‘Thrilled to be back’ – Daniella Potter
"Community, after all, is the key driver of a community newspaper and website, and so I want to reiterate how very important you are to us."
There’s a whisper in the walls of this Caxton Joburg North branch that if one leaves, they are bound to come back… and so, here I am.
As I sit in this chair for the very first time, I have to pinch myself. You see, I have worked my whole career to date to be the group editor of this branch – I cut my teeth working on many of its local newspapers and websites and, in 2015, I conducted an in-depth study into one of them to really understand what a community expects from local news. A lot of hard work and a Master’s degree later, I then moved to broaden my perspective of news at Caxton’s national newspaper and website.
To have reached my goal of stepping into the group editor’s role is exciting and pays homage to the saying: ‘The proof of passion is perseverance.’ Now, my real work begins.
My desire to lead this newsroom comes from a very real respect for the Joburg north communities and my absolute belief in the power that community journalism has.
Community journalism is the type of journalism that speaks directly to affected communities and gets to the core of residents’ issues. It is the type of journalism that puts the community first; it assesses their problems, reports on their successes and informs them of what they need to know. As one of the great community journalism scholars, Jock Lauterer, says, “At best, our thresholds for accuracy and responsible reporting are greater because we are a part of the community we cover, not outside it.”
Community, after all, is the key driver of a community newspaper and website, and so I want to reiterate how very important you are to us. Your local news publication is a phone call, tweet and Facebook message away, and you can lean on us to provide you with fair and balanced reporting and to keep you up-to-date on what is happening in your backyards. We want to attend your events, be there to celebrate your achievements and be at hand when there is a problem.
As Lauterer puts it, “This is the real front line of community journalism, sorting out the degree, for example, to which we function as community boosters or community watchdogs.”
As I see it, the community is the heartbeat and we, the community journalists, have our fingers on the pulse.
This is how I want you to feel about your local newspaper and website, as my team and I work together to bring you hyperlocal news that affects you in your neighbourhoods and build on the legacy of this newsroom.
It is a privilege to have returned to serve local news to you.
