Roy Borole and Oxford scholar and social commentator Sizwe Mpofu-Walsh.
- Hashtag Our Stories whose co-founders are Yusuf and Sumaiya Omar and whose team includes Wits Journalism graduate Naeema Dudan.
Webinars continue
With the pandemic raging on SAMIP has had to continue with its pivot to webinars in place of in-person workshops and training sessions. These have allowed us to include a lot more people in the sessions and increase our overall impact.
Those who know, teach
Our first webinar of the month was a continuation of the online events webinar we held in May but this time we looked at the online training industry. Online training is a USD200 million industry which is ripe for entry with a growing need for niche content.
The webinar was geared towards media organizations and non-profits who wanted to know how they could set up their own online training initiatives especially as a revenue stream.
Speakers from Fray College, Hashtag our Stories, Smart Film School and The Potential Platform who discussed their experiences in setting up media training businesses, developing online training content, marketing and monetizing online training content. Catch our write-up here.
Getting into the fundraising game
SAMIP also held a webinar on Fundraising for independent media organizations. as many companies and non-profits are finding themselves with strained revenue streams as a result of the pandemic.
Donor and grant funding play an important role supporting independent media organizations. The webinar was formulated to fill the gap in information on available funding and best practices for applying for funding.
SAMIP also launched an Independent Media Donor Funding Tool (IMDFT), an online spreadsheet of donor information and fundraising opportunities for independent media houses.
Other highlights
A few other highlights from our month:
- The Children’s Radio Foundation bagged a Covid-19 podcasting grant.
- The Daily Vox marked the sixth year since its launch.
- The Mail & Guardian was named South Africa’s most trusted weekly news source.
Looking forward
With the second half of the year now underway, the program is planning on continuing with its remote work which means more webinars and online training. Our focus for the rest of the year is to provide as much support to our participants and the industry as we all find ways to do good journalism and hold those who need to be held to account whilst also dealing with a pandemic.
Some of the events we are looking forward to include: Radio Days Africa and MMX 2020 which is being run by our participant Children’s Radio Foundation. The second half of the year will also see us finalizing the next stage of our program and we will keep you all posted on those plans.
Until the next time.