As we head into the final month of 2020, here are some of the latest updates in the South Africa Media Innovation Program.
Global recognition for SA podcasting mavens
Podcasting start-up Volume has been featured in international podcasting outlet PodNews, for their innovative approach to audio storytelling during the pandemic.
Virtual storytelling to boost women’s voices
As part of its month-long fundraiser, gender-in-media initiative Quote This Woman+ hosted an online storytelling event featuring tales from members of their community of women+ experts (sexual health expert Dr Tlaleng Mofokeng, disability advocate Esihle Mhluzi, change agent Cheryl Benadie and QW+ founder Kathy Mograbi). The event was hosted by Explain.co.za founder Verashni Pillay.
Quote This Woman+ is 60% of the way to their monthly crowdfunding target of R55 000, with a week left in the campaign. You can share and support it here.
DM shows it’s no paper tiger
Digital publisher Daily Maverick can now celebrate two print milestones: its book division Maverick451 has launched their second book, Six Years With Al Qaeda, telling the story of former Al Qaeda hostage Stephen McGown. (Watch the virtual launch, with author Tudor Caradoc-Davies and host Rebecca Davis, here). Meanwhile the print weekly Maverick 168 now has a circulation of over 27,000 copies per week.
A must-have guide to women’s sports
gsport for girls continues to build the profile of women in sports, now with a monthly series – gsport Top 10 – counting down some of the major must-follow women in sports
Meanwhile the gsport blogging platform has a vital resource for women in sport to share their views on challenges in various sporting codes: under the banner of #FIXSABASKETBALL, Hale Bookholane calls for drastic changes in basketball from grassroots to national level.
Telling overlooked stories of SA identities
The Daily Vox continued their series looking at diverse experiences of people in the LGBTQIA+ community, with a feature on a trans man working as a doctor in rural KZN. They also published a piece about the skin lightening industry and another on the politics of Afrikaans.
Expanding its mobile-first news gathering
Bi-lingual mobile news start-up Scrolla continues expanding its editorial mix, with a new political correspondent in KZN, and one on Gauteng’s West Rand. Recent features, published in English and isiZulu, include a scathing profile of poverty in the home village of KZN’s top politician, where residents share their water source with local goat herds.
Power of radio to tell survivors’ stories
While the world grapples with the Covid-19 pandemic, many South African women fear for their lives in their homes where they often find themselves confined with an abuser. A recent feature by Children’s Radio Foundation youth reporters shines a spotlight on those for whom the coronavirus is not the only safety risk.
Building the next generation of media mavens
Last week SAMIP brought together some of our sharpest editorial minds in a virtual seminar on the latest trends in South Africa’s media industry, aimed at a next generation of reporters and publishers. Food for Mzansi co-founder Ivor Price, Daily Maverick publisher Styli Charalambous and Explain.co.za co-founder Verashni Pillay gave young graduates and new entrants an insight into where the industry is headed and what needs to be done to ensure independent media continues to thrive.