Community journalists sharpen their swords

The ‘No Guts, No Glory’ seminar arrived in KZN, bringing together community journalists for a day of networking, training and keeping up with digital trends.

Hosted by the Forum of Community Journalists (FCJ) and sponsored by Avbob, the event took place on Thursday at The Boathouse in Ballito, with 60 attendees from several KZN newspapers: Zululand Observer (ZO), Rising Sun, South Coast Herald, Southlands Sun, Highway Mail, Northglen News, Berea Mail, The North Coast Courier, Newcastle Advertiser and Ladysmith Gazette.

ZO editor-in-chief Ronelle Ramsamy, who is also an FCJ director for KZN, steered proceedings, which featured key speakers from the industry.

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FCJ deputy executive director and editor-in-chief of Caxton Greater Johannesburg Metro, Marietta Lombard, highlighted FCJ’s mandate, the forum’s representation on industry bodies and the annual Avbob FCJ Excellence Awards.

She announced the forum introduced a new category for the upcoming awards, Mobile Photography.

“You know what your role is,” she told the journalists. “You are embedded in your communities and what you do is vital. Without journalism, we don’t have democracy. The industry is under tremendous stress.

“It’s not about media houses being in competition with each other anymore, it’s about the industry coming together and making sure we fight for a free press and against mis-and-disinformation.”

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André Gouws, with over two decades in the industry, discussed digital journalism; while ZO’s veteran newshound and consultant editor Dave Savides, from his 35 years’ worth of experience, shared the importance of relationship journalism.

Regional editor for northern KZN, Rod Skinner, and his team at Ladysmith Gazette travelled over four hours to attend.
“We’re all looking for that magic bullet to survive going into a new era of journalism,” he said, saying the event helped with just that.

Roelien D’Amico, FCJ director: KZN, commented on the event’s success, saying, “It’s important for journos to connect and to remember the essence of journalism.”

Ramsamy closed with a vote of thanks to the journalists, sponsors and the guest speakers.

“You have empowered our newsrooms to publish compelling videos, relevant stories and produce award-winning content.”

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