News

Are newspapers still relevant today?

When Oscar Henry Frewin launched the Middelburg Observer in 1903, he said that instead of one great flame that quickly disappears, he wanted to light a torch that would always stay alight in the community.

February 1, 2019

Tobie van den Bergh 2 minutes read

Is that flame still burning?

The first week of 2019.
Editorial staff are battling with the question of whether we are still relevant, and how we can remain relevant.

The first day:

A mother enters the office with a child who is limping.

In the open-plan office, she pulls up the trouser leg of her son, indicating an ancient artificial leg.
“My son is in pain daily. Can you please help with a new leg?”

We approach Jumping Kids – and they send application forms.

The following day the mother returns, “Please help me to fill in these forms – the Lord will bless you.”
Everything possible is being done to help Samkelo get a new artificial leg.

• Champagne corks pop and matriculants jump around for sheer joy – the results have been announced.
Journalists rush around.
The plea is repeated again and again: “Please put my photograph in the paper!”

• So the first schoolday dawns.
A father, whose wife was killed in a road accident, sent a photograph of his little Grade 1 daughter:
“Please put this picture in the paper?”
We realise this is more than just a little Grade 1 girl.

Journalists are inundated with many such requests.

• Mpumalanga chess organiser, Themba, rocks up at the office with a story. He has a problem: there are 200 chess sets, but no chessboards. “Please can you help?”
As it is, some time ago we had chess boards printed with the newspaper’s logo on them, and Themba can be helped.

• Residents come to complain that they cannot be assisted at the licensing department of the municipality; others complain about residents who illegally dump rubbish, and some arrive with praise for good service.

• Miners who have received no salaries for the past two months asked whether we could help with an awareness campaign.

• Parents whose children cannot get a place in schools are asking for help.

• A note was e-mailed from a resident in Mhluzi:
“We miss our newspaper, when will you be back on the streets?”

• Our favourite petrol attendant tells of a woman who was so excited when she spotted a newspaper in the café, and her disappointment when she realised it was one from last year.

• Journalists at distribution points are hugged by smiling residents:
“We are so happy that you’re back!!”

The flame is burning high in the editorial office.

How should we be relevant?
We ARE relevant!
More than ever.

The flame that Oscar Henry Frewin ignited in 1903 is still burning high.

The presses are noisily running, spewing newspapers out.

The first edition of 2019 is out.

We can go home, feeling satisfied.

Then a woman enters the editorial office: “Can you please help?
A woman has been raped – we want to notify the community…”.